Yaotzin

Everyone gets screwed sometimes in football. Wigan got screwed good and proper the other week against Chelsea. Barcelona got screwed against Inter. And Chelsea got screwed against Barcelona. sh*t happens, pointless dwelling on it.

Drogba's defending in the air is pretty much irrelevant against Barca.

Might want to read what I was responding to. I didn't say the FA Cup is nothing, I said I wouldn't take it over CL football, not right now when a new top 4 hegemony is forming.

Scholes plays deep, ala Alonso. When they played Cleverly and Anderson they were comically open, conceding 20+ shots every game. Obviously playing a formation with width when you have no wingers is less than ideal, but then your experiments with the diamond and similar narrow formations didn't exactly set the world alight. Ultimately that's a squad problem, not a formation one.

Losing out on CL football is catastrophic. See Liverpool. So no, I most certainly would not trade positions.

If it's the CL no, if it's the FA cup + 4th, no, if it's just the FA cup yes.

Duh, he doesn't make enough last ditch tackles, hollywood passes, or 30 yard screamers. Obviously he sucks! [/sarcasm] Very good player, though very one dimensional which is a bit of a problem now that he inevitably needs to wind things down.

Sure, but that's the past. This season Arsenal are better, and they've passed up numerous chances to bottle things. Very little reason to think they will suddenly. Well you've lost against supposedly lesser teams too. You were so sh*t you didn't just discuss sacking your manager, you did it. I'm not throwing stones - Arsenal have plenty of their own problems and aren't exactly amazing. They're just better than Chelsea right now, and have little reason to worry about playing them. Still a tough game, of course, but no source of worry.

Other than in extreme cases, formation is unrelated to how attacking/defensive you are. For example Real Madrid play 4-2-3-1 always, and they're incredibly attacking. Anyway, you need 2 holders because Mata doesn't defend. In modern football, you need 2 defensive (or at least deep) midfielders, or 3 rounded ones. It's either 2 holders or Mata wide.

Why would any Arsenal fan worry about Chelsea :? You've been poor all season and you lost already at home..

Good predictive powers lads. I hate Liverpool and follow Arsenal amongst the English teams. Spurs do indeed look like they might pull off the mother of all implosions, but you are too so hey.

It was always in that weekend, what got changed was making it on the 21st, so 3 days between each CL tie. It used to be 22nd, so would've been 2 days before the home leg.

Sorry for the realism, didn't realise this place was an echo chamber.

You need one of Arsenal/Spurs to implode spectaculary, while winning virtually all your games. Neither is going to happen. Newcastle overtaking you is much more likely.

If Sturridge doesn't lose the laziness/selfishness/arrogance and start playing like he's in a team, he'll end up as another Defoe at best. Presumably the coach isn't getting through to him about it, so maybe the fans will. Can't say I mind booing players who are being lazy tossers tbh. Players only deserve support if they're trying their best.