Loss Champions League Round of 16: FC Porto 1 - 0 Arsenal | Wednesday 21st February | KO: 20:00 GMT | TNT Sports

Prediction

Porto 0-2 Arsenal

 

[A_G]

Yeah blame the ref. It’s because of him we created nothing or had any shot on target. It was him who was wrestling players at every corner and FK.

You can say the ref was crap without blaming him for the result.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Jesus Zinchenko Partey are vital to even have a sniff at the CL or EPL title.

That right we looked short we might survive without them for few weeks but long run I don't think we can specially in Europe our bench today was poor yes we got ESR and Vieira but both young and just returned from injures.

 

[Penn_]

Quite a few needed that reality check. Acting like we’d already booked a place in the semi final before even kicking a ball here. Complete delusion.

Arteta is all about control, even more so away from home. He’d have been delighted had it stayed 0-0. Most disappointing aspect will be that we did not look threatening in the slightest.

Basically wanted to grab a set piece goal and head home.

 

[GunnerUK]

Also just a reminder for you all.

We lost our opening Champions League game 2-1 to Lens. What a hammer blow that was. .

Anybody care to remember who our next opponents were next match day and beat them 1-0.

Go check the fixtures. You might just calm down and take a breather

 

[GDeep™]

You can say the ref was crap without blaming him for the result.

We’re just mentioning him because we lost though. I bet nobody on Porto-Mania is talking about the ref.

I thought he was ok.

 

[A_G]

We’re just mentioning him because we lost though. I bet nobody on Porto-Mania is talking about the ref.

I thought he was ok.

This place will chastise refs even if we win 5-0, that’s one thing you can’t take away from A-M

 

[Paperino]

So comfortable that @Paperino said he’d change his avatar to a shirtless pic of Eduardo Hagn if we don’t win

 

[lomekian]

Please guys, don't make yourself silly by bigging-up Porto. There's a reason why they are off the pace in a weak European league and have in the last three games lost at Arouca (who?) and scraped a draw at home with the mighty Rio Ave.

They're not bad, but they're not very good. They did their bit today but basically we beat ourselves.

They aren't top drawer, but the are in the Champions League every season, and have some big scalps in recent years, not to mention historically - they are no mugs and anyone who has every watched them knows they are a club steeped in every dark art you can think of.

Anyone now complaining because they thought this tie would be easy is either ignorant or an idiot.

Last year they beat Athletico Madrid, stuffed Leverkusen home and away and lost 1-0 on aggregate vs Inter (concededing late after their centre back was sent off). This year they lost each game to Barca by 1 goal, and easily won their other 4 games. In 21-22 they went out in the group stages, but still got points at Atletico Madrid and in Milan, and beat Milan at home ( proper group of death that one). In 20-21 they lost by at man City, but comfortably finished 2nd in the group with 13 points, then knocked out the last dominant Juve side, before losing 2-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Chelsea.

They beat very strong teams at home every season, and never get beat by more than a goal or two on aggregate in the knockouts. Porto are a proper European club.

 

[Blankety Blank]

Frustrating poor game.
Porto were very solid & have a really good home record.
They have one of the best defensive records in Europe for a reason.

It will be different at the carpet.

 

[North5]

Really…

We’ve beaten Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Lens & Savilla to name a few comfortably this season at home. Are we really worrying about this Porto team in 3 weeks.

3-0/4-0 written all over it.

Easy easy win. If got out of 2nd gear tonight we would have won here.

We are going 1-0 down into a game where they know exactly what they need to do through experience and we have a large mental block to overcome.

14 years....

 

[lomekian]

Yes. An equation where you pay bigger, better teams. Where a 40 year old centre-back gets you nowhere.

If Porto knock us out (I don't think they will) everyone will want them in the QF and whoever gets them will beat them. I'll gamble my property portfolio on that.

I wou;dn't do that if I were you. Worse Porto teams than this have knocked out bigger clubs than us in this competition in the last 2-3 years alone.

 

[Artemis]

Porto NEVER get smashed at home in Europe.

Why do you have to lie so blatantly?

Here's Liverpool smashing Porto away:



Here's Club Brugge - yes you read that right that correctly - Club Brugge smashing Porto away in the CL:

Highlights: Porto 0-4 Club Brugge | Video History | UEFA Champions League

Official UEFA Champions League history. Season-by-season guide, extensive all-time stats, plus video highlights of every final to date

www.uefa.com

Here's Atletico Madrid smashing Porto away:


Here's Chelsea easily beating Porto away:


Here's Liverpool smashing Porto away again:

 

[lomekian]

**** sake my Aberdeen save in absolute tatters now...

... Mark's defence I guess.

He claimed in an interview in tears that it was just ignorance. Quite impressive to not know that a fanbase with a heavy jewish association might find a nazi salute offensive...

 

[db10_therza]

We tried to play tho and win we just faced the same problems we always do a well organized team that lock us up you have to give credit to them also our players sucked so bad today our Frontline couldn't even enter the opposition box and every pass was so bad.

Na we didn’t. We slowed down our attacks and didn’t commit bodies to potential situations similar to what we were doing towards the start of the season. It was the suffocate and smother tactics, not the hell for leather tactics we’ve seen more recently.

I don’t mind that we have these different strings to our bow and it’s credit to Arteta that he’s worked on instilling these different styles into the team. But the application is wrong. I just feel like we should switch them up in game. Hell for leather to start, get a goal then control and suffocate.

 

[teamsoutheast]

They would get absolutely smashed by City or Liverpool. That's just a fact. Liverpool routinely destroyed Porto for a good reason.

That high line would have got wrecked.

Especially when we played through Porto's press and gaps opened up. We didn't do anything with it. We didn't even look to run behind Porto. It was a disgrace up front.

Nope, they stopped us playing. Their full backs played really well against our wingers. They gave us nothing out wide. Anything can happen in these UCL games. That same Liverpool you speak of were walloped 4-1 at Napoli in the group stages last season but then won their home tie and subsequently got smashed 6-2 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the round of 16. The fact it took a "worldie"" to beat us shows how good we were defensively.

 

[lomekian]

We should have easily beaten Liverpool multiple times, even in the FA cup when they won luckily, we missed a dozen chances. We could have run up the score board if we didn't keep missing opportunities. And this is the game where Liverpool actually won!

We have 180 minutes against Porto. We already endured embarrassing exits in the Europa League. If we cannot get past Porto - while Arsenal are literally one of the best sides in Europe at this moment in time - then we cannot expect to win any major trophy with Arteta. We really cannot.

Can you not see how this would be a PATTERN?

Bottling it every time the pressure turns up? Every season in the Europa League.
Last season in the Premier League Title race, the collapse away at West Ham, and at home to Southampton.

Arteta needs to prove he's at Klopp's level. Not just Klopp but practically every manager who has won a PL title or a CL title. He needs to prove he can get the team over the line. I want to believe he is capable. I support him 100% and what he's done so far is remarkable.

But if we knocked out against Porto.... hahaha. I just have to laugh really. Definitely not gonna expect anything big from this guy.

People said the same about City in Europe every year.

 

[lomekian]

We need to ensure this is rectified for the home leg. Not sure how we can though, we might see the first game where the ball is in play for less than 50% of time if the ref is similar

IT was more than that though. Their coaching staff and ball-boys were literally stopping us from taking quick throw ins.

 

[Artemis]

Nope, they stopped us playing. Their full backs played really well against our wingers. They gave us nothing out wide. Anything can happen in these UCL games. That same Liverpool you speak of were walloped 4-1 at Napoli in the group stages but then won their home tie and subsequently got smashed 6-2 on aggregate against Real Madrid. The fact it took a worldie to beat us shows how good we were defensively.

Firstly, it wasn't a worldie. It was just Raya being Raya. He stepped too far out of his line - and coupled with his lack of height - he had no chance. Whereas it would have been an easy save for other keepers like Martinez.

Secondly, Porto played a high line. Yes, they squeezed the play in the middle but that's exactly where the wingers were supposed to stretch the game. They didn't.

Now - you cannot tell me that our forward players can't stretch the play. They can. But they didn't. And that falls on the manager.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Nope, they stopped us playing. Their full backs played really well against our wingers. They gave us nothing out wide. Anything can happen in these UCL games. That same Liverpool you speak of were walloped 4-1 at Napoli in the group stages last season but then won their home tie and subsequently got smashed 6-2 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the round of 16. The fact it took a worldie to beat us shows how good we were defensively.

Porto don't have a lot of quality in their final third so defensively we were always likely to look okay. But it's the way every single one of our players screwed up simple passes in the opposition half that they'd probably make with their eyes closed in the league which is inexplicable.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Nope, they stopped us playing. Their full backs played really well against our wingers. They gave us nothing out wide. Anything can happen in these UCL games. That same Liverpool you speak of were walloped 4-1 at Napoli in the group stages last season but then won their home tie and subsequently got smashed 6-2 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the round of 16. The fact it took a "worldie"" to beat us shows how good we were defensively.

Yeah they had a lucky break that they ended up unlucky on in the first half and then didn't threaten at all until that Hail Mary at the end.

Problem was we didn't do anything going forward either.