but did we play better football than Arsenal vs Slavia?

[El Jefecito]

Too right we did! and we did it without a key defender, a key midfielder and our main striker.

We are starting to look like, what I've been waiting for, "The Crushing Machine MKII"

[El Jefecito]

..and Benayoun's dragback near the end when he got fouled, we took the piss

Main reasons we did that?

1. Stevie is back at his marauding best

2. Benayoun is settled in and also at his best (making several people on here who declared he was ****e look like utter tits)

3. Crouch and Voronin combined well

4. Arbeloa got forward a lot more than Finnan usually does and him and Yossi linked superbly

5. Mascherano was another one on top form tonight

Basically it all just clicked together

The key with the waiter is that his attacking play is far more varied. He can cut inside, go outside, dribble cross.

Finnan's attacking play is basically the overlap and cross, it's a lot easier to control when it is that predicatable.

No doubt Finnan is by far the better defender though.

[alunevans]

i didn't see the arsenal game so i don't know and i don't care. what i DO know is that we played the game the right way. we passed it round and used that to assert the fact that we had the better players.

and when it goes one touch, as it did at times last night, its simply impossible to defend against.

[tomasjj]

The key with the waiter is that his attacking play is far more varied. He can cut inside, go outside, dribble cross.

Finnan's attacking play is basically the overlap and cross, it's a lot easier to control when it is that predicatable.

No doubt Finnan is by far the better defender though.

I'd say Finnan is a superior crosser.

[Pacman]

i didn't see the arsenal game so i don't know and i don't care. what i DO know is that we played the game the right way. we passed it round and used that to assert the fact that we had the better players.

and when it goes one touch, as it did at times last night, its simply impossible to defend against.

[El Jefecito]

Well we definitely played better than the arse today. Apparently, they were lucky to get away with a draw.

[bigfooty]

The key with the waiter is that his attacking play is far more varied. He can cut inside, go outside, dribble cross.

Finnan's attacking play is basically the overlap and cross, it's a lot easier to control when it is that predicatable.

No doubt Finnan is by far the better defender though.

I'd rather see Finnan + Arbeloa on the right (Arbeloa ahead of Finnan) than Finnan + Pennant.

Arbeloa is such a versatile player that I really believe he can play a more advanced role if necessary, he may not be a natural winger type but he's got a eye for goal and loves to get forward when possible.

[Guest]

Finnan is a fantastic crosser of the ball, with both left and right foot. He doesn't whip them but the way he does it is very effective.

[Johnny]

Well we definitely played better than the arse today. Apparently, they were lucky to get away with a draw.

They did make 8 changes from the manU game.

[El Jefecito]

They did make 8 changes from the manU game.

Doesn't say much for Wegner's supposed 'wonderkids' then does it.

[Johnny]

Doesn't say much for Wegner's supposed 'wonderkids' then does it.

If he had added just 2/3 of the wonderkids to the team that played ManU Arse would have stuffed Prague.But he`s more intereseted in blooding these kids than winning a game away when they were almost cetainly going to pick up the points needed to qualify in the next two games in their group.


It`s sensible to rest your PL squad in a CL group your dominating.