Also unrelated to the game is that I've just read that Saka has signed a new deal!! Didn't even know that was on the cards!! Magic stuff from Arteta and Berta.
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
Kepa really showed the difference between him and Raya tonight. Good to go into the home league with a lead to defend, can't see Chelsea beating us at home.
Yeah i'd imagine we will be ok at home given our record but slightly annoying to only have a one goal lead to protect. Two and we would be at Wembley imo.
Kepa really showed the difference between him and Raya tonight. Good to go into the home league with a lead to defend, can't see Chelsea beating us at home.
If we make the final, would we put Raya in goal? It's likely to be against City so you'd hope so. I think you put your best team out. We haven't won the League Cup for 33 years which is embarrassing for a so called big club.
If we make the final, would we put Raya in goal? It's likely to be against City so you'd hope so. I think you put your best team out. We haven't won the League Cup for 33 years which is embarrassing for a so called big club.
We absolutely put our best team out for any final.
Bit of a shame the tie wasn't put to bed but always nice to beat them and it's one foot in a cup final. We've lost our last 4 semi finals so even though it's not the trophy we want most, getting past this stage feels an important hurdle for this group. I hope those fans who didn't want to be in it at least allowed themselves to enjoy the game.
If we make the final, would we put Raya in goal? It's likely to be against City so you'd hope so. I think you put your best team out. We haven't won the League Cup for 33 years which is embarrassing for a so called big club.
We absolutely put our best team out for any final.
Every trophy holds value.
This. Still getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but you play the strongest team in a cup final. No room for sentiment. Kepa will have been told what his role is. He does have some quite storied history in League Cup finals though! We've done it before - remember Richard Wrong playing all the rounds of the FA Cup in 01/02 then getting annoyed and ultimately leaving after Seaman played the final.
Why would Arteta allow Timber to wander all over the pitch apart from left back. He added nothing apart from leaving huge space between Saliba and Gabriel. It was almost like playing with 10 men
Thats Arteta's plan for his wide backs, they effectively play a floating midfield role, Caliafori does it better. Timber is more effective on the right. But with the injuries we have at the moment he has to play LB. This is going to be something the team need to figure out, how to beat a team that employs the low block effectively. A Dyche led team do it very well. Barring two very good saves and a VAR non-handball call we could have had 3 today. Sels played exceptionally well in goal.
Still we are 7 points ahead of City and Villa (who have everton tomorrow). We have 16 games in the league to play, cannot afford to not be scoring at least one going forward.
Disappointing but we'd have taken the lead over City increasing before the round. Consecutive league games without a goal or really looking like scoring is a concern though. We won't always get a point out of these games.
I am only focussed on the gap to City, I'm convinced Villa will not be a threat. In that respect, it's been a good weekend. But agree with ajc, we won't always get a point from performances like this morn, we need to up our attacking play against these low blocks. Tbh we probably just suffered from not scoring from any corners this morning. If we'd done that it would've opened the game up. These sorts of teams are the ones where you really want our set piece strength to give us a hand.
Biggest worry from last night might be ManU, with us playing them next week. Geez they looked a completely different proposition. Lets hope it was a flash in the pan and we can nullify them at the Emirates. If we can put the pressure on I think we should score goals, but boy they looked dangerous last night.
They look good at set pieces and on transitions, the latter is our weakness but also speaks to how much they’re a team in transition. Can’t imagine their back 4 can keep us out at home for 90 minutes.
Good win this morning. 100% record in the champs league, against some good teams too. Man City losing means they are at risk of getting two extra fixtures in their calendar now, which would be fantastic.
I think it says a lot about the standard of the Premier League (apart from Citys loss this morning) in that our possibly strongest team available could only get a 0-0 draw at 4th from bottom Forest but we go to Inter Milan who are top of Serie A with a much-changed team and beat them 3-1. Also, before tomorrow's games, Spurs are sitting 4th on the CL table!!
I'm setting a personal rule that this will be the last time I mention the quadruple until the following milestones have been passed: League Cup 2nd leg FA Cup fixture against Wigan Champions League knock-out stage opponent is known Only after this will I permit myself to start to entertain the possibility that there is a chance that I may allow myself to mention the possibility of it being possible that I may mention it, on the off chance that it is technically possible.
Geez the champions league table is a sight to behold, we've had quite the results so far this season. Only 2 goals conceded??? Pretty bloody good. It would be nice to play the second team and knock off 8 from 8 in that final home game.
I'm setting a personal rule that this will be the last time I mention the quadruple until the following milestones have been passed: League Cup 2nd leg FA Cup fixture against Wigan Champions League knock-out stage opponent is known Only after this will I permit myself to start to entertain the possibility that there is a chance that I may allow myself to mention the possibility of it being possible that I may mention it, on the off chance that it is technically possible.
The idea of a quad hasn't even entered my brain! I just want to win one of: EPL, CL. Then add in an league cup or fa cup. I'll only start dreaming of a quad when we are in the CL final with it on the line.
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
Oooooph we have been average here. All self inflected though, poor mistake from Zubi, and he could have score had he put it either side of the keeper in the first half!
Giving Cunha that much space was criminal, deserved everything we got there. Biggest hurdle for this title is ourselves. Gotta pick ourselves up and grind the wins now. Assuming Man City actually sort their sh*t and start winning, then I suspect it will come down to the trip to their ground, we may need a result in that one.
This run of results and 115FC back to winning feels almost fatal in terms of the league. It was only a couple of weeks ago there was a chance to be 9 points clear and now it feels like it's all evaporating again.
4 points ahead, 15 to go. Our toughest fixtures left are Sp*rs away (hopefully Frank still in charge), Chelsea and Newcastle at home, City & Brighton away.
City have Sp*rs away, Liverpool away, Newcastle at home, Chelsea away, Arsenal at home, and Villa away.
I think we've got a slightly easier schedule, but we've got to go win 14 out of 15 if we want the title.
Missed the Nwaneri loan, but he immediately started for Marseille and scored on debut. I’d love to see him get a run in our team, but if we have to move him on in the summer a good loan spell will help the value much more than riding our bench.
Villa are making some impressive moves this window. Bringing in Abraham and Douglas Luiz, and getting Leon Bailey back from loan at Roman reminds me of last summer when we didn’t pull trigger. Can’t ignore their potential to do a Leicester.
