RSSSpurs preview: Would losing still mean as much?
TOMORROW night’s first leg marks five years to the day since Spurs lost 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the opening bout of the 2002 League Cup semi-final.
The second leg in two weeks will be a day off the anniversary of Spurs’ glorious 5-1 win in the return leg - their first win over Chelsea in 27 attempts.
Even before I figured that out I fancied them to have their day this tie. It’s a hunch.
But truth be told, it ain’t a hunch that particularly bothers me.
Why? Because unlike Gunnerblog, I don’t fear losing to Spurs anymore. Why? Because this is a fixture that has been completely and utterly devalued.
We have dominated it so consistently for so long that if defeat comes either tonight or at White Hart Lane, it will be one of those things that was bound to happen at some point. Not a lot more, not a lot less.
How can it hurt when they were supposed to overtake us this season but are now 26 points adrift? How can the possibility of the WHL crowd chanting ole hurt when if Spurs remaining games are as productive as those so far, they will end up with seven fewer points than we have NOW.
How can their celebrations hurt when for 20 odd games over eight years, we have been superior again and again and again.
When Robbie Keane was poised to put us 2-1 behind at the Emirates a very long two and a half weeks ago it was not the possibility of losing to Spurs that pained me. Instead, it was the possibility of losing to a side as bad as Spurs that hurt.
In Highbury’s penultimate game it mattered because there was competition. But not now. They could be a very decent side. The fact they are not is what makes it all so pathetic. This is not a barb at Spurs - just an honest view.
I actually expect a strong team tomorrow night. Whereas last year’s games were sandwiched between tough fixtures against United, Bolton and Boro, this year there is more breathing space.
So a starting 11 along the lines of Fabianski, Hoyte, Clichy, Senderos, Djourou, Flamini, Diarra (or another), Rosicky, Walcott or Diaby, Eduardo and Bendtner with the likes of Cesc, Adebayor and Hleb on the bench appears conceivable.
Sadly, tickets are not sold out. You can thank the Christmas period and the credit crunch for that but most of all Spurs, who I presume insisted on the same ticket pricing structure as for last year’s semi, when they prevented us from making tickets more affordable.
I’m not planning on going. Never been a great fan of first legs anyway and with visits planned to Fulham, the second leg and Man City away in the next month, that’s quite enough.
Talking of that Spurs victory over Chelsea, the Blues avenged it seven weeks later with a 4-0 FA Cup win at the Lane and three days after that by the same scoreline at Stamford Bridge in the league.
Spurs went on to lose that year’s league cup final, have not won anything since and had to wait 10 games and nearly five years before they beat Chelsea again.
8 January 2008 at 10:04 am
It will mean quite a lot but only because the spuds will crow about it forever.
8 January 2008 at 10:10 am
True Rich, but as said in comparison to how bad their season is it would mean little.
My fear is that they get to the final and win it, then that would be something to crow about, however what I really want is for us to lose to them in the away leg, yes that’s right lose, but then go through either on away goals or aggregate score. That way the haven’t beaten us in x years can be put to bed but the net result will mean nothing.
I think we will see something similar to last year, young team to start with the big boys on the bench, that way if things are not going well we can stick a few on to steady the ship.
As I say losing to them is not the problem, them winning the thing is.
8 January 2008 at 10:38 am
Arsène is on record as saying he will stick with the kids. Actually, not quite. When asked after Blackburn whether he would stick with this young team he replied with a gallic shrug and cheeky smile, “You know my answer.”
8 January 2008 at 10:56 am
Would it really matter if they won the competition though? I don’t think so.
8 January 2008 at 10:59 am
wenger need to include 2 or 3 key players like flamini, rosicky and maybe adebayor….
Feel free visit: The-Gunners-1886
Discuss and get match-event for Gunners… All the best…Gunners…thanks
8 January 2008 at 11:19 am
How much would it hurt if they won the league cup, if WE ended up winning the League, and possibly the FA Cup?
8 January 2008 at 11:43 am
I am sure wenger wont use players like Rosicky, Ade, Cesc, Hleb and clichy. He may use the in betweeners such as Flamini, though as long as diarra is staying I would hope it is he who plays DM. And I think AW may be tempted to use Gallas. The reason for this is if you look back through other games he has often paired an inexperienced defender with an experienced one. Even against Steaua at home Gallas played, mostly with kids around him.
8 January 2008 at 11:45 am
By the way I agree. if there was ever a game we have played against spurs in the last 5 years that I dont really really mind losing, it is this one.
If we win, the Brum league game would be postponed, giving us a fixture pileup in March that we can ill afford when going for something as important as the league and CL.
8 January 2008 at 12:13 pm
It will matter to me cos most of my ‘friends’ are Spuds and they are a bunch of wankers at the best of times
Also i dont go to that many games, but i was there for the end of the invincibles at old trafford and the first defeat at the emirates to west ham - im going tomorrow and if i see the first defeat to spurs since the invention of the toaster ill start to worry that im cursed.
IF they do manage to beat the kids they’ll more than likely lose to chelsea anyway so i wouldnt worry about them winning it too much
8 January 2008 at 12:21 pm
it matters to me.
i’d much rather see the young guns win the carling cup than the ’senior’ team win the fa cup.
that’s because we’ve never won the carling cup with wenger, and because i think it would mean more to those players. i think winning this competition ith are younger players is a more significan milestone. and we’ve been coming so close in recent seasons. losing this tie means a lot to me.
8 January 2008 at 12:43 pm
It would matter.
It’s a worthless cup and if we won it little would be said. If t*ttenham won it I would imagine spuds would forefit the rest of their fixture list or put out their womens side.
This would allow the open top bus to continue circling the streets of north london right up till preseason.
It would be horrific. I cannot countenance the idea of losing to them, even if we had already won the league. It would be horrible, i never want this run to end.
8 January 2008 at 12:50 pm
I say we win the first leg 1-0 and lose the second 2-1, going through on a lucky injury-time away goal, in off the post from a scrambled corner, via Berbatov’s arse. That way, they can’t even celebrate the end of their losing streak. How we would laugh…
8 January 2008 at 1:15 pm
What?!?!?!? we should NEVER be happy to loose to the spuds…what are you lot on?!?!?!?!?!?
8 January 2008 at 3:05 pm
Yeah Stu, but if they ARE going to win, it’s better they all go home gutted about the result. The supreme irony…
8 January 2008 at 3:35 pm
Excuse me!!!
But I do mind losing to the spuds.You guys talk as if the trophies have already adorned our cabinet.Its still Jan FFS. This may be the only competition we end up winning. SO I want us to win!!!
8 January 2008 at 6:36 pm
It will be very interesting to see what kind of team Spurs put out there. With their FA Cup replay looming, they have six games in the next 20 days, including Chelsea, Everton, and two games against us. They have not really gotten any rest for their key players after the Christmas fixtures (we put out our B team for the first FA Cup game, they did not), and at some points, they are really going to run into a bad fatigue problem. It will be interesting to see whether Ramos decides to rotate a little for these Cup games.
9 January 2008 at 6:11 am
Whatever it is we don’t have to lose to Spurs. Its unthinkable. If we have the resources to beat them, let’s do it.
In defence, only two changes should be made. Arsene should drop Senderos and partner Djourou and Gallas. Drop Traore and play Clichy, Hoyte and Fabianski. In the forward, Dudu and Bendtner. In midfield, I want to see Gibbs, Denilson, Diarra and Theo.
9 January 2008 at 10:01 am
“How much would it hurt if they won the league cup, if WE ended up winning the League, and possibly the FA Cup?”
It wouldn’t, but as Sajit says doing that is a long way off.
9 January 2008 at 10:06 am
Hello. I would want to maintain the winning habit and momentum. And it would mean alot to the kids. Our mantra should be to try win in every competition.
9 January 2008 at 11:02 am
Goodplaya,
If we win, regardless of the team you put out, I’ll post the score and scorers on here and everywhere else I can constantly, and I’ll probably throw in a few ‘lick my nuts’ & ‘eat my willys’ as well.
Now tell me, do you really want to wake up to that every day untill we play you next?
Thats what makes derbys important, and quite commonly the most entertaining games in football. It dont matter about the class of the two teams.
For anyone to say they dont care at all about the derby means they either dont know the arsenal traditions or history of the last 120 odd years or that they dont live in london and have probably never been to a north london derby match in there life
9 January 2008 at 11:33 am
Sorry but I’m seeing a complete load of bollocks here. It’s never acceptable for Spurs to beat us, NEVER.
Remember how they crowed when they fluked that 2-2 draw after Jenas hit a thirty yarder? It’ll be like that but a hundred times worse. If, god forbid, they went on to win the trophy, they’d never shut up about it.
We’re not certs to win either the league or the FA Cup. United can overtake us in the race for the title, and the FA Cup only takes one bad result for us to be out of it.
Every competition matters. Every game against Spurs matters. Losing is unacceptable.
9 January 2008 at 1:30 pm
Hey Marky,
STAY AWAY from the stadium tonight, will ya? Somebody please shackle him to a not-so-quiet corner of an Arsenal pub tonight. Please!?
Bring on the lillywhites.
9 January 2008 at 2:09 pm
You don’t mean it Goodplaya… Think of the spuds hammering you for two weeks?
This game nearly means more to me than the 3 points did in the Prem. Mainly because if we beat them tonight, we have beaten them 2 years on the trot with a reserve team… that is priceless in the world of bragging rights.
I’m nervous, I’ve had 4 texts from Spuds eyeing up victory already!
Come on you reds!
No Diarra in squad, it appears he may be off (or being punished).
9 January 2008 at 2:10 pm
… or has fever as was reported in L’quipe this morning…
9 January 2008 at 5:53 pm
Eric in LA - I think the spuds will have their best team out. This is their best chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup again next year, as I don’t think they will make it into the top 7 in the league.
Shame about Diarra. It looks like he will be going. Not in the squad. Fine player too, but it was always possible that with 7 contenders (Cesc, Flamini, Gilberto, Diaby, Song, Diarra, Denilsen) that something would have to give. I was surprised we bought him in the 1st place with those numbers, but then pleasantly surprised at his form. Pity will be that our cover for the defensive midfield position will be limited to Gilberto (and maybe Song when he comes back). I see the others as more attacking midfielders. And I think Gilberto is limited - Diarra was the ideal cover for Flamini, defends as well as Flamini, but he can attack better than Gilberto. Oh well. We can still win tonight.
10 January 2008 at 8:10 am
[...] going a goal down, Arsene Wenger brought on Eduardo and regular full back Bacary Sagna. Arsenal found another gear after the introduction of the duo and were rewarded when Walcott [...]
28 January 2008 at 9:20 am
No one is here for help all want just money money and money.
28 January 2008 at 9:20 am
All for fun and all for money.