Roy Makaay and Diego Tristan, what a duo.
Excellent in their hay day, an underrated duo of the past.
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Even if we’d beaten Juventus that night, we’d not have progressed given that Deportivo (the dirty bastards) threw their final group home game v Leverkusen as they’d already qualified.
All in all, we needed to do better in the 2nd group stage v Deportivo. Strange side were Deportivo. Did the double over us, did the double over Man United in the first group stage (only for Man United to do the double over them in the knockout stages- the Beckham/Duscher metatarsal game)
@Electrifying I’m not sure we’d have won it. If we’d progressed we would have played Man United (and we’d already beaten them 3 times that season, and we know how we fare against English clubs in Europe). The final would have been against a Zidane inspired Real. Wouldn’t have happened in 2002 for us.
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Probably would have lost the final but should have at least made the semis.
Also United that year was as well as they had ever been under fergie.
Did they not finish 3rd that year? We were a much better team then. Neville and the other guys say so themselves.
They were still decent. Funnily enough, the game at Highbury against them was even more crucial than the title winning game, one could argue.
We’d both started badly, both needed to push on. We won and thank God (the result was never in doubt- we were all over them. Even without the Barthez antics, Whiskey Breath said it was the best Arsenal team he’d faced)
United were better in Europe than us. Wasn’t it a contentious “goal” in Germany that was given as offside that cost them getting into the final?
They finished 3rd yeah. Combination of us beating them at Old Trafford and winning the league on the same night as Liverpool beating Blackburn 4-3 at home (ManUre also had a limp performance v Charlton at home in their final game that finished 0-0 that didn’t help their final standing)
Think so. Red nose got robbed of that Hampden final.
Thank god, the media love-in would have been nauseating.
How is it that a group containing Juventus, Arsenal, Leverkusen and Deportivo, has Leverkusen and Deportivo progress?
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Tbh Leverkusen that season were Tottenham-like (last season) in the CL. Flash in the pan with some quality players (Lucio, Ballack)
Ah yes the Sunday night / Monday morning for me when we beat them at Highbury, Freddie just after half time and a late Henry brace 
.
Following that game Australia suffered a 3-0 loss in Uruguay to miss out on qualification for the 2002 World Cup. I rocked up to school and to the annoyance of a few mates I wasn’t that down in the dumps due to Arsenal beating United at Highbury.
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Do you remember the home game v Spurs that season?
I can’t remember ever being so tense in a NLD!
The way Lauren dispatched that late pen to win the game for us 
Sheringham was such a c’nt that match, too
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Yeah that game was tense as, I thought we’d blown it, thank fuck Lauren held his nerve.
It was a shame we couldn’t see it out after Pires late strike gave us the lead on Sol’s return to the Lane in November.
Yeah he scored in the 81st minute. Not sure why more isn’t made of that strike. It was a worldie.
Poyet equalised in injury time thanks to, surprise surprise, a Richard Wright mistake
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The absolute procession of shite Martinez had to watch get the number one shirt ahead of him at this club 
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Is that where He-Man lives? :ozil:
More on topic, watching Emi save that PK while Leno almost broke his neck this weekend didn’t make me feel good. I know Leno is a good keeper who has, at times, been great for us. But I just can’t help but think we made a mistake selling the keeper with the bigger frame.
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I think it was Skeletor haha
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Yeah absolutely shocking, what were the club thinking.
We have very few quality players in our first team and the GK was the only position where we had a very good first team player with excellent cover.
It wouldn’t be so bad if we at least bought an experienced GK from the PL who had played at a decent level to replace Martinez but we have bought a player who’s CV is less than inspiring in fact, inadequate.
We often sell good players, in all positions, and then replace them with inferior quality but Runarssen is about the biggest downgrade I’ve seen at the club.
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Nah the biggest downgrade i’ve seen is Martinez to Leno
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Yeah right… 
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I can see him getting a bigger move later.
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We are going to miss this guy this season. In my opinion he is leaps and bounds the more secure and reliable keeper than Leno. He is so much more commanding and dominant than flappy Leno. I prefer his distribution too, he seems much more assured and just all round the calmer and more composed goalkeeper.
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Flappy Leno 
love it