Praise You

Written by Lindsay Melrose Thursday, 17 February 2011 17:27

By Lindsay Sheehan

“We’ve come a long long way together – through the hard times and the good. I’ve got to celebrate you baby I’ve got to praise you like I should.”

Match Report

Tonight saw a very comfortable Champions League win for the home side at the Emirates. The average visitors, dressed in bogey green, passed the ball around some and gave us an early scare. We eventually galvanised to restore normal Arsenal service and won with 2 goals to their one. Barcelona’s best player, some pre-pubescent looking chap called Messi, showed he's got a long way to go before being anywhere near the class of our Jack Wilshire. Job done. Next, up away to Orient in the cup.

Anticipation

The biggest night at the Grove since… well since the same fixture last year, saw time stand still. Whenever I looked at my watch it seemed to tell exactly the same time as before. It was like one of those anxiety dreams where you race down corridors as fast as you can but never actually get anywhere. There was real calm cautious optimism amongst us but as the clock refused to tick down the nerves crept in. Smug Spuds fresh from a one nil win over a has-been AC Milan side predicted our demise with glee on shit radio stations.

FANtastic

The 60 000 lucky fuckers in the stadium were honest and loud. When they were good we murmured our appreciation, when we had the ball we roared us forwards. A unanimous groan of relief reverberated when Messi shot wide. The fans were patient, constant and absolutely wildly jubilant at the end. If there had been a roof it would have blown off and landed down the road squashing Shite Hart Lane flat.

The Best Team In the World

The first 20 minutes made me physically dizzy. This was the first match for ages when I actually watched the opposition rather than us and fuck me they are good. I had to count them because I was sure they had more than 11 on the pitch. They didn’t.

Where we play in triangles they play in squares and consequently always have at least 3 passes on. If we intercepted then said square would swarm round our player cutting off his supply route. They had more space than Stephen Hawkings on the wings and interchanged so much I honestly though Clichy’s head would end up doing a 360 Exorcist twist in order to keep them in sight.

Listen, we if anyone are fair judge of their talent, we've had the Invincibles (no slouches themselves) and some of the Worlds best have graced The Arsenal. We also like to play a bit of football ourselves. But the team sheet read like a who's who in European football and the real definition of a dream team. By the time we’d reached the announcements for the forwards our heads were in our hands.

The Young Upstarts

We have all discussed what would be required to equal or better Barcelona. I think the team realised in the first 10 that we were right. Despite such Barcelona dominance in the first half we had not played badly. The whole team were on form (except Song who was, well, off-song) but we just could not get the ball of the big boys. As time went on our good performances turned into great ones and here are some special mentions…… (I am only going to pick my top 3 as I know Fillips Ratings from the Republic is on its way and he does these reviews much better than me)

Jack Wilshire - When Cesc first burst onto the European stage, especially against Real and Juventus, Gooners realised we had just witnessed the emergence of a very special player. Watching our own home grown English man-child play with such confidence and desire made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. At 19 there he was sparkling against Inesta and Xavi in front of the World’s eyes. Should he continue at this pace, avoid off field distractions (and cab drivers) and stay the lovely genuine guy twitter yells us he is, well then we are now watching birth of a true Arsenal legend. An English heartbeat.

Laurent Koscielny – Right, so we now see what Wenger saw. Yes he has weaknesses; he needs a leader next to him but DAVE!! What a display from beginning to end. This was illustrated in the dying minutes after Arsh hesitated and then hand balled, there was panic in the area but Dave stood firm. Even JD had a few nervous moments yesterday, uncharacteristically giving possession away cheaply, but Dave was a man mountain.

Woijiech Szczesny – Can we all just take a minute to realise that this guy made his Champions League debut against Barcelona aged 20. How is that for pressure? When I guested on The Gooner Podcast I was surprised by their confidence in his ability. I’d seen you-tube clips like you all and read bits and pieces about his progress but thought at 19 he was probably over 5 years away from being ready. After all Keepers usually hit their best form relatively late in footballing terms. They stated that he would be our number 1 very soon (although I don’t think even they quite foresaw the combination of events that made this happen so soon.) Proving that that’s why they are ‘The Gooner’ – how right were they? And thank god. He wasn’t at fault for the goal, (that was Clichy although he made up for it with an assist later) and stopped at least 2 more with both saves and fantastic positioning.

Le Boss

Before the game it was the usual blah blah blah believe. We’ll we’ve done that before Boss and had our breakfast shat in. I have to say when the board went up, Arsene's choice of substitution left me scratching me head. I agreed Song was a liability after his early yellow - we needed to finish with 11 men and without him suspended for the Nou Camp. We had mooted the point ourselves at half time worrying that the sensible decision would mean loosing his muscle. But Theo off? He was having a stormer and when he ran at them, the Barcelona defence actually looked scared. I was sure this was going to be another ineffectual Wenger substitution and I hugged myself tight for comfort.

But then that's why we say "Arsene knows" instead of Lindsay does. The shift of Nasri to the middle plus the introduction of our Arshavin changed the game and within minutes we’d scored 2 goals.

Arsene’s job is made much easier when his players do theirs. They all lead, all of em tried and therefore the change of personnel had a devastating effect. We continued with his forward, attack minded philosophy and it paid off. There is nothing I like better than a smiling Wenger and I loved his cuddle celebration with RVP.

Our Goals

Just when I was thinking, actually I’d take one nil, we only went and fucking won it.

Yes Valdes should have covered his near post but Big Game Barry was lurking and played as a great decoy. Valdes went to cover for the cross, leaving RVP to slot home at the most impossible of angels.

Arshavin’s goal was described by ITV as a Barcelona goal. How very rude. It was an Arsenal goal. The same kind we score week in week out. This time we did it against the best team in the world. Credit please jeeez. If I had been a man I’d have done a big bit of sex wee at that movement and finish, Sublime. The whole stadium was on its feet bar me. I sat in my seat and cried. Like a baby.

Reaction

I hope you weren’t expecting any ‘San Heroes’ style praise for us. I mean we only won against the team who smashed The Special Ones star-studded Real Madrid 5 – 0. They played like that and yet still we beat them by playing football, not fouling and tackling ‘hard.’ We had just as many shots on goal as them for all their possession. As we were kindly patronised by Ancelotti at the Bridge it’s not the possession that wins games, it’s how many times you put the ball in the back of the net. How many times have we been told that pretty football is not all that success is about? And yet now apparently the criteria have changed again. SNORE.

Don’t get frustrated, he who laughs last laughs longest. That was a beautiful spectacle, worthy of the massive audience it received. So many times the ‘big’ games do not live up to the hype. This one simply did in every way. The game was played exactly as it should be and was a credit to the Champions League and European Football.

Feet firmly on the Ground

It's only half time. We have some big nana skins in our path for glory on 4 fronts so it is by no means job done. It will all be for nothing if this level is not maintained and we slip up against Orient/Stoke/Birmingham. However, yesterday players, fans and manager performed outstandingly together. Victoria Concordia Crescit. Victory comes through harmony guys and we were all singing the same song and in stunning voice. Let's enjoy that. Fuck let's!!

The Arsenal 2 - Barcelona 1.

Get in!

(Er sorry but a quick PS to the ladies - Pep Guardiola – moody but very yum. Just the way we like em)