Afternoon all.

I'd like to share a vision with you. It goes like this;

A street, three kids on bikes, one bike with a basket on the front of it and they are cycling at top speed. They are cycling at top speed because they are being followed. They are being followed by big men in white suits. White suits like the ones worn in The X Files as the shadow conspiracy attempt to hide their latest outrage from Mulder and Scully. We focus on the kids on bikes. It's actually Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin. A figure moves in the basket on the cycle Cesc is pedalling. Is that... yes! It's Carlos Vela trying to escape from the evil men trying to quarantine him. The bikes rise up off the street, powered by Carlos Vela's alien powers and they sail to the moon.

You'll have heard by now about Carlos Vela's "quarantine" yesterday as a result of a visit from Mexican amigos. The truth of it is a little less dramatic then the scenario I just laid out. I feel this is a bit of a shame. He just stayed away from training until he was given the all clear, but has travelled to Manchester with the rest of the squad.

Manchester? Yes, there's a fairly big game going on up there today, the first leg of the first all english European Champions League semi final not to pit Chelsea and Liverpool in opposition. I suppose the other Arsenal blogs today are flavoured with various degrees of optimism, excitement and nervousness. I don't really feel anything about the game at the moment. Okay, that's not quite true, my arms are "tying up" a little as I write this but it's certainly not the nervousness, yet, that I felt as I sat in front of the tv practically shaking prior to the FA Cup semi final last week. I can't believe that was only last Saturday, it feels like a lifetime ago.

I heard Alex Ferguson talking very respectfully about Arsenal and our manager in his press conference yesterday afternoon- especially our lack of recent trophies. The general vibe of it was echoed by Arsène Wenger who talked of how both men were "survivors", that rarest of breeds amongst today's football managers. You can read, and see, more from both men here, whilst Lee Dixon offers an analysis piece, whilst managing to stay on the fence, here.

He does suggest, rightly so, that Arsène has some big decisions to make. If we are going to persist with the 4-2-3-1 designed to liberate Cesc a few weeks ago, not just at the weekend as the BBC commentator seemed to have missed, then Walcott must start on our right hand side. I can understand the need, in a 4-4-2, to try and protect Sagna, but playing Eboue as one of the attacking three would make no sense to me. The central 2 behind Cesc will surely be Nasri and Song. I'm quite pleased that Nasri has been tentatively reverted to a central role as he seems better suited to it than playing wide where he always likes to come inside anyway. And as Cesc says, it's quite a fluid system anyway (are we seeing the development of a midfield to rival the quartet that began the 2007/08 season? A topic for another day, maybe). That leaves the left sided spot open, in the absence of Robin van Persie, for Abou Diaby.

The back four looks like it will pick itself. Toure and Djourou at the heart of it and Sagna on the right, hopefully now fully recovered, with Gibbs on the left. If he is fit to play. I can't help but think Silvestre on the left will be anything less than a disaster, so let's get fingers, toes, arms etc crossed.

For me, it's about time we won one of these all England battles and whilst the players are faced with arguably their biggest challenge of the season, it has been in the big challenges that the players have stood up to be counted. I can't look at any one of our players and say that such and such a person needs to stand up tonight, they all do.

Incidentally, just in case you were wondering why no blog yesterday- if you missed me, I'm sorry- gremlins would not allow me to write. It was certainly nothing to do with me becoming one of those people everyone complains about at matches... which reminds me of the 4 empty seats in front of me during the first half on Sunday, subsequently filled for the second half. What is that about?

Anyway, wherever you are tonight, enjoy the game, nights like this are why we watch, and love, football. Of course, we love it even more when we win...

So... where was I? I did mean to try and find a computer to blog on over the last few days, but um, I got distracted. Anyway, Villa 3 Everton 3.. a result that all  but (you'd have to think) guarantees us a Champions League qualifier come August? No, skip that. Ian Wright, with his usual good timing, having a little moan again? Skip that. Chelsea 4 Liverpool 4? Other than the fact Liverpool gave Chelsea the tough game I think we all wanted them to have, I couldn't give a shit about that, so skip that too and that brings us, neatly, to last night.

Before I went out to Amsterdam, my mate Baxi gave me a number for Nige, his man in Amsterdam, saying something like "If you want to watch the football, Nige'll know where you can find it". So, I thought (in a rare moment of Amsterdam clarity), why don't we meet up and watch the football together. Once I put that suggestion to Nige (a fellow Gooner), on Tuesday afternoon, he was more than happy to come up from Utrecht and so it came to be that we met in the Bulldog on Leidseplein around 8pm yesterday evening with plans to head to the Sports Cafe, or something like that, next door.

Those plans changed when Nige looked up some forty minutes later to see the two teams out at Ashburton Grove. No sound, but I didn't think that'd matter so much and Jo certainly agreed, pointing out how wound up I get listening to commentary. I hadn't realised it at the time either, but I wouldn't have been listening to Martin Tyler and co anyway.

Nige and I just about worked out that Eboue was playing right back because Sagna was missing and not because Sagna was playing in the centre with Silvestre at left back as I first thought- why did I think that? Don't ask. Then van Persie headed over from a decent position. Theo, again, was making inroads but either rushing his final ball, playing it without looking, or loooking but not delivering. I have to say, I have a real problem with the fact that as a team we get the ball wide to Theo and then, collectively, just seem to stand and watch him. The odds are, once you've given him the ball, his speed means he will have the chance to deliver something, so why not get in on it?

After about ten minutes, Theo most certainly did deliver, Cesc's wafted boot turning Eboue's good ball into a defence splitting one, Theo was in and the finish he produced to beat the Villarreal keeper was reminiscent of Arsenal legends like Rocastle, Bergkamp and Henry. A sumptuous chip and advantage Arsenal. It seemed to me, through most of that first half, that such was the speed of thought and action, we looked like we could score at any time. Of course, the tie had turned in our favour, but a Villarreal goal would paint a very different picture.  Nige and I disagreed about Alex Song, who I thought was doing well to win the ball and get us going again, it may have been the *ahem* smoke, but he was starting to look a little like a dreadlocked Patrick Vieira. Only not as tall, skinny, or frightening.

At half time, I made an "against my better judgement", touch wood type comment about Theo's moment of brilliance at this very stage of the season last year at Anfield not getting its' proper reward. I tapped the table just to make sure. It didn't matter.

On the hour, after Villarreal had upped their game just a bit, van Persie picked the ball up 30 yards out, took a few touches, before playing Adebayor- not offside for once- whose first touch gave him the chance to slide home the killer second goal? The killer? I wasn't sure, but the celebrations suggested the players thought that was it. Why does everyone hate Arsenal? Well, dances like that are as a good a reason as any, I should think.

We were not made to pay for our shit dancing, the evening only getting better for us 10 minutes later when, somewhat bizarrely, some Villarreal hack decided to, um, hack Theo into the Ashburton turf. Penalty awarded and the added bonus of seeing a second yellow and then a red card produced for dissent. I thought it was quite fitting to see this, as the yellow submarines had been quite sneaky with some of their gamesmanship throughout the tie. Well, alright, sneaky at certain times. Completely blatant at others.

Anyway, like the man in the Guiness ad, van Persie waited and waited and then he smashed his left footed penalty into the right hand corner of the goal, just beyond the despairing dive of the keeper. And, substitutions for Walcott, van Persie and Ade aside, that was pretty much it. Who'd have thought that eh? A Champions League tie done and dusted with twenty minutes to play. It was great to be able to watch us play and feel so relaxed about it, but perhaps I would have felt relaxed anyway, given the surroundings.

One moment in the second half, for me, seemed to epitomise the way Arsène's philosophy has paid off in recent weeks with Keiran Gibbs shifting and feinting deep in the Villarreal half, trying to take players on for fun. No fear. He looked like the winger he used to be. The players could greet Robert Pires at the final whistle, in the knowledge that whilst great players come and go, the club continues. It was good to see such warmth in the embraces for Pires, better still that it is us and not him and his club, who progress.

We waited sometime to find out who we would be playing in two weeks time. A "what the fuck was that?!" moment from Ronaldo means, of course, that it is Manchester United in the semi final. Ten years ago, in a different competition, we were a Dennis Bergkamp penalty away from turning United's treble dream to dust, a knighthood was in the balance.. we all know what happened next. This time must be different. It has to be. Of course, it also represents a chance for the manager to finally get a European win on the board over one of his domestic rivals. Some might say, the domestic rival. It would be a great time to do so.

Before that, of course, Chelsea Football Club, Wembley and an FA Cup semi final beckons. I can't work out if this is a good time to be playing them. Or not. More to follow on that in the next couple of days, I'm sure.

After the sunshine of Amsterdam, it's great to be back in the grey metropolis, how are you?

There is, as you might imagine, a bit of a love in going on between Arsène Wenger and Robert Pires ahead of the Champions League quarter final tonight. The picture above, in our great manager's opinion, tells us more about Robert Pires than the eloquent words of Wenger ever could. Which is some accolade. The picture reminds me that fate has intervened so cruelly at various stages of Robert's career- the red hot form of 2002  cut short only by a horrible knee injury. The farewell appearance (not that we knew it then) in the Champions League final cut short by a red card for Mad Jens and the boss' belief (correct in my view) that if anyone in that midfield had to be sacrificed, it was the player who had served him so intelligently, so beautifully and so effectively. A sad, and ill fitting end to a glorious 6 years in North London.  

Despite that substitution, the manager says that he never wanted Pires to go, comparing him to Dennis Bergkamp, but understood that the player wanted a longer contract than was on offer and also wanted to play (more than he would have, I think). Whilst Pires says now that he is "not angry" with Arsène for that fateful Paris decision, but will thank him for all that he has learnt from him and I think that is the correct response from an intelligent and good man.

Regardless, and I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for more cruel fate for Super Rob over the coming week. Certainly next week at the Grove is going to be an emotional night, on a par with the welcome afforded to Patrick Vieira in 2006. But I won't be there, I'll be in an Amsterdam pub. Fretting, no doubt.

More immediately, Robin van Persie will miss the game tonight but the manager is backing his youngish side to show the   "mental strength" that has seen them turn a season that appeared to be nosediving into the north London ground at high speed into one that still, in the first week of April, holds all kinds of possibilities for the club. Ivan Gazidis spoke last week of the importance of keeping a group of growing players together and it's a theme echoed by the manager. Whilst I think it's a little early to say he has been vindicated- especially as we could be out of both cups by next Saturday- the available evidence suggests that the manager does know what he is doing and that (don't say it, don't say it... fuck it, I'm going to) a spectacular pay off to that his patience and hard work will come not too far into the future.

I think, for the game tonight, we'll see Nasri replace the ineligible Arshavin. I hope that is the only change. Eboue may offer defensive stability, but Theo Walcott's pace scares the crap out of most defences. I don't see Villarreal's being any different.

Well, that's Champions League business concluded for the month, though thankfully not the season. No, it wasn't pretty and given that we had two hours to score an away goal and really put the romans on the back foot, it was a disappointing performance. Less we came, we saw, we conquered, more we came, we staggered and then we stumbled over the line. The end result though, as we've frequently been told in the past, is what counts and we're in the last 8 with everything to play for and a dream of Rome again.

The manager, as most but not I predicted, was the same as from the first leg. It's almost as if Arsène tried something a bit radical in the first leg that, chance conversion aside, paid off pretty handsomely- so he thought "I'll do that again". Lazy manager. Different game, different circumstances and aside from, in my opinion, Almunia, Gallas, maybe Toure, Diaby and Bendtner the team played pretty poorly. In Robin van Persie's defence, we can say he is ill suited to lead the line, lacking the strength to hold off defenders, play a pass, or even take a defender on for pace. Even so, for a player of his quality, he had a night to forget. Perhaps this is where I have to accept we do miss a player like Adebayor. Eboue was just... Eboue. He can run all day, but can he pick a pass? No. It seemed to me that anything good we did that broke down, broke down around him. Sagna did not have a great game, Vucinic causing problems for our right back like nobody I've ever seen. Samir Nasri tried but I think was crowded out a little bit, and perhaps tried to do too much. Gael Clichy had a night he won't remember too fondly, he will be considered fortunate not to have conceded a penalty- though I think Motta made more of it, strictly speaking, than he needed to. Perhaps it is time for Keiran Gibbs to be given exposure to the Premier League, if only for a couple of weeks.

The less said about the defending for the Roma equaliser, which really put us on the back foot, the better- suffice for me to say that defenders of the calibre of Toure (who came so close to winning the tie in the last minute of normal time and Gallas should be able to deal with a ball ripped across our six yard line. It was symptomatic of a night for Arsenal where nothing really came off and even the introductions of Theo and Eduardo had little effect but thanks to Craptista- how poetic that miss in the dying minutes was, we survived to the penalty shoot out.

Where we took some of the coolest penalties seen this century. At least once Eduardo had missed the opening kick of the shootout. What guts to step up and take the first penalty in atmosphere like that after just over 2 hours of competitive football in 1 year. Thankfully, due to the ineptness of Vucinic, the coolness of the rest of the Arsenal kickers- which was the whole team except Gallas, Clichy and a goalkeeper who couldn't watch the Arsenal penalties and then a Tonetto attempt that would have been two points on a rugby pitch, Arsène's young side came through. Interestingly, on the penalties, it seems as if- rather than ask- the manager told each player that they were taking, and when they were taking, them.

By the time we hit the quarter final in the first week of April, we should have captain Fabregas back and I'm sure, if he's needed, Emmauel Adebayor will have recovered from his hamstring trouble. A point which seemed lost on the increasingly egg headed David Platt post match when he talked about Arsenal not having the players to dominate a game. I think we do, they're just either injured, way back from injury or they had a bit of a shocker last night. We all know we can play better than that.

Thanks Jamrock, for pointing out the win in Turin in 1980, of course I omitted that amazing game in Genoa 1995, when we were 3-1 down (5-4 agg) with just minutes remaining and Stefan Schwartz fired in a 25 yard free kick to take the game to extra time and then penalties where the best goalkeeper in the world at the time took over and did his stuff. Which led us to heartbreak Parisienne.

Anyway, the point is, we have great memories of Italian soil, let's hope we're talking more of them tomorrow morning. To that end, Arsenal have taken measures to safeguard our support tonight, publishing a guide on areas and travel routes to avoid the notorious Roman "Ultras". Seems kind of ludicrous to me that Arsenal have to do this, can you imagine a continental club having to print a "How to avoid the Gooners" guide? Surely UEFA could do more, maybe it's only fun if it's the english being sanctioned- paranoid? Me?

One man who could be forgiven, maybe, for feeling paranoid this season is our fearless leader, Mr Wenger. Despite his customary press conference having to be cancelled as, due to faulty plane, the squad were late leaving London, he has plenty to say in adavance of the game. Whilst Football365 headline this story with the slightly spoilt sounding "Gunners Deserve More", I think it's more about the manager seeing the opportunities available to this group of players and wanting the group not just to see those opportunities, but to grab them whilst they can. He's talking a defining moment of the season and I guess that is what you could call this. Not just for the players either, was the manager wrong, or were those getting on his case (as I briefly did) the ones who were wrong? Tonight, with players missed now returned to the fold, we should be on the way to finding out- though as the manager says, judgement day will come in May.  

It will be interesting to see how we approach the game, in terms of team selection and tactics the manager can play this game anyway he chooses to. The news from Roma seems to hint at a patchwork of a teamand should encourage us. Of course, it's possible that this is a ruse and Roma are going to fly at us like a lion at a christian, but that doesn't seem the italian way. Were they to do this, it would certainly leave them vulnerable on the counter attack. Particularly if Theo Walcott starts. Which, I have a sneaking suspicion, he may well do. Yes, he would be a great asset in the last half an hour of the match to turn the game, or kill it off as required, but why wait that long? Especially if the manager wants his team to score. He has habitually sprung a surprise or two throughout the course of this Champions League campaign, I think the starting inclusion of Walcott will his joker in the pack tonight.

Finally this morning, Randall the Spurs fan, had to concede that Eduardo's goal was exactly as intended. Mind you, I had to show him an excellent photo of the moment of contact, taken from the back page of a broadsheet. As I don't agree with its' politics, I'm not saying which one, but here's a clue, it wasn't the Guardian.

We must, reluctantly, move on. I could talk about that goal for the next week... well, let's be honest here, I could talk about that goal for the next 6 months, but we must move on and the next game in the calendar represents quite a step up from Burnley at home in the FA Cup. Of course, tomorrow night Arsenal venture into the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, a stadium I will be visiting in 3 months time to see a band that has been around almost as long as I have- Depeche Mode.

They do so with the knowledge that they have quite a large margin for error. With the tie balanced nicely in our favour, though Roma will be relieved the damage isn't yet fatal, a win will send us through. A draw will send us through and, as long as we score, defeat by a single goal would also send us through. Despite this, I am not counting any chickens just yet. Better Arsenal sides than this one have somehow managed to implode in these types of situation. That being said, however, I believe I heard a stat during the first game that gives me cause for confidence: Of all Arsenal's (first leg at home) elimination stage fixtures, they have not been eliminated from the Champions League when they have kept a clean sheet in that first leg match. Conversely, when they have conceded an away goal first, they have been put to the sword. You only have to think back to that wonderful Milan tie last year and the less wonderful Liverpool encounter for an illustration.

Of course, we've got a pretty decent record to defend against Italian sides too. I've mentioned Milan, we all remember their neighbours Internazionale being shredded in their own backyard in 2003, Juventus were accounted for on the road to Paris in 2006 and then there was the night that triggered a thousand "Emperor of Rome" headlines when Thierry hit a hat trick in our previous visit to the Stadio Olimpico in 2002.

Though encouraging, of course this is all past history and what counts is what happens tomorrow night. I think the tie is set up perfectly for us, especially with the predator Eduardo and speed demon Walcott back in the fold. Bad news for Johan Djourou as Kolo Toure is apparently fit to start and appears to have re-established himself as partner number one for centre back number one, Gallas. Further bad news is on the horizon as Mikael Silvestre is back in training, though he will be remaining in London on this occasion.

Speculation seems to be pointing to a Bendtner/ van Persie frontline tomorrow night, now I know that- apart from the myriad chances missed in the first leg- these two didn't play too badly in the first leg, but it was so refreshing to see an Arsenal side play with genuine pace and mobility on Sunday. It would be a real shame if that speed was sacrificed in the name of the pecking order tomorrow night.