You know, there's nothing worse than a smart-arsed, told you so, blogger. Yesterday I said:

Last time Porto came to the Grove they got a 4-0 spanking. I don't see that happening again.

How right I was. I don't take any great pleasure in being right, under the circumstances. No, hang on. I do, because that was fucking great fun. I got to watch the first half hour before going out to play a match (don't ask) and then came back afterwards to have a beer and watch the rest.

I thought it would be more difficult, I have to admit, but despite their win in the first leg you can't escape the fact it was handed to them on a plate. Last night they got their arses handed to them on a plate instead. 

We opened the scoring early by our standards. I think it's the first time we've scored inside the first 15 minutes this season. Nasri's through ball almost found Arshavin but the defender and keeper got their first. Sadly for them they got there at the same time, the ball rebounded off the keeper's bollocks and rolled into the path of Nicklas Bendtner who prodded it home to make it 1-0. On Saturday I had money on Bendnter for first goalscorer. Yesterday I decided not to jinx him and look what happens. It was just what he needed after his Burnley horror show.

Diaby then had a chance from a corner, Arshavin flashed a cross straight across goal and when Porto got forward we dealt with it well, Vermaelen in particular throwing himself around the place to block shots. It was Bendnter who put us two up. Porto were sloppy in possession around their own area, it fell to Arshavin who bundled his way through a couple of challenges, squared it across the box and the big Dane was there to tap it home. On Saturday he'd have tapped that over the bar and possibly out of the stadium. 

Arshavin really should have made it 3-0 when he was faced with an open goal but his miss showed that pretty much anyone can have one of those days, or at least one of those moments. He cleared the bar by some distance. Bendtner had another effort saved by Helton John and Porto's occasional dangerous moments via Hulk and Mark Falco were few and far between.

At 2-0 we were in good shape but clearly aware that just one goal would see Porto right back in it and I think that preyed on our minds a bit as the second half began. We struggled to find the fluency of the first and although Porto really weren't good enough to take advantage it was a bit worrying all the same. At times like that you need someone to drag you back into the game. So many times this season it has been Cesc Fabregas but in his absence Samir Nasri stepped up. We had the ball out on our right, he twisted and turned and feinted and dropped the shoulder, went past the defenders and cracked a shot in off the far post. One of the best individual goals I have seen in a long, long time. When you consider he'd been nursing his hamstring since the first half too, it was a thing of real beauty. 

I think we're beginning to see the Nasri we had all hoped for. The player with all the potential and the one with the £13m price tag. He's been excellent in recent games and the goal was top class. I think Porto knew the game was up at that point. If not then, when the fourth went in a couple of minutes later. They had a corner, it was cleared and it looked as if the Porto player would retain it easily. Arshavin had other ideas, winning it back, driving forward and then playing a beautifully weighted pass into the path of Emmanuel Eboue who rounded the keeper and slotted it home with his left foot. A classic counter attacking goal and it was nice to see Eboue score. After his trials last season he's got his head down, worked hard, responded and become a better a player. Fair play to him. 

There was still time for another. Bendtner got the first senior hat-trick of his career after Eboue was brought down in the box. Maybe it's just me but does the opposition keeper nearly always seem to go the right way when we have a penalty? It made no difference as he nestled it into the bottom corner and his redemption was complete. To have a game like he did against Burnley and then score a hat-trick in the Champions League in the next deserves great credit. You can't fault his attitude either. After the game he said:

Every time I play a game I put it behind me as soon as it's finished and that happened after Saturday. Sometimes it's one of those days and against Porto I put it right. I'm happy with my hat-trick but tomorrow we move on.

There will be no resting on his laurels but it was great to see a reaction like that from him. To be fair the majority of stick was coming from outside the club, some of the 'great' pundits whose names need no airing ridiculing him and writing him off, but even still his response was fantastic. And it's worth wondering if he'd have been that good if he hadn't had the very vocal support of the Arsenal fans when he came off on Saturday.

Overall what can you say? It was a fantastic performance, a brilliant result and it showed that despite what some people might say we are not a one man team. The captain looked on from the sidelines and watched his mates destroy Porto. Arsenal are in the quarter finals of the Champions League and we deserve to be there. Afterwards Arsene said:

We did what we like to do; we won with style and we were always going forward in a convincing way. If you look at history, the statistics were against us. But tonight just shows that historical statistics don’t mean a lot if you have a good team on the pitch who believes they can win the game.

There's already a lot of talk about who we get in the next round. It could be Chelsea. It could be Man United. It could be Barcelona. The bottom line though is that when you get down to the last eight in Europe the chances are you're going to playing a very good team. At the moment the only other side through are Bayern Munich. We'll see United play Milan tonight and Real Madrid try to overturn a one goal deficit at home to Lyon. Then next week the final round of games takes place so we've got some time before we start to savour what's next, from a European perspective.

Now though, the job is to get the players ready and focussed for a trip to Hull and our old pal Philomena Brown. The job is done in Europe, we've still got plenty of work to do at home. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch the highlights one more time. Till tomorrow.

Morning all, whatever little chance Cesc had of playing tonight evaporated as soon as he went for a scan yesterday. Arsene Wenger revealed they couldn't even think about taking a gamble, playing him tonight could have put him out for a much longer period. Cesc said:

I wanted to play but the doctors recommended I rest and avoid any risk. I am sad to miss out because Porto is important to us. I will suffer far more than usual, having to watch from the side.

Obviously his absence is a blow but we have to trust that the players who are fit can do the job. Arsene hinted that Samir Nasri could be the one to take his place in midfield and certainly he'd be my choice. When the other option is Rosicky you have to say we've got good options there. Both of them are quick, creative and can score goals, plus they retain the ball very well. With Alex Song back available in Europe and Diaby back I think we'll line up as follows:

Almunia - Sagna - Campbell - Vermaelen - Clichy - Song - Diaby - Nasri - Arshavin - Bendtner - Walcott

It's a game we have to win and one I think we'll go for from the very start. I did wonder if he might keep Eboue at right back but I think he'll go with the more defensively solid Sagna. Fair play to Eboue, he's played well in recent weeks and does offer more from an attacking sense, but as much as we have to have a go at them we have to be disciplined in defence. An away goal for them would really hurt us, so I think the Frenchman will start.

Sol Campbell should come back into the centre of defence as the news about William Gallas is bad. Apparently he's back to square one in terms of his calf injury with the underlying cause remaining a mystery. Arsene says:

We were impatient with him and we pushed him and he wanted to get on as well, that is why maybe it has happened. But there is no obvious sign as to why it keeps coming back. He has no pain at all, then goes for a little jog and then it goes again.

It's certainly a blow. The chopping and changing at the back is never a good idea, in my opinion, but he's got no choice. Sol can't play every game so interspersing his appearances with Sylvester is all he can do. I know we talk about our injury prone players and look at van Persie, Diaby and Eduardo, but in every season since he's joined Gallas has spent a fairly significant period out. His last game was against Liverpool on February 10th and if he's going to spend the same period out, with no assurance that he'll be fit at the end of it, it's certainly a lot longer than we'd have liked.

Overall, as I said yesterday, I think this is a game we can win even without Cesc and to a lesser extent Gallas. I think Porto will be quite cagey and will allow us onto them like they did after going ahead at home. They got as many behind the ball as possible, made it very difficult for us to break them down, and looked to catch us on the break. I can't see them playing any differently tonight. 

Obviously though we need to take our chances when they come. Profligacy like the Burnley game will prove very costly indeed and on the shoulders of Nicklas Bendtner rests a lot of responsibility. He says:

I just love to play a game like this with a lot at stake. It is quite simple. We need to beat them to advance and, I believe, we will. Yes, I missed some great chances in one match but, before that, I scored in three matches in a row. I feel that the Arsenal fans really got behind me and supported me because I gave everything I had. I was just not lucky with my finishes but, sometimes, it is like that.

Whatever happens tonight he has to work harder to ensure that just one of those days remains just one of those days and doesn't become two of those days. For all his wastefulness in front of goal I thought we lost our shape and focus when he went off and he definitely brings something to the team that nobody else does (no, I don't mean missing from 6 yards! - they can all do that). I'm sure he'll also be keen to repay the fans for their support as he went off on Saturday.

Add to the mix a newly confident Theo Walcott, an Andrei Arshavin that has had a rest and a haircut and is now into double-figures for the season, plus the potential for goals from Diaby and Nasri, as well as the centre-halves, and we've definitely got enough to trouble Porto in an attacking sense.

The main worry is keeping things tight at the back. Clean sheets have been a relatively scarce commodity this season for many reasons. Our goalkeeping situation has not helped one bit. Manuel Almunia continues tonight and he says he's feeling better than earlier in the season when everything got on top of him a bit. He's had a poor season, he admits that himself, but let's keep fingers crossed that the Almunia who performed so well at Old Trafford last season makes a reappearance and not the guy who puts the shits up us. Individual errors can be costly but tonight, as much as we have to work hard to score, we've got to defend as a team to make sure we don't concede.

It's 30 years since we overturned a first leg deficit in Europe. The last time was in the UEFA Cup against Hadjuk Split in 1978. A 1-0 win at home saw us through and the same scoreline tonight would do the job. It would obviously be a very nervy occasion, knowing that conceding one would see us go out, so I'm hopeful we can be a little more productive from an attacking point of view, but if you asked me if I'd take that now I probably would. Last time Porto came to the Grove they got a 4-0 spanking. I don't see that happening again but it'll certainly be on their minds. 

It's a big European night and the team have got to show that they're capable of winning, not so much against the odds, but from a weaker position than we would like. If it's tight they're going to need the crowd behind them as much as possible. 

I look at the fact that we haven't overturned a first leg defecit in more than thirty years and don't think history is against us. I think 'It's about fucking time we did something about that'. Here's to a result that counts and if there's a performance on top of that then all the better. I'm in the horrible position where I have to watch the first half, record the second, then avoid all spoilers until I get home from playing a match myself to find out how things turn out. Extra time and penalties are a possibility but I hope we can do the business before it comes to that.

COME. ON. YOU. GOOOOOOOOONERS!

Morning all, how nice to go into a week concentrating solely on the football and not anything else. The weekend's win over Burnley has restored a bit of the feelgood factor and provided a timely boost ahead of tomorrow's crucial Champions League game over Porto.

The injury to Cesc Fabregas will be assessed today and Arsene Wenger says he'd be prepared to take some risk with the captain:

It depends how big the gamble is. I'm ready to take the gamble but, if it is more than 50% chance that his hamstring goes, I will not take it. He has a little chance of playing.

The good news is that his hamstring just felt tight, there was no tear, so maybe that's a good thing. On the other hand it could be a warning sign. He's played a lot of football this season and although the Champions League is important we have to look at the bigger picture. There's the league still to go and win and with his goalscoring exploits this season - already 14 in the Premier League alone - he's got a massive role to play.

If he didn't make it I wouldn't be too worried to be honest. And I think the man to replace him is Samir Nasri. They're both quite similar in the way they keep possession in tight areas and both have that eye for a pass to set someone free. Nasri's deft chip for Cesc's goal on Saturday was rather splendid and I think he could slot into that role with Song and Diaby alongside him. With more available up front (taking three from Eduardo, Arshavin, Bendtner, Walcott, Rosicky and perhaps even Vela ... heh), then I think we can move him back into midfield without a problem.

Obviously it'd be better if Cesc was fit but I'd be against taking any kind of risk with him at all. Let's face it, this Porto side is not brilliant by any means. We gifted them the game in Portugal and we should have enough quality and goals in the side to win the game without him. The last thing we need is for him to do his hamstring properly and spend three weeks out when we really need him, his leadership and his goals and assists.  

Porto play a fairly attacking game, quite how much of that they'll bring to London when they're defending a lead we'll have to wait and see, but if they can't curb their natural instincts too much you fancy it might be another good chance for Theo Walcott to show what he can do. The performance against Burnley was a huge step in the right direction and that's the Theo Walcott we need to see more of between now and the end of the season. He responded to some of the critics, in particular Chris Pelanty, saying:

Chris Waddle? I heard what he said, but I don't listen to people on the outside of football. I listen to those around me - the boss, Mr Capello and my family. Maybe if I keep performing like that it will shut people up.

No maybe about it, that's exactly what it will do. When you think about how long he's spent out injured this season then maybe he's coming good at just the right time for us. Arsene Wenger described him as a 'fighter' and maybe that's part of him growing up a bit too. He's always struck me as very nice, down to earth young man, perhaps lacking a bit of that cocky self-belief that players need. Not saying it's a bad thing but he clearly thrives on confidence and you could see how he grew into the Burnley game. The goal will have done him a great deal of good, it was an important goal too, so fingers crossed he can start doing this on a more consistent basis. Certainly Porto will be more worried about him now than they would have been a couple of weeks ago.

In terms of the other team news it looks as if Sol Campbell will be back to partner Thomas Vermaelen, which is very much a good thing, but William Gallas is still out with his calf problem. Arsene meets the press today so we'll get fuller team news later on and we can look at that in tomorrow's preview of the game. Fingers crossed there are no further niggles from Saturday.

So for today that's about that. I just want to say thanks to all the people who have taken the time to email in the last week, either normally or through the OleOle PM system. I'm doing my best to get through them all but please forgive me if one or two slip through the cracks. If you don't get a reply feel free to send again.

Right then, time to ease ourselves into the week. More tomorrow.

Well, it wasn't quite the romp or performance that people were hoping for but at the final whistle the three points belonged to Arsenal and that was the main thing.

We started very brightly and could have gone ahead early when Cesc found Nicklas Bendtner with a clever pass but Burnley got back just in time and the chance went begging. It was, sadly, a sign of things to come as the big Dane contrived to miss chance after chance after chance. He didn't so much have his shooting boots on as his missing wellies. The chances got easier, the misses got worse. 

Had we not found the goals from somewhere else he'd have been a very unpopular guy this morning but we did and I think there was an awareness from the crowd that this really was just one of those days. And in fairness to him, he didn't hide. When he was replaced by Eduardo his song had been sung and he got decent applause. It was nice to see because last season the reaction might not have been so positive. After the week we've had it was a good moment. When you think about it, every single chance he had yesterday was considerably easier than the great goal he scored last weekend at Stoke, and that goal was crucial. He wasn't the only one either, when Andrei Arshavin came on he fluffed two good chances as well. Something in the water bottles perhaps.

Just as well Theo Walcott was drinking his own, home-made isotonic concoction. His was a display of a man with a point to prove. When people are agreeing with criticism of you from a man who says 'pelanty' then it must sting a bit. He was incisive, dangerous and tore their left back a new one. His goal to put us back in front was well deserved.

Previous to that we had gone in 1-0 at half-time. No less than we deserved but the first 45 minutes were rather flat. Cesc was clearly worried by his hamstring from early on but the captain again showed his willingness to drive this team on by opening the scoring. Nasri's floated pass over the top of the Burnley defence was a thing of beauty and Cesc's finish between Jensen's legs as cute as can be. The more you look at it the better a goal it is.

In the second half, after failing to go further ahead due to Danish wellies, we typically let Burnley back in it. I don't quite know how to explain their goal other than it looked as if our entire defence just went to sleep. A bouncing ball, David Nugent, a shinned finish and all of a sudden they're level. It was another horrible goal to add to our collection this season, although the centre of our defence wasn't well balanced yesterday.

It would have been a thoroughly miserable day had we dropped points to Burnley who have lost whatever bit of spark they had under Owen Coyle. They're poor on the road anyway but they showed little yesterday to suggest they've got a Premier League future. At 1-1 though, and with our tendency to concede stupid goals, there's always the fear. Theo Walcott made things better with his second goal of the season, cutting in from the right and finishing smartly with his left foot. Bendnter was taken off and replaced with Eduardo and although he missed a lot of chances I felt we lost a bit of shape and momentum when he came off. Burnley had their best spell of the game at that point and there was one very decent chance from a corner which their lad whacked over the bar.

Andrei Arshavin eventually gave the scoreline the measure of respectability it deserved, based on the number of chances we created, when he fired one in at the near post in injury time. His haircut though ...the less said the better!

Overall a nervy performance, perhaps with one eye on Europe, but the three points was vital. How nice to see Theo start to find a bit of form. Obviously he's got to build on this now but maybe it's just the right time for him to start performing. Props to Samir Nasri too who showed he's better than his recent performances had suggested. When Cesc was taken off he stepped up and took responsibility from a creative point of view and played very well.

Afterwards Arsene said:

It could have been four, five or six but as well they had a chance to make it 2-2 after a corner. In the end you are happy when you miss the chances we missed today, but you get the three points.

There was no criticism of Bendtner, as he said nobody misses chances on purpose, and praise for Theo. The big talking point though is the injury to Cesc Fabregas. It's his hamstring again and his withdrawal is said to be 'precautionary'. Obviously he's a big doubt for the Porto game on Tuesday. More on that in the days to come. So well done Arsenal, well done everyone (banners were flying and clearly visible on TV across the world), after what has been a difficult week off the pitch we did the business on it. 

A quick round-up of some of the other stories this Sunday. Thierry Henry has backed us for the title:

I know it's coming up to five years since we won a trophy. But don't rule us out for the Premier League title this year. We're very much in there fighting for the big prize. And there can be no doubt now that Arsene's latest generation have the stomach for the fight.

You've gotta love his use of pronouns there. The News of the World says Aaron Ramsey's leg isn't even in plaster after his operation. If so the doctors obviously know what they are doing but the idea of it still makes me feel a bit squeamish. 

Roma are after William Gallas who can leave on a free this summer. I honestly think if he was going to stay we'd have wrapped up a deal by now, and a couple of years in Italian football probably seems quite attractive.

And that's about that - final thing for today is a blogarrific two fingers to Sky's Jeff Stelling who I had previously had a lot of time for. He's clever, witty and plays the Devil's Advocate role very well on Soccer Saturday. Yesterday though he led a snide and quite disgraceful hatchet job on Arsene Wenger, aided and abetted by Tony Cottee and Matt le Tissier. It was awful to watch, especially as you expect better from him. It puts me in mind of the quote from the Guardian last week which suggested that when Craig Bellamy has the moral high ground over you (after his comments about John Terry) then you know you're in trouble. In this case when Phil Thompson is the voice of reason then it shows you up good and proper. Poor form from one of the few football presenters I had any respect for.

Anyway, enough of all that. The sun is shining and I have a slight hangover which requires pork based breakfast. Have yourselves a good Sunday folks.

Morning all, before we look ahead to today's game at Burnley let's deal with the bits and pieces from yesterday. Firstly there was a statement from Aaron Ramsey about the incident. He thanked all those who should have been thanked, including Stoke's Glenn Whelan for his behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

He said he has been 'blown away' by the support of the Arsenal fans. Quite pointedly, I thought, he made no reference to Ryan Shawcross whatsoever. There was no 'Well, he sent me a text message so everything's ok!!' and while they excuse makers are still out in force that is the clearest indication you need as to what Aaron thinks of his tackle. He is a young man but clearly an intelligent one. Professional footballers know that genuine accidents can happen on the pitch, they would be the last to see a fellow pro castigated for something that wasn't his fault. The fact that Aaron didn't so much as mention his name is telling, as far as I'm concerned. 

Anyway, we'll wish him luck again and all the best with his recovery. He's got good people around him, sadly a medical team who have been through this more often than they would like, and colleagues who can help him make a full recovery. As he says himself he hopes to come back fitter and stronger and I think we all share those sentiments.

Arsene's press conference took place yesterday and it was a reminder of what a great man he is. I know we've all got our frustrations with the way he does things at times but I'd challenge anyone to watch it and not be thoroughly impressed. He stood by his comments about the tackle, as expected, despite some of the more witless hacks suggesting they might have been made in the heat of the moment. He said:

I stand by what I said 100 percent. I knew exactly what would happen the whole week, that was quite easy to predict but I don't know what is to be added to that.

And what he meant by knowing what would happen are all the HNTKOP©® crap that has been spewed forth by all and sundry. He was right. Arsene is a man who loves football, his whole life has been dedicated to it, and what he said isn't just about Arsenal. Those who choose to ignore the wider issue, particularly other managers I feel, are not doing the game any service at all. Arsene says:

It is not Arsenal against the rest of the world. What I say is not just for Stoke or Arsenal players, it is for everybody. I defend football.
 
It is not that we are apart from anybody else. We are the same. I am continuing to defend the values that I believe are important for our club and football. That doesn't mean we are angels and everyone else is the devil. It is for everybody.

And how right he is. Arsene has been in position this week where he has had the chance to address a problem for football in general, especially in England. While the majority of columnists and pundits have chosen to focus on the poor set upon Ryan Shawcross (the Newstalk clip in yesterday's Arsecast of him being compared to Lennie from Of Mice and Men is wonderfully accurate), very few have asked the question 'How can we stop it happening again? How can we ensure no player is hurt this badly in the future?'. The fact that it's another foreign manager, Roberto Martinez, who has been more or less the only other manager to back Wenger speaks volumes.

And then you have the smart arses. The guys who think they're so clever. This exchange was priceless:

Journo - "There was a tackle by William Gallas against Bolton which put a player out of the game for four or five weeks ..."

Arsene - "It is not true. What you say here is not true".

Journo - "But do you remember the tackle?"

Arsene - "The player played less than 10 days later"

Journo - "Yeah .. well ..."

Arsene - "So that's exactly what we face on the other side of the fence. It is always information that is not checked and that we have to stand up for".

Journo - "But the tackle itself, do you remember it?"

And how Arsene kept his composure in the face of such fuckwittery I will never know. I don't think I could do it. And whoever that journalist is he was made look most stupid as his transparent agenda had holes poked in it straight away.  As the questions rained in about our reaction, about the fact that we have dared to be even slightly outraged at the sight of one of our players with his leg snapped in two, he remained calm but put things into perspective perfectly:

I am sitting here like I am in a tribunal. What do I have to defend? I love the commitment of the English game. I don't want to change that and it makes the game even more attractive, but high commitment demands fair intention as well.

If you don't have a subscription to Arsenal TV Online, I recommend it, especially for the press conferences. Arsene's performance yesterday was a masterclass. What shone through was his intelligence and respectful nature when many others would be so different. In the middle of the Ramsey stuff there were questions taken from a Korean journalist who went so far off the point it was unreal. She asked him if he was going to the World Cup, if he might look at some Asian players while there and what he thought of Man United's Ji Sung Park. Other managers would have scowled and given her short shrift. Not Arsene. He gave her time, and answered her questions with impeccable manners and good grace, under the circumstances, yet this is a man that half-arsed hacks like the Gallas question bloke think they can try and get a rise out of? He drives me mad sometimes but I do love Arsene. Especially when he makes idiots look like the idiots they are.

The bottom line now, as Arsene says, is that we give our support to Aaron Ramsey, ensure he comes back fitter and stronger and better and from now on we've got to concentrate on the football. Before we look at the Burnley game there was another belter from the manager. Asked about Chris Waddles comments about Theo Walcott not having a football brain he said:

"Not only does he have a football brain, he has a brain".

Haha, in your face, Pelanty Boy! Also worth a read are the comments of Philippe Auclair from yesterday's Arsecast - please forward to whoever you think might be interested in them. And even if podcasts aren't your thing, I'd suggest giving yesterday's a listen. Not just because it's mine but because you rarely hear such insightful, intelligent commentary of the game we all love.

Today's team news sees Arshavin, Denilson and Diaby return which is a timely boost. Song is missing for a couple of games due to suspension, Sol Campbell's groin is being rested so Sylvester will accompany Vermaelen at the centre of defence. I don't quite know what sort of team he'll put out today, perhaps one with an eye on Porto, but nothing less than three points today will do. Will Burnley feel the backlash from the Ramsey incident? Certainly the team will be highly motivated and I think the atmosphere at the Grove today will be awesome. Below you see the banner which Arseblog regulars made and contributed to:

Big props to WestStandTone for organising, Ms K for ensuring it got paid for, Tres Rapide who designed it and everyone who chipped in their few quid to make it happen. Also, my sincere thanks to the lads at REDaction for their help in arranging to get it hung. And if you haven't seen it already they have got a huge banner made which will be displayed before and after the match - take a look.

If you're going today I'm sure you'll enjoy what will be a special atmosphere. Let's hope the lads on the pitch can match it in terms of the performance and that today, they do it for Aaron.

Till tomorrow.