gunnör

Kompany was right when he said that City showed Barca too much respect in the first half, he was also right when he said that Barca weren't the hardest City had faced this year. They should have went full throttle right from the beginning when Barca are most vulnerable and hadn't settled down, could've easily been 1 or 2 up. These guys can't defend set pieces, the only few set pieces City had, Barca were all over the place. You guys showed them far too much respect, playing Kolarov really says it all. Too cautious, and wasn't expecting that from Pellegrini.

Just ignore him. There was no difference in quality attacking wise between the two sides, if the ref was more lenient or at least as lenient as the ref who was officiating the Bayern game last year, City would probably have won. It was schoolboy error which cost you in the end, and not holding out 0-1 was just pure naivety in the last 5 minutes. Shout out to Silva, Toure and Nasri though, world class pure and simple. Kolarov was a liability attacking wise.

City have to score first at Barca to have a chance. PSG and Zlatan are hilarious! Haha bravo.

Stupid by Demichelis, pure idiocy which decided the match, shouldn't be behaving like that at home in the first leg. Nothing between the sides before the sending off, City should have shut up shop at 0-1 as any experienced team would.

I won't mention it, I think I've pushed that button already haha You too mate.

I would love to know the answer to that, Wenger is probably the most arrogant in the business, he offers take-it-or-leave-it prices for players with zero flexibility, the Higuain and Suarez debacle in the summer is a summary of our transfer policy. To send an entire team out to Germany to negotiate for Draxler and come back empty handed is mind-numbing. It's not the board, it's Wenger who has the final say, they put the money down on the table for him. My theory is that he doesn't want to spend so as not to put pressure on himself to win anything. Wenger will be here even he doesn't win anything, there are still too many Wenger loyalists, not just at board level but at the grassroots level. But even some Arsenal websites like Arsenal Mania are not the same anymore, there is growing dissent and skepticism of Wenger and a real belief that he has taken us as far as he could already and that there aren't likely to be any more trophies under his management.

It's exactly that, lack of confidence. According to the manager, the players have no confidence in themselves when it comes to big games, especially against United, a team Spurs beat comfortably at Old Trafford. Both times we were playing with fear: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/feb/13/arsenal-wenger-manchester-united-moyes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/10439916/Arsene-Wenger-Arsenal-undermined-by-nervousness-as-Manchester-United-beat-league-leaders-at-Old-Trafford.html It's shocking really, and it's sad to say but I don't think they have confidence in Wenger's set up against big teams any more because it's been so long since we won anything, there's no winning mentality and there's a serious lack of world class players in the squad who would calm nerves. 3 years ago we didn't fear any big team because we had Fabregas specifically. Whenever we were pressed in the middle of the pitch, he was our out ball along with Nasri. Ozil isn't that type of player who can dictate the game, he's meant to play more upfield and set up strikers like Giroud who are woefully out of form and aren't making the runs. The team has no confidence in Arteta as well, who has no pace. We were very very lucky against Liverpool recently, but the team know deep down, we just don't have the players to play the football Wenger wants against the better and more imposing sides, the quality isn't there.

Our only chance of winning anything is the FA cup, I'm not convinced we'll win it but we have a good chance of passing each stage until we face City. We're not going to win the league, I think the aim is still top 4 but on the form we are in, we could see Liverpool above us and maybe even Spurs. We have to win the next three consecutive games against Sunderland, Stoke and Swansea before that eye-watering run of fixtures in March in order to feel more secure about top 4. The CL is about keeping the Arsenal club pride intact at the end of the Bayern fixtures. We're not going to go through, so it's about the manner of defeat.

Agree with Schurrle, no idea why he doesn't play, he's a brilliant winger. But Mikel in front of Matic? That's asking to lose.

A bit random but what do you think of your latest chances at top 4? I'm genuinely fearing you guys will take our place, you seem to be grinding out the results like a team that really did spend 100m in the summer, good depth to the team as well.

Eh yes, a person like Stim deserves it because unlike anybody else on this forum, he cries foul everytime like a petulant child every instance I make a factual off the cuff remark.

Well, I just made an innocent remark that there's been more managers than Wenger that have failed to win trophies within 8 years including at Chelsea, Stim challenged that and he got his backside handed to him as usual.

That's probably why I said this, yeah (!) However, I don't disagree with Mourinho, I think when he made the remark he was referring exclusively to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, going 8 years without a trophy with the teams he had at his disposal, the performance in that final against Birmingham, the yearly collapses towards the business end of trophy campaigns etc. is inexcusable and yes- ultimately worthy of a resignation in my opinion.

Ok let's see what we got here: What was my assertion? It was this: I can think of a lot more managers other than Wenger who were "failures" and who should have resigned , including at the very club he's managing right now- Chelsea. Did Stim challenge that assertion or was he agreeing with it? Sorry for my smugness but he was logically challenging it, after all, he needn't lay down that challenge if he was agreeing with it right haha So Stim was logically challenging me. Was he interested in only the current managers, or throughout history like me? Well let's see from his own words: Interested in past ones but those may just be few and far between See, the thing is, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Because you either have to conclude that he has failed in his comprehension by disagreeing with my initial assertion which was 100% correct. Or you have to conclude by stating that he understood my assertion was correct but decided to address another topic, whilst lying about it at the same time. So he's either illterate or deluded. I'm happy with both

And I guessed it right again! Couldn't come out with an excuse quick enough! Oh I love Stim's challenges to my assertions.

Can't believe I have to teach a really ignorant Chelsea fan his own history haha David Calderhead- 26 years Chelsea manager, 0 trophies. Billy Birrell- 13 years Chelsea manager, 0 trophies. Now watch the excuses start rolling in for his ignorance

"Go on name them then?" ..... "..those may just be few and far between..." Make up your mind before challenging others and drop the typically cowardice behaviour.

Why are you hedging? Grow a pair and challenge me properly if you think all managers in every club-including Chelsea- have won something within 8 years. Either you're ignorant of this subject or you're not, which is it? You're the same user that declared that Mourinho has never played for a draw in his life, despite Mourinho's own admission that he played for a draw for Inter in the CL. What do you do on this forum other than talk bollocks and challenge people about things you're ignorant of? Your excuses can't come in quick enough when you find out you're wrong

You really think Ronaldo and Ibra in and around the box are equivalent to Sturridge, they keep their head up all the time, Sturridge plays with his head down and has no idea what he's meant to do when his avenue to shoot is sealed off, he can't find a man if he was given a telescope, and has zero reading of the game when he drops deeper. As for Neymar, in all the matches I have watched him for Barca, it's very far fetched to call him greedy, I think you'll see tomorrow night how "un-greedy" he is. With Balotelli, every time I turn around he's being criticised for his greediness and wastefulness, even from his own teammates. I don't know about Bale, he spent too much time on the treatment table this season to be judged on anything really.

I can't think of a more greedy player other than Defoe, there is no chance England are going to achieve anything by appeasing the likes of Sturridge with a role up top when Rooney is clearly first choice. His lack of discipline and intelligence is not good enough at the international level, he should have used his brain against Germany when midfielders resorted to hoof ball because Sturridge refuses to work for the team and drop deep when required and play the provider. Players like him are what's wrong with the England set up.

I can see why people are irked by Mourinho's comments, he did clearly declare that going 8 years without a trophy is a failure worthy of a resignation. If that's the case then I can think of a lot more managers other than Wenger who were "failures" and who should have resigned , including at the very club he's managing right now- Chelsea. It was a reckless comment which can be interpreted as being disrespectful to all managers who have gone at least 8 years without a trophy. However, I don't disagree with Mourinho, I think when he made the remark he was referring exclusively to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, going 8 years without a trophy with the teams he had at his disposal, the performance in that final against Birmingham, the yearly collapses towards the business end of trophy campaigns etc. is inexcusable and yes- ultimately worthy of a resignation in my opinion.

So true, they'll be lucky not to be 10 men at the camp nou. I hope Barca get smashed at the Etihad so City can hold on in the 2nd leg.

Very tense match though, if we had lost, this season would basically have been a write off and the "Wenger Out" brigade would have the wheels turning. Today was a big win for Wenger, but he shouldn't have put himself in this situation. He had all the attackers tracking back today in ways I haven't seen before, they were fighting for the manager out there.

Meh, we threw them out of a cup. Ifs and buts ;)

It looked as if they were welcoming Sanogo into the first team set up, but starting Podolski is worth a celebration in itself, if Giroud was up top we certainly wouldn't have won. He's better being up top on other women it seems, what a prick.