Arsene virtually in tears in the interview when asked if he was sad that he wouldn't

[SWv2]

'Althletico Madrid... Known as The Mattress Makers around these parts, for obvious reasons'

What?!?!?!

I didn’t hear that to be honest and that sort of time filling nonsense doesn’t really bother me.

These pundit people are ex-professionals and whether we like to admit it or not have a depth of knowledge about the game, and playing the game, that we simply don’t. Sometimes you want them to express this.

I don’t mind Keown so much. He was an angry, aggressive defender and his punditry style mirrors that. He can be negative but then a lot of our performances and results are hardly those to shout from the rooftops about.

[IUFG]

If only Thierry could shoot eh

Another one that used to get accused of going missing in 'big games' iirc : ozil:

[IUFG]

Which clubs have the others managed, though? Wenger ran a team on a shoestring budget compared to most CL winners (bearing in mind he's only really had 2 shots at the EL).

a manager on £8.5m a year runs team on a shoestring?

Squillachi et al on £50k per week?

Some fúcking shoestring...

[IUFG]

This was probably the best defence we'll ever come up against and if there's no movement, which there wasn't, then there's no ball to play

nail and head, psrb

There was one occasion last night when Ozil was on the ball and just about everyone on the pitch was stationary for 3 or 4 seconds.

[redgunamo]

I have - a great many times - seen extremely talented players play a ball that takes defenders out of the game even when there appears to be nothing on. It's a special genius that players like Dennis had. Those players change games and deserve 350k a week.

Ozil has that ability, I think.

Of course, if there was nothing on, Dennis could just pot the ball into the top corner himself. And everyone knew it. That's the difference.

[PSRB]

Of course, if there was nothing on, Dennis could just pot the ball into the top corner himself. And everyone knew it. That's the difference.

DB10 was the best player I've ever seen.

[SWv2]

DB10 was the best player I've ever seen.

Best Arsenal player or best player?

[7sisters]

He also possessed a win at all costs mentality and that’s something lacking throughout our entire squad. The talent is there but we play as 11 individuals. I’d even accept a different managerial approach could turn around our current back four. It’s a great opportunity for whoever comes in. We only need some fine tuning and we also appear to have a rich seam of young talent coming through..

[SWv2]

He also possessed a win at all costs mentality and that’s something lacking throughout our entire squad. The talent is there but we play as 11 individuals. I’d even accept a different managerial approach could turn around our current back four. It’s a great opportunity for whoever comes in. We only need some fine tuning and we also appear to have a rich seam of young talent coming through..

Totally different group of players playing in a totally different era of football.

Each of them, or most of them, superbly gifted but equally as hard as fúck. Would kick your bollócks in to win a game of football. The generic term you often read bandied about is “real men”. Players who the opposition would see in the tunnel and the job was half done.

Now compare that to the current bunch. Gifted for sure but there is a continued group weakness, week after week and season after season.

You could probably argue that not one current player would make the teams of the Bergkamp era, not one would certainly make a Wenger best 11 and that includes the sometimes mercurial German.

I was watching that game at OT last weekend and was thinking about how shít, how benign and how generally meaningless it was compared to the days when it was the biggest match of the entire football season. In one thought it encapsulated the group of ****s we currently employ.

[PSRB]

Best Arsenal player or best player?

Arsenal and live