JazzG
1) There was no guarantee Wenger’s 2004 team would have beaten Porto. Reason why Wenger never won a European final. He lost to bloody Galatassary (who played in a true farmers league) 4 years before. Wenger never beat Jose for about 12 years post 2004 as well.
2) Inter only won the league 3 times on default because of the Italian football scandal of 2006. Juve were relegated ffs! Inter winning the CL in 2010 was the first time they won it since their great side of the 60’s. The famous inter teams of Klinsmann, Breheme of 80s or Ronaldo, Vieri of 90s never won it.

      Ok, ok we get it. Mourinho is the greatest manager that ever lived and we're all just haters.

      /s

      Edit: actually I am a hater. Unashamedly so.

      • IBL likes this.

      Mourinho is a tremendous manager. As is Pep. Rich teams attract and hoard the best talent, including managers and technical staff. I think it’s helpful to acknowledge this in these debates.

      So Mourinho has done well to win his CLs and leagues. But he did spend several years working at the club that ruined modern football by completely warping the financial model, opening the way for City and PSG.

      QuincyAbeyie
      There is a difference between gamesmanship and cheating. Plus if Saka dived for a pen and got it that would be cheating but we would all cheer it on.

      It’s kill or be killed if you want to win big honours

        Football is about the experience. To be fair, I don’t doubt that the Chelsea fans or the Inter fans didn’t love that experience, but I’d chose out footballing the opposition every day of the week.

        And it’s hard to believe any Arsenal fan who’s experienced the wilderness and lows like we have over the years would choose to experience that again just to guarantee a single trophy.

          I am not going to be a hypocrite. If we won the UCL due to Eboue diving, I really don't give a fuck. What matters is we won. If we won because Suarez used his hands to clear the ball away on the goal line, or Materazzi triggering Zidane to be sent off, I don't care as well. Gamesmanship is always part and parcel of all sports. I doubt Max Verstappen cares how he won his championships.

          Of course the real kind of cheating like bribing referee or falsifying accounts is a different story.

          goon mate we haven’t won the title for 20 years and CL never, couldn’t t care less about the ‘football experience’.

          For me football is about winning otherwise what’s the point? Playing nice football is a ‘nice to have’.

          The high of winning a big trophy would eclipse being the best footballing team but winning nothing.

          Also, playing nice football gives you ZERO ammunition against rival fans if it doesn’t result in silverware.

              Sicario2 - Tier 1 Also, playing nice football gives you ZERO ammunition against rival fans if it doesn’t result in silverware.

              The importance of this for you is what I've always wondered about you. Who really gives a shit. We're not in school anymore. Who are these rival fans constantly giving you, not online or at the players or manager, but giving you shit about us? I don't know a single City fan, and the rest have all been differing shades of shit over the last however many years so can't really say anything.

                  I mean I have time for rival fans who genuinely want to talk about football. The ones who talk about the teams in the here and now, how they were developed, the way the club is run, the different styles, potential for success, what we or they would need to improve and what we/they have over other rivals. That I don't mind. But engaging with those talksport robots, you know the types who talk about "oooh you've never won a CL" despite winning nothing themselves the last decade. Yeah I'm not bothered to even respond to those.

                  Sicario2 - Tier 1

                  1) There is no guarantee of anything but that invincible team had more than enough to take on those teams I listed

                  2) You are right, forgot about Juve. Like I said it was an impressive achievement but Mourinho had a great team, not like he won it on a shoe string budget.

                      Sicario2 - Tier 1

                      Who's talking about winning nothing? Being the best football team for a prolonged period gives you a very good chance of winning things on multiple occasions. Inter under Jose finished in the last 16, won, and then the round of 16 again the season he was sacked. Pep won, finished in the semi final, won again and got knocked out in the semi's again. I know which one I'd chose.

                      As for ammunition, I don't interact with the teenagers on twitter so don't really need it for emergency bragging rights after lose 5-1 to Chelsea and finish 8th.

                        Big Willie
                        lol I don’t engage with kids on Twitter. However, I’m part of a Fantasy football WhatsApp forum (average age 35) and whenever you want to say Arsenal have done well or doing well or Arteta is a good manager, you are often rebutted with ‘but what have you won?’. They are mainly Chelsea and Liverpool fans on there.

                        So, yes, I want a trophy badly to shut them up.

                            JazzG
                            2) Mourinho bought Millito on a budget transfer from Genoa who ended up winning the CL for him. He got Eto’o, one of footballs biggest egos to effectively play as a full back! Whatever you say, he managed that team well and deserved the CL that year

                              6 days later

                              Fuck me. Lol. Why are people up in arms?

                              I've seen versions of this for loads of players and coaches. Including Arteta. Walker is always acting like he's a great laugh, loves the banter, etc but then something like this has him so upset?

                              There is a bit of a debate going on Twitter as the AI system is making all sort of wild photos but that above is just a crappy photoshop.

                              Seen plenty of photos of Arteta looking like Bin Laden and people call him a terrorist for the more defensive football we play, it is just tacky banter nothing deeper than that.