PSV have lost their last two games and played on the weekend.

I don’t give a fuck we have no striker, they are there for the taking.

Oddly hopeful, and that’s even with some respect for PSV who have a few tidy players.

I think we’ll benefit from playing away and in the CL as PSV will be encouraged to attack. We currently don’t have the player quality or right gameplan to open up tight defenses. My hope then is based on it can’t be any worse against a more open team that should enable Odegaard and Rice to produce more.

Can't see where a goal is coming from unless they manage some catastrophic own goal or howler. 0-0 looks best case which is still a good result in a 2 leg knockout. We might need to hang on for penalties.

MistaT Also Peter Bosz is not exactly the type of manager to tell his team to sit back and defend which will suit us.

Love that shirt so much. It deserved to be an iconic kit symbolic with a trophy. A shame it can't last more than one season and has to be changed every year.

Sicario2 - Tier 1 when Tomiyasu wasn't a myth and Ødegaard wasn't skeletal.

Hate to channel my inner Sicario, but we lose this tie and it will be hard to not see this season as a step backwards in all directions. At least reaching the quarters again we can hope for a miracle and with injured players returning think we can end the season strongly. It's the hope that kills you...

One bad season in isolation doesn't represent a trend.

Don Pacifico true but I don't think we've had enough "good"/convincing seasons either.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert the general trajectory has been upwards. Even in a bad season, we're still sitting 2nd and with a chance of reaching the CL QFs again. Not to mention it's really difficult to get it right every season when you're competing at the level we are.

My point is, for all that's not gone our way this season, it's not that bad.

Don Pacifico well we’ve had our biggest rival go to shit, can’t get a better opportunity/be more lucky than that.

Sicario2 - Tier 1 City could've gone to shit on match day 36 or 37 last season. That would've been a bit luckier, I reckon.

Sicario2 - Tier 1 my point is, regardless of events outside of our control, having a bad season where we perform below our level is just part of normal variance. That it happened when our nearest rival had a meltdown is frustrating but kinda irrelevant to the point I'm making.

Us limping out the champs league and stinky Spurs winning europa and thus qualifying for champs league would be hellish

Personally, I couldn't care less about any trophy other than the EPL title and Champs League title. They are all consolation trophies to me and I'd rather always be focusing on those two competitions.

QuincyAbeyie yep.

samthegooner I agree. FA Cup is "our" trophy but I've seen us win it enough times. Carling Cup can fuck off and die.

samthegooner -- FA Cup is worthy, but we've had our fill for a while. So yeah, for the next decade its CL or PL, or bust for me.

Arteta and the coaches working hard to keep the mood light ahead of PSV. Probably reading too much into it, but it would suggest the coaches are aware how trying this season has been and that a little relaxation/positivity at this point is needed to keep us light ahead of PSV.

Sicario2 - Tier 1 so what? None of that changes my perception of us. Whilst it's nice to win stuff, plenty of second rate teams have won the competitions you're talking about.

I'd argue that if we start to judge our season based on the winners of those trophies, we're probably in a worse spot than we are now (and not a top tier team)!

Don Pacifico second rate teams? Such as? Yes, Man Utd were shit last year but they are not a second rate club.

Fa cup and league cup Winners last ten years:

2015- Arsenal
2016 - Man Utd
2017 - Arsenal
2018 - Chelsea
2019 - Man City
2020- Arsenal
2021- Man City
2022 - Liverpool
2023 - Man City
2024 - Man Utd

2015 - Chelsea
2016 - Man City
2017 - Man Utd
2018 - Man City
2019 - Man City
2020- Man City
2021- Man City
2022- Liverpool
2023 - Man Utd
2024 - Liverpool

Which one of these are ‘second rate clubs’?

You put your nose down on Fa cup but take this trophy away would mean we have won exactly nothing since 2004

We haven’t won anything in 6 years, we don’t have a right to pick and choose trophies.

We have some of the most arrogant fans in the world lol.

Why the fuck am I sat here annoyed I can't find the game when Prime keeps advertising it on my firestick? Turns out its bloody Monday. FML.

QuincyAbeyie it’s still 20 teams
Like it’s always been for the last 30 years. There’s still 1140 total points in a season like there’s always been. All you’re seeing is that richer, deeper clubs are creating more high performance stability throughout a season. But that means they’re taking 5-10 points from the rest of the league in the process versus prior seasons. Point is, it’s not a given you get to 85 or 90 points. You need to invest in the squad to guarantee that mean output season after season.

So if we beat them we play Real Madrid? I don't know man

HomeSteak it’s a knockout. You hope the gods favour you.

Sicario2 - Tier 1 cmon mate, you've not read what I said.

I didn't say no top tier teams have won the cups. And I also didn't turn my nose up at a trophy.

I responded to your post suggesting not winning a trophy was a disaster because Bournemouth could win the FA Cup. Let's also not forget that Portsmouth and Wigan have won the Cup. These teams winning the FA Cup and us not winning it has no bearing on how I perceive our club.

Big Willie You may not like it, but this is peak performance

Am so disillusioned I might not even watch this. Have something on at the same time and am making zero effort to reschedule that so I can watch the game. I usually try but can't be fucked this time.

Good opportunity to get back on an even keel, this.

PSV are 3/1, draw 5/2, Arsenal 21/20.

After a relatively restful fortnight in terms of fixtures, a 2+ goal victory would combine a morale boost with a bit of extra breathing time while we wait on our injured absentees, especially Martinelli and Saka, to filter back into the reckoning.

We have been rubbish without forwards, but if those two are healthy and we're lucky enough to still be in this thing, we'll be far better able to imagine going further. Both players might be getting back to fitness by around the QFs.

Claudius when do we get our 80 points trophy?

Qwiss I am attending the awards ceremony tonight. They are handing out an 80 points trophy, the field tilt shield, and deep completions award.

Claudius they never do lol. Our team now, our record in europe, Arteta's record in europe. I don't want to watch us at the Bernabeu, sorry

HomeSteak I don't want to watch us at the Bernabeu, sorry

Then whats the point? Go support the Harlem Globetrotters.