1979gooner has summed up the match last night very well so I won't spend too long on that. My view was that Liverpool had the luck over the two legs and you need some luck to win the Champions League. We played very well and some of the players that regularly take a knocking on this blog actually deserve some praise. Diaby worked very hard, passed well and scored a good goal - if only he could keep up some consistency, he clearly has the talent. Eboue has been much maligned by us Arsenal fans this season but had a solid game, particularly in the first half - he even tracked back to help out Toure on several occasions.We all hope that we can go to Old Trafford and get a win this weekend but realistically our season is now over. The question I would like to pose is, if Wenger had his time again, would he have done anything different this season?
1. 4-5-1 - Wenger has clearly taken more of a shine to this formation this season. Undoubtedly it worked well for us in the Champions League run of 2006 but that was in a very different team that relied on the pace of Henry and Reyes. I don't think it has suited us that well this season. Granted it can work well when away from home e.g. Milan, but to play this formation at home in the Premiership? I think it is too cautious. At home we should be a 4-4-2 team.
2. Old Trafford - should we have put out such a weak side against Man Poo and the Scum in the FA Cup and Carling Cup.? Those defeats knocked our confidence badly and we have only played well in fits and starts since those defeats. However, Wenger clearly felt that some of our players needed a rest.
3. January transfer window - should Wenger have bought one or two players to freshen a squad that is much smaller than our rivals and had injuries to a couple of key players? I know many authors on this blog have disagreed but I do think Woodgate might have been a good signing - he is a better defender than Senderos and would surely have done better at Anfield last night. It is all very well having confidence in your players but an extra signing might have actually given the squad a confidence boost.
4. Walcott - surely after his extraordinary run last night and several other eye catching cameos over recent weeks we must question why Theo hasn't had more of a chance. This is particularly so when we have missed RVP for most of the season and Eboue has produced next to nothing in terms of goals and assists.
I am one of Wenger's biggest fans and I hate those who now question his position. He is the man to take us forward for years to come. What I do think is that he must accept that he may have made a few mistakes this season. Those mistakes probably may not have cost us the title but they may have made a difference. Will he learn from them? I expect so. Incidentally the rumours linking us to Ben Arfa are becoming more and more widespread. Wenger has gone on record as saying he is a player that interests him. I think he would be an excellent signing - he has pace, a good left foot and is a typical Arsenal player - comfortable on the ball with good movement.
I leave you with the excellent new chant: "Adebayor's, Adebayor's, Gerard's baby is Adebayor's" - it's the only thing giving me any consolation this morning.
