UCL: Arsenal Vs FC Barcelona 1st k/o round

[Lol_101]

Joss, the red card didn't change the game, the play was heading in the same direction was the entire game - towards the Arsenal goal.

What the red card did do was give Arsenal no hope of mounting any sort of attack as they had no outlet. Not that they were allowed to attack before the sending off, when Arsenal got the ball eventually they were forced to give it away because of the constant pressure from the Barca players.

lame. red card for wrong descion and to an influential player is a BIG thing

 

[Unbidden]

Of course it made a **** difference being a man down, it meant that the teamS formation had been changed they also had no threat upfront so Barcelona don't have to keep one eye behind them meaning they can push forward even more and commit more men forward as there is no potential danger of an attacking threat so they won't have to track back that much.

The scoreline was 1 -1 before the silly sending off, to say the result would have been the same is subjective and illogical as the game would not have been the same. Arsenal have a tendency of playing really badly when a man down.

I am not saying Barcelona didn't deserve their win or even that Arsenal were playing well just that the red card did have an affect and the result may have gone another way.

 

[timmsy123]

Arsenal didn't have a shot all game, so RVP wasn't really posing a threat to Barcelona. Arsenal lost this game due to Wenger's tactical naivety IMHO. When Van Persie got sent off (agreed it was a stupid decision) he failed to change anything tactically and just had Wilshere running round like a headless chicken chasing lost causes as they had no-one upfront. When RVP got sent off he needed to do one of 2 things - bring on another defensive player and get everyone behind the ball or put on Chamakh/Bendter and play the same way as they were before. Fabregas was poor tonight and has been all season I think, he just doesn't look fit or like he wants to be there. What he was trying to do for Barca's first goal I have no idea, it's almost as if he was rubber stamping his move there.

 

[narasimharameshvara]

of core taht sent off make big influence to the game... that open dani alves to go forward almost all time in second half...he was always alone on right side of the pitch. first half arsenal was playing good from my view. they concentrate on defense, like inter last year. barca didnt shoot on goal untill 25min.. red card is a joke.

 

[HarryW]

I agree with Timmsy, was it not Wenger who said before the match that they would not go to the Nou Camp to defend? yet there they were with the bus firmly parked. I watched Valencia last week and they outplayed Barca the first half, and deserved to draw at the very least. They applied pressure onto barca, and they just couldn't cope. Arsenal are a team built around an attacking style of football, entertaining football, and I know that is what Arsenal fans take pride in. For Wenger to then go out with such negativity is quite said, considering Barcelona had busquets at CB, Adriano LB (who is more attacking) and Dani Alves RB, who of course is often in the opponents half more than his own. If that is not an invitation to attack then what is? I think Wenger owes an apology to the Arsenal fans, because that wasn't arsenal and the they shouldn't have had to be subjected to such a negative display. There is no way you can go to the Nou Camp and try to keep a clean sheet, Wenger is very foolish if he thought they could.

 

[Deleted member 79730]

I was hoping dani alves would come to city, but please mate dont come. I dont want cheats at our club.

Was a good game to watch. I want to see a team actually attack barca though, im hoping spurs get them next round as spurs go at anyone.

 

[Athe~]

This has been said a few pages ago, but, why can't the Arsenal fans remember about the match at the Emirates, when a completely valid goal for Barça was called offside? Referees are human, they make mistakes, and that was a mistake. In the RVP case, rather than a mistake, it was a very harsh call, but it's within the rules. Could you have gone through if RVP hadn't been sent off? Yes, maybe you could (I seriously doubt it, though, NO shots on goal is pretty poor...) but you'll never know. You should just drop the issue and concentrate in the PL now - after all, you only depend on yourselves now.

 

[wunzigan]

I was hoping dani alves would come to city, but please mate dont come. I dont want cheats at our club.

Was a good game to watch. I want to see a team actually attack barca though, im hoping spurs get them next round as spurs go at anyone.

Dany Alves was great today. And has had a great season so far. No team can/does actually attack Barcelona. Their only hope is to be really effective on counter attacks. Arsenal did what they could, and against a superb Barcelona there is not much to be done. Facts , 19 shots on goal for Barcelona, 2 shots on goal for Arsenal. Kinda a big difference wouldnt you say?
The red card was too harsh imho, but the gameplay would still be the same. What team can actually stop them? Who knows, Inter managed that. This year..... well, if I had to bet on it, I would go for Real Madrid (in a derby anything can happen) or Man U / Chelsea.

Anyway, off topic, we should actually be just happy to be watching one of the best teams ever to play game if not the best.

 

[Deleted member 79730]

Dany Alves was great today. And has had a great season so far. No team can/does actually attack Barcelona. Their only hope is to be really effective on counter attacks. Arsenal did what they could, and against a superb Barcelona there is not much to be done. Facts , 19 shots on goal for Barcelona, 2 shots on goal for Arsenal. Kinda a big difference wouldnt you say?
The red card was too harsh imho, but the gameplay would still be the same. What team can actually stop them? Who knows, Inter managed that. This year..... well, if I had to bet on it, I would go for Real Madrid (in a derby anything can happen) or Man U / Chelsea.

Anyway, off topic, we should actually be just happy to be watching one of the best teams ever to play game if not the best.

I dont care how good he is, he dived so many times and it really made the game poor to watch.

 

[Athe~]

I dont care how good he is, he dived so many times and it really made the game poor to watch.

Sadly, too many players do that these days. I'm sick of watching one of our strikers get in the box and drop like he'd been hit by a panzerschreck. They seem to be more worried about getting a penalty, a card or any sort of foul from the ref than about the game itself.

 

[Lol_101]

what done is done. time to move on.

 

[I Hate Fish]

It's pretty obvious that Platini hates it when English clubs do well in the CL and knows when Barca is in the CL, the €€€$$$£££ starts flowing in. The fact that the ref fell for Barca's diving and booked only Arsenal's players when the Barca **** committed similar offences shows the true nature of corruption in UEFA. I just hope Spurs, Chelsea, and ManUtd don't get similar refs for their games. Not saying Barca didn't deserve to win, but they have benefited many times from dodgy ref decision far too many times in the CL.

 

[*Jamess*]

If it weren't for the ref sending RVP off we would have still had a chance. But i believe RVP and Fabregas should have started on the bench and bought on later on in the 2nd half if needed because they weren't 100% fit.

 

[Quasit]

As Wenger said in interview. With 11 men the defeat would have been justified, but RVP sending off eased Barcelona to victory. I'm not saying that Arsenal would have win if RVP wouldnt have been sent off. We would have had chance of keeping it 1-1 or perhaps 2-1 and going to overtime and perhaps penalties. RVP sending off had huge mental effect on team and when that happened I knew we would lose.

Some positives on the match was Koncielny in defence despite giving away penalty and Almunia on goal. Also Diaby and Wilshere were quite good and compensated some of Cesc poor game.

 

[W4FC B3N]

Wilshere > Arsenal

 

[Billy]

Deserved win by Barcelona.

The stats speak for themselves, and if it wasn't for a, quite frankly ridiculous, own goal by Busquets, then Arsenal didn't really have a prayer, with or without van Persie.

Yes, I'm not going to argue that the sending off changed the game, simply by crippling Arsenal completely offensively; however, they had 0 shots before the sending off and afterwards. I don't think it would have made enough of a difference to change the outcome of the game, personally.

Of course, if you want to question refereeing decisions, then we can look at the first-leg where Barcelona had a goal disallowed, and in the first-half of last night's game where a clear penalty went unnoticed.

Simply put, Arsenal never really deserved to progress when all is said and done. This is amplified even greater when you consider both of Barcelona's first choice centre-backs were missing and Arsenal still didn't manage a chance on goal last night.

I hope we manage to progress against Milan simply for the chance to draw Barcelona. I'd love for us to have a go.

 

[IanC]

It's pretty obvious that Platini hates it when English clubs do well in the CL and knows when Barca is in the CL, the €€€$$$£££ starts flowing in. The fact that the ref fell for Barca's diving and booked only Arsenal's players when the Barca **** committed similar offences shows the true nature of corruption in UEFA. I just hope Spurs, Chelsea, and ManUtd don't get similar refs for their games. Not saying Barca didn't deserve to win, but they have benefited many times from dodgy ref decision far too many times in the CL.

You personify a typical bad loser with this quote. If you think that Blatter has sent instructions to his reffing officials to deny English clubs chances of getting further in the CL then you are completely delusional.

Look at how many times the English clubs have been in the CL Final since 2005. If Blatter was doing what you imply then there would be no English clubs getting to that stage. Refs are human and they have to act on what they percieve. Yes they get it wrong sometimes. How many games this season have we seen it. It is harsh when it is against your club but people forget how many times clubs have decisions in their favour.

 

[Jake]

It's pretty obvious that Platini hates it when English clubs do well in the CL and knows when Barca is in the CL, the €€€$$$£££ starts flowing in. The fact that the ref fell for Barca's diving and booked only Arsenal's players when the Barca **** committed similar offences shows the true nature of corruption in UEFA. I just hope Spurs, Chelsea, and ManUtd don't get similar refs for their games. Not saying Barca didn't deserve to win, but they have benefited many times from dodgy ref decision far too many times in the CL.

First leg, legit Barca goal chalked off.

Second leg, stone wall penalty to Barca not given.

Yeah, refs are really biased against English clubs.... :S

 

[Mike.]

Arsène Wenger and Samir Nasri charged with improper conduct by Uefa
• Manager argued with referee after 3-1 defeat Camp Nou
• Wenger angered by red card to Robin van Persie

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/09/arsene-wenger-samir-nasri-charged

Arsène Wenger and Samir Nasri have each been charged with improper conduct by Uefa for comments the manager and his midfielder are alleged to have made to Massimo Busacca who refereed Barcelona's 3-1 defeat of Arsenal that knocked them out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The club also faces a secondary charge that it was responsible for both the first and second halves at Camp Nou starting late. The cases will be heard on 17 March and if found guilty Wenger may receive a two-game touchline ban while Nasri may be suspended from two games.

Busacca sent off Robin van Persie in the 56th-minute when the striker had continued playing after the Swiss official had blown to signal offside.

Wenger twice approached Busacca after the match had ended, once to argue with the official as he and the teams left the field, then later following his post-game press conference.

Wenger was furious that Van Persie was sent off and he was also bemused that Busacca had shown the yellow card to Arsenal players on five occasions but not once to a Barcelona man.

Immediately after the tie Wenger said: "It's not a surprise the referee didn't book a single Barcelona player. I just spoke to [the] Uefa people. They are shocked as well. He killed a promising, fantastic football match. What for? If it's a bad tackle it's a second bookable offence but the way he did it it's embarrassing, if you love the game. If you have played football at a certain level you cannot understand that decision. It's impossible."

Asked how Busacca had reacted when Wenger approached him for the first time to offer his views the Frenchman said: "He was receptive, not necessarily of my view [when he spoke to Busacca afterwards], because he must think that he made the right decision."

Uefa studied reports from Busacca and the match delegate Dane Jost before asking its disciplinary unit to investigate. Article 10 of the governing body's disciplinary rules states that players or officials should be suspended for at least two European competition matches in cases of "pestering or insulting any match official".

 

[Calum]

Was expected when they speak the truth