Arsenal_AM_Episode_15_Semi-Final day and I believe

It's the champions league semi-final day and we are more tense about the Fulham game at the weekend. 

Its not going to be a game like we saw when we played Atletico in Wengers final season this is a new team defensively weaker and more dynamic in attack

Sky moved the Burnley game to the detriment of the fans and nobody but sky are happy. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Good morning and welcome to the Champions League semi-final day. I was listening to the Arsenal to the Mikhail Arteta um press conference there just before I started. And he mentioned that yeah, we hadn't been in the Champions League for seven years, and again, well the last two years were that was a topic I'd actually forgotten that we hadn't been there. And I suppose you have the juxtaposition then of there are some fans, myself included, being hyper focused on the league fixtures. So again, Newcastle Fulham coming up being hugely important and you know tense for us. And here we sit with a game against Atletico Madrid to potentially reach our second ever Champions League final, and it's probably the least hyped game we've had in a while. You know, there was a lot of build-up to Bournemouth, the city, the the cup final, and we seem to be fairly relaxed for this, and it's it's a remarkable achievement that we're here, and again, he's playing up the well, you gotta be one of the top four teams in Europe to be here, and he's not wrong. We are definitely one of the top teams in Europe, we're probably the best defensive team in the world, but we we certainly have our focus on on matches and on the league. I suppose the 22-year gap has been hearting, and we've taken a lot of crap over the years in relation to it. So I can certain to a certain degree I can I can understand that and as easily rationalise it. But we have a huge opportunity, and it's a huge opportunity for the players and the manager ahead of us in the next two games again in the Champions League. Now there's no talk of us saying, Oh, we'd give this up for three points or anything like that. Obviously not, but I do think it's an interesting position that it's a distraction rather than a focus. So when we reached the semi-final, it was a focus. So it's very interesting to see where we're at and where we've developed in the last 12 months, and yeah, it's just an interesting one. We have Bicayo in the squad, we have Calafure in the squad, uh no no no Mikel Marino, uh, but again, he was speaking uh with Elliot and Arsenal from Elliot and Andrew from Arsenal Vision and Arsen Blog, respectively, and he's saying he's just getting back to running, and but it's a slow, slow recovery, so you know he just has to make sure it's it's right as he goes along. So you know, best luck to him. In terms of the likely team tomorrow, again it'll be Raya. I can see you know, Saliba, Gabriel, full backs, it depends on how the boss wants to play it. If he's looking to keep it tight and try and shut things down, perhaps it's gonna be a mascara in Capia game. If he feels that there is an opportunity to get at Atletico Madrid, it could be White and Miles Louis Skelly. It could also be Calafiore. I'm not sure how I feel on it. I think with the conditions it's supposed to be very, very wet, Calafiore might be a risk. So I would probably go for Hincapia, the man in the possession of the jersey, and and let him go. Again, an awful lot depends on game state, and we'll probably have a fair idea of conditions ahead of the game. I think we've all seen pictures of when there's heavy rain in Spain, it is very, very heavy, and that may impact the ability to how you play, but again, we'll see. Uh midfield, I think, picks itself, right, Rice, Zubumendi, and Odegaard. Up front, you've Yakeres on the left. I think I would go Trossard for if Ez is not available. And on the right, I'm juggling between Saka and Nani. I think maybe give Saka 45-60 minutes just for the control it's gonna give us. I think we have to manage him over the next three games. So if we do need him to play 90 minutes uh against Fulham or against Atleti in the return leg, that we do have that option again. If we're putting Atleti to the sword and he's doing it, leave him on, and he may be able to take the second leg off. But I think that's going to be the team in terms of striker options and replacements. We don't really have anything, and yeah, we just have to hope that we can do that. You know, Atleti have a weakness with defending set pieces, so again, I think that's a strong, strong place to be. We have only scored one goal from set play set plays in Champions League, and I think that is down to the refereeing. So a lot of calls go against us just for playing what is the Premier League style, where you're a bit more handsy and physical. So hopefully we are able to adjust for that tomorrow, and you know, maybe take make a couple of opportunities and take take them. Uh Atletico Madrid, not the team of yesteryear, they're far more chaotic, they have a lot of very variables. You know, Julian Alvarez was mentioned in the press conference, um, because it was referenced by Diego Sim Simone that um Arsenal and Barcelona are interested in him, and I think every top club that's looking for a striker would definitely be interested in in him. He's showed himself to be a very strong, strong, strong, strong player and an excellent striker, and I think he would definitely improve us, but again, it's not for today that we need to do that. We need to be more cognizant of stopping him scoring, and again, I I trust that we are the best defensive team, so if there is a way to stop them, we will stop them. I'd be interesting to see how they handle Griezmann with him dropping off and and linking play. Maybe Rice sits a bit deeper to try and block that those channels, or you know, someone f someone follows him. But again, that's uh something we'll see tomorrow. I'm definitely excited for the game, um but again, like most people, it's full fulham is probably feels like a bigger game, even though it's it's not in reality. Um in terms of domestic football, we have a completed fiction list. So we play Fulham on the second, Man City then play Everton on the fourth, they play Brentford on the ninth, and we play West Ham on the 10th, before they get to to play Palace on the thirteenth. So by the thirteenth of May we will be level on games and we face into Burnley on the Monday night and Bournemouth play city on the Tuesday night. So and obviously the final games are played in in unison, so there's no build-up or there's no additional tension beyond trying to trying to follow two games at the same time. But I I'm hoping we'll be ahead so we just win ours and we'll be fine. A lot of pushback in relation to the Burnley game, and I can completely understand it. The boss was asked about it in the press conference, and he was like, Well, this guy gets to do what they want, and we'll do it, and we'll adjust for it, so on and so forth. Again, not great for the fans, not great for anybody. I'd actually looked at potentially doing something around the Burnley game and the ticket prices, um and they were astronomical. So I really feel sorry for any of the people who've gone and bought these tickets and packages now, and it's complete chaos for them. Um it's really unfair on on the fans, but again, we kind of make the deal with the devil, and uh yeah, that's what it is. It's not gonna change. It's set in stone now, I think, and Sky have their their build-up and the way they're gonna go for it. So let's hope that we can see points getting dropped by by um City in their next five games, it'll be lovely. Um the the only benefit to the palace game being on the 13th is it's further away from a potential conference league final, and I think should they get there we play them three days before that, so they're they're not going to be putting out a full team for that, they'll be resting. So maybe that works in our favour, but we shall see. One additional factor that could be a play is the FA Cup final could potentially go to extra time penalties. So again, more tired legs for for a city if that were to happen. So I'm hopeful of that, and hopefully that we do the job against Atletico for in two two legs in the 180 minutes with no need for extra time. Oh, I was having a conversation with a United friend of mine who was saying that the Champs League semi-final between PSG and Byron was probably one of the best games they've seen in years. And hard to argue with what was on on display 5-4, and I was referencing that it wasn't a game you'd have got with the Away Goes Rule, but it was an enthralling game. How it ended up 5-4, I'll never know. Uh I jokingly sent a tweet or something during the game that Bayern Munich are trying to avoid us at all costs because they were 5-2 down, but I was thinking against both these teams, it wouldn't be a case of the best attacks against the best defence should we get to the final against either team. Now, it would be an incredible ask to beat those teams again. You look at both forward lines, uh, they're incredible. The Georgetown lad, who I I'd mess up his name, I'm not gonna pronounce it, but I'd love him on our left wing. What uh an immediate improvement and threat that that would be, and I think that would open up our attack massively. But uh I don't think we're gonna buy him before the end of the season, anyway, and we're probably not gonna buy him anyway. But I do think that we could set up against these two teams to to strangle them and to make them suffer. So again, we probably wouldn't be favourites, but we definitely don't need to fear these teams in terms of being able to beat them. I think you know we've proven we can we can beat both. So we get past Atleti, which is not an easy task, but a positive result tomorrow, and I would feel more confident, I think we all would, but the the way it's shaping out is we are the best defence left in the competition, and we are gonna face two extremely good attacking teams. I can't think of a more arsenal thing to do to go and win it again. You look at Parma in '94 and their attack, we rode our lock, and we got there, and 1-1-0. So Jesus, I believe, lads. I believe.