The big matches keep coming! 2-0 Arsenal. Giroud to start and score. Come on you gunners! Lets get that top spot. [poll type=multiple min=1 max=3 public=true]
- Arsenal
- Draw
- PSG
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Please Arsenal! Win the fucking group for once. Iwobi and Xhaka should start.
I think this will end 1-1 also like the game in Paris in September.
Does a draw keep us top?
As long as its 0-0 or 1-1 it does.
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Yep.
That’s good, should force PSG to come out and attack a bit, might create a bit of space we can exploit.
This is an important game for us, no doubt. There’s every possibility that finishing first might not mean we evade a last 16 exit, but breaking the cycle in this competition could be vital for us. I remember Real Madrid of all teams went through a 5 year streak of going out in the last 16. Breaking that was huge for them, and it could be for us. I’m not saying we’ll win the cup but it will lift the feeling of pointlessness that this competition has for us at the moment.
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This talk of breaking the L16 cycle being vital for us seems way off tbh Come across as if we’re trying to run before we can walk.
Reestablishing our domestic presence should absolutely top priority over everything thing else.
I’m absolutely desperate to get to the Vicente Calderon in time, so banking on BAyern beating to Atletico to top spot in their group, otherwise not all that fussed about 1st or 2nd for reasons mentioned before
I say we should do both.
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Haha yeah since when are they mutually exclusive?
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By which I can only assume you mean winning the league, given that we’ve done most other things domestically in the last five seasons. That’s a far more unachievable goal than simply a bit better in Europe.
It’s a strange logic you’re employing, that we must remain shit in Europe in order to get better in the league.
@shamrockgooner of course we can do both but i’d prefer the league as priority reflected to be reflected CL line ups much more often. Like for example I wouldn’t want to be seeing first team line ups against european fodder knowing we have important league matches. I don’t see progressing as 1st in the group as important or significant in the context of this season.
I wouldn’t be upset or see it as a setback at all if we came fourth and concentrated fully on domestic form.
@Leper What’s the end result to being “bit better in Europe”?
The end game should be to win the league yes and it a far more attainable goal than you think especially if you add proper pragmatic management
That not the logic at all, it more to disregard CL football all together for complete focus on making an actual title challenge. Whether we’re good or bad in Europe at the time doesn’t really matter. There’s been plenty of well known examples of clubs prioritising the league over the CL and vise versa
Do you not think if we were good enough to win the league, improvement in Europe would go hand in hand with that? Pragmatic management would mean the squad handles the opposition and competitions we’re in in a sensible way.
No team that has won the Premier League that was in the Champions League as well did so by writing off their European campaign.
Alexis starting up top may actually make sense in this one.
Fair enough if Giroud does though, given his form lately.
We don’t know what qualifying 1st in the group could lead to. We don’t know what a favourable ro16 draw could lead to. The CL group stages is 6 games spread over 3 months. It’s not a big deal to put effort into thos six games or at least it shouldn’t be.
I would prefer to win the PL over the CL but the idea that the team needs to prioritise is just not true. Certainly not in the August - December period anyway.
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One has to wonder how many more years and players this team needs to actually challenge on two fronts. There would be something entirely wrong with this squad if we couldn’t actually manage the resources in a way that allows us to stay competitive in Europe and domestically.
There’s hope that we may not throw the group stage for once on Wednesday.
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I can see us getting a bore draw here !
We need to win, no excuses, but a 0-0 could be a good result.
Low scoring draw or win is fine… it would be so Arsenal to just lay an egg in this match though… super important for our season’s momentum and confidence to get a good result here, I feel.
I don’t care so much about 1st or 2nd b/c I honestly don’t see us going beyond the final 8 anyway, but I always want us to win every competition we are in until we can’t.
How are PSG playing lately? I don’t follow the Ligue 1 at all.