Morning, let’s do a fast Saturday round-up.
The apparent place to begin is the Champions League draw which befell yesterday, and we’re going to face Bayer Leverkusen. Maybe probably the most attention-grabbing a part of all of it is the facet of the draw we’re on, avoiding lots of the so-called ‘large’ groups, no less than till the semi-final stage. If we beat the German facet, our quarter-final opposition can be one among Sporting or Bodo/Glimt, and the semi-finals ought to we get that far, would probably see us face Premier League opposition ought to Newcastle overcome Barcelona and Sp*rs see off Atletico Madrid.
I believe, fairly strongly, if we do make that sort of progress it’ll be a visit to Spain however you by no means know in soccer, I assume. On the opposite facet, there are attention-grabbing issues to contemplate within the Premier League title race as Man Metropolis face Actual Madrid (once more), and in the event that they win that one, they’ll play the winners of the Bayern Munich/Atalanta conflict. I at all times say you’re taking nothing without any consideration at this stage, however it’s not unreasonable to counsel the draw has been comparatively form to us and Metropolis’s video games are, on paper anyway, a bit more difficult.
And about time too, I say. What number of instances after we had been within the Champions League season after season did we draw Barcelona or Bayern within the Spherical of 16? We had Actual Madrid and PSG final season, and Bayern the season earlier than. If there’s a tough draw to be made, Arsenal have nearly at all times acquired the toughest choice, so if followers of different golf equipment are moaning about the way it’s ‘straightforward’ for us, they’ll go stick it up their tailpipes. We completed prime of the Champions League desk, there should be some reward for that. I do know that’s not the way it at all times works, however this time it has.
Talking concerning the draw at his press convention yesterday, Mikel Arteta stated:
We’re very excited to play the following spherical. We now have earned the proper to be in a robust place, what we’ve carried out within the group stage and that’s it. Now we have to begin to analyse them and discover methods to be higher than them to attempt to undergo the tie.
Taking part in it with a straight bat, as we’ve come to count on, however behind the scenes he have to be delighted with the way it panned out. I don’t essentially imagine within the stars aligning for us, as a result of they’ll un-align fairly rapidly if we don’t deal with what we have to do ourselves, however as I stated, this can be a form draw and hopefully one we take a look at in a means which focuses us to make the very most of it.
The complete draw is as follows:
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
Galatasaray v Liverpool
Actual Madrid v Manchester Metropolis
Atalanta v Bayern Munich
Newcastle v Barcelona
Atletico Madrid v Sp*rs
Bodo/Glimt v Sporting
Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal
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As a pleasant solution to begin your Saturday, why not relive the final time we performed Bayer Leverkusen within the Champions League, again in 2002? Coincidentally, February twenty seventh 2002, the day Arseblog was born! The Arsenal group that day was – Seaman, Dixon, Stepanovs, Campbell, Lauren, Grimandi, Vieira, Pires, Wiltord, Bergkamp, Henry – and it options one of many nice Dennis Bergkamp targets.
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In the meantime, a consequence of the Champions League draw, which sees our second leg performed on Tuesday March seventeenth, is that our sport in opposition to Everton which was already scheduled for Sunday March fifteenth, has now been moved to five.30 on the Saturday as an alternative. I believe everybody understands that fixtures get shuffled round due to European development and many others, however the wording of the unique rescheduling to the Sunday made no point out of the actual fact it is likely to be then impacted by the Champions League, regardless of the actual fact these video games are included in that announcement.
As such, a lot of followers could have already booked journey and lodging, and now discover themselves scrambling at late discover to attempt to change these preparations. On the very least, soccer golf equipment ought to present that stage of element of their communications, as a result of now there are going to be folks out of pocket and probably unable to attend. The extent of inconvenience varies, after all, relying on particular person circumstance, however it shouldn’t be as much as followers to learn between the traces to determine there is likely to be a possible situation – that’s on the membership’s communications, plain and easy, which need to be higher.
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Proper, I’m gonna depart it there for now. I hope wherever you’re you have got an excellent Saturday, thanks a lot for all the stunning messages and feedback yesterday, it means loads. Should you want one thing to hearken to, we’ve got a preview podcast on Patreon proper now, and I’ll be again right here tomorrow to look forward correctly to the sport in opposition to Chelsea.
Till then, take care.
