All Roads May Yet Lead To Rome

UEFA Champions League, Round of 16, 2nd Leg
AS Roma 1 – 0 Arsenal
Agg: 1 – 1, Arsenal win 7-6 on penalties

1 – 0 Juan (9)

When is an unbeaten run not an unbeaten run? Did Arsenal win or lose last night. I will set out my stall here and now; the unbeaten run remains. OK, it’s a tenuous and every-so-slightly dodgy logic but do I care? Do I F*ck (Mum, mum, Dad swore on the blog today).

All that mattered at the end of last night was that the Quarter-Final and let’s not forget, the Semi-Final draw, includes a ball which when opened has a slip of paper on it that reads not “AS Roma” but “Arsenal FC“.

Not pretty, unconvincing by recent standards but a test of character that was passed. The received wisdom is that Arsene would have told the players to keep it tight, mark properly and not to concede an early goal in what was a crackling atmosphere. For all of that, he definitely would have said to them, if you do concede, make sure it is no more than one. So keep it tight.

Nerves do a funny thing to people, affecting judgement, performances, etc., but experience helps to overcome them. So what do you do when your most experienced players perform a Gentleman’s Excuse Me and allow a ninth minute aggregate equaliser? Don’t panic. Rely on your ‘troops’ to get you through the tie, believe in their abilities and just rewards will come.

And run their hearts out is exactly what the players did. Both sides did in fact, Roma’s tactics spot on in denying space to the visitors following the 1 – 0 drubbing in the first leg. Arsenal responded with similar energy, plenty of questions asked and answered about their ability to hack out a result.

In games such as these, you know the home side will enjoy vociferous support and every chance will be greeted as if it were a golden opportunity. At moments like those, you need your goalkeeper to have a big game; Almunia did just that, quashing doubters who believed he could provide such a performance. That does not mean he is suddenly ranked in the top three around the world, simply that he is a damn sight better than many give him credit for.

There were faults in the performance collectively, these will no doubt be addressed by Arsene and the players in the build up to the Blackburn game on Saturday. The question that you have to ask is whether or not they matter purely in the context of the Roma match. The answer is no, they do not matter, the result last night was everything and progress was achieved.

A good day to be a Gooner and if you cannot enjoy the morning after the night before, what the hell are you drinking for I want none of it.

’til Tomorrow.