march 9th
So tonight’s the night. If you hadn’t already been told or read it here it’s the night we’re going to beat Bayern 3-0 to go into the next round of the Champions League where we’ll be drawn against Chelsea. How do I know this? Despite the rumours and whispers it’s certainly nothing to do with a traveller from the future called Biff who had a sports almanac. Nothing at all.
Thierry Henry, who doesn’t normally say much before games, has been talking about how some people think he’s a bit cranky on the pitch during games. He says it’s because he wants to win so much that he expects perfection from his team-mates but it’s not something that’s taken off the pitch. TH says “I know sometimes it comes across like I’m not happy but the most important thing for me is to thank my team-mates.”
Of course Thierry doesn’t know yet that he’s going to score two tonight against the Germans so that should put a smile on his face at the end of the game. In team news Dennis Bergkamp returns while the manager will decide today about Edu and Robert Pires as they come back from injuries. Manuel Almunia is also out after picking up a groin strain meaning Stuart Taylor will be on the bench.
The boss wants us to play a high tempo game and I think that’s exactly what’s required to ensure the 3-0 win. Every single player has to run his pretty little socks off and that means defending all over the park when needed, tracking back, tackling and not jumping out of the way of tackles. If there’s a 50-50 there then go for it. We need the lads to break out every football cliché there is. They need to give 110%, don’t let their heads drop and remember it’s not over until Irish politician Mary Harney sings. As for the crowd, well, those of you going already know you’re going to witness a glorious 3-0 win for Arsenal but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a part to play. Get those Strepsils out and lubricate your vocal cords for a night of singing. And as my chum Goodplaya points out our most famous 2-0 win ever was 0-0 at half-time.
There’s one story not really related to tonight’s game – and that’s the £30m cash injection the club received yesterday as ITV bought up 5% of Arsenal. The deal was done in relation to the new stadium and a fixed price was set for the shares even though the deal was done a number of years ago. That means that ITV have paid about twice as much as they should have for that stake in the club. You have to laugh. Good work by the board that.
So that’s it. The day will seem long and tiresome – as will tomorrow with the celebratory hangover to endure – but grin and bear it. 3-0 Arsenal. Oh yeah….
