Lee

@AST_arsenal Still no codes here. Seems a lot of people are in the situation of: initial ballot results, season ticket renewals and now potentially these codes coming hours after the majority or not at all

Codes for the final sale of tickets to UEFA Champions League final in Budapest are arriving for all Arsenal fans on standby. Good luck at 13.00

@henrywinter You realise Arsenal are still top, Henry? Nothing between the teams

Never mind the symbolics. Arsenal lit a fire at their training ground as a motivational image. But it was Manchester City who brought the fire to the game. City dared more and deservedly won. Better principles - more attacking. Better team - more leaders. Better manager - more adventurous and experienced. And so it’s advantage a fired-up City in the title race. Pep Guardiola and his big-game hunters can smell wounded foe, can sense victory will be theirs. City have big players relishing the pressure in the biggest game of the season. Bernardo Silva outstanding, small of frame but huge of heart. He’ll be hugely missed as ball-winning player, creative player, team player and role model. Rodri commanding. Haaland pouncing when opportunity knocked. Cherki dribbling and dazzling. O’Reilly so young but so mature in his positioning and decision-making. Guehi a top defender and leader, such a massively influential signing in January. Arsenal? Second again? They need more than fire now. They need City to slip up. Guardiola’s side do still have to go Everton and Bournemouth but they have the belief and the momentum. They know the way to the finishing line, it's a muscle memory. Arsenal tried hard. They were gritty, good pressing first half, some promising counters but they dropped off, invited City on and Pep’s men need no second invitation. Arsenal invested heavily this season, and will doubtless do so again this summer, as the years of hurt lengthens since the Invincibles. Arteta needs more flair as much as fire. He also needs a re-think on his approach. His subs will come under scrutiny. Arteta inexplicably kept the fading Odegaard on. Odegaard embodies Arsenal’s nice, neat football but doesn’t hurt elite opponents enough. Arteta could have moved Eze central not taken him off. Arsenal will argue fine lines, Havertz had a huge chance at the death, but were fortunate that Gabriel was not sent off for pushing his forehead into Haaland’s. If/when the fire is fully extinguished, the Arsenal inquest will be long and painful. It sounds like it's already begun amongst their fans, their fire snuffed out by City. #MCIARS

@VipArsenal Hmmm

Martin Zubimendi. Player of the match.

@LeGrove Don’t think the second half was that tough a watch, thought we managed the game really well for being 1 up in a CL QF and agreed looked a lot better when the subs came on. Only looked like us that would win the game last 30

The 4th semi-final of the UCL in our history. Only English club there. Tough two legs against a good Sporting side. Who cares if it was a tough watch? Thought we did a great job defensively across two legs, attack was pretty bad, but looked way better when the cavalry arrived.

@GoonerTaIk Really? Thought we managed the last 40 minutes incredibly comfortably being 1 up in tie. Did you miss Saturdays game?!

We’re through to the semis, so we’ve done our job, but fuck me that was one of the most painful football matches I’ve ever watched.

@Gunnersc0m Unlikely. That performance gets beaten by 4 or 5 by City next week, then game over.

Do you think we win the League from this position?

@now_arsenaI If we go there and keep it under 5 we’ll do well

Arsenal are going to have to go to the Etihad and win. It’s as simple as that. Sunday 19th April. All or nothing.

@henrywinter Have to disagree, Henry. Odegaard is hurt by the people around him. Rice and Zubimendi are not progressive passers of the ball which results in Odegaard having to come too deep to get the team moving. A lot more difficult to hurt the opposition from the no 6 position

For such a technically-gifted footballer, Martin Odegaard didn’t hurt Sporting. With his talent, Odegaard needs to dominate games more. #SPOARS #AFC

@TikiTakaConnor He needs to start getting his coat and hat on to sit on the bench 🤞

Eze really needs to start turning up. He’s nowhere near the level needed right now.

@JamesOlley The fact you’re name checking Gyokeres after that half is mad. It’s not the attackers. Zubimendi needs to understand which way we’re supposed to be attacking and pass the ball in that direction. Attackers can do nothing if they’re not getting the ball quick enough

Chelsea have been good. Pressing & positional rotations causing Arsenal problems. Next goal in the tie is obviously big so Chelsea will need to take more risks at some point but they've managed it well so far. Arsenal's attacking players haven't got going. Gyokeres had 3 touches.

@now_arsenaI Same people who were calling for Eze to start now saying we’re slow and not playing football 🤷🏻‍♂️

HT: Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea Job done in the first-half but the next 45 minutes are going to be a completely different game. Chelsea have to go for it, how will Arsenal react? Thoughts at the break?

@PeteHall86 Maybe, just maybe Peter, it’s actually Arsenal’s opposition who are making the football boring? Very hard to play free flowing football against teams that play a low block 🤷🏻‍♂️

It seems odd to go in on a team seven points clear atop the Premier League after a 4-0 win. But I just cannot get behind this Arsenal side. And I fear for the direction English football is heading with them as its champions. Piece from Elland Road #AFC inews.co.uk/sport/football…

@BenColeyGolf @4TheArsenal_ It’s not that Ode/Eze aren’t playing through lines, they’re not getting the chance as the first line-breaking pass is too slow, thus receiving with less space. Zubi is quality, but much less quick/progressive with the ball than Partey. The speed of service to the 10 is the issue

@4TheArsenal_ Of course Eze is naturally more forward-thinking/penetrative, but it's one thing being that way, it's another playing *Kairat* and having them this reckless. You don't know what the other 3 do in this scenario because they almost never face it.

The risk from Eze to play through the lines Then the risk from Havertz to play through to Gyokeres Everything we haven’t done this season. How many stills have we seen of Players not playing Gyokeres in like this? x.com/uwembrown1/sta…

@FootballEra_ Which is the better benchmark for playing in the Premier League? This, decent at best, performance against Kairat, or, completely missing against United where we needed him to make an impact 🤷🏻‍♂️

@adamkeys_ We have tried him. Apart from a very poor Tottenham team and a CL team, who are likely Championship level at best, he’s been poor. He without doubt does not speed the game up Just have to go back and watch Sunday, we looked a much less creative team when he came on

Eberechi Eze plays with cool vertically. He moves it forward, speeds the game up, unsettles defenders and has incredible passing empathy to feed teammates into space. The defensive trade off is minor. This is what #Arsenal need in attack; let him disrupt. x.com/media4567/stat…

@henrywinter Agreed, but Henry, what did you think of Gary Neville on commentary advocating that a Liverpool player should punch him in retaliation and take a red card? Not a great example for the youngsters watching

That is shocking from Martinelli. Bradley clearly in pain. Didn’t need pushing off the pitch by Martinelli. Bradley now going off on a stretcher. Martinelli should feel ashamed of himself. #ARSLIV

@now_arsenaI Should’ve won? We were awful

FT: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal The result isn’t good enough. We should have won, but we were nowhere near our best. Five points clear it is. Thoughts on the draw?

@SW_Help But the train departed with Winchester being the only station being cancelled, why would that be the case?

@lroymurray Hello Lee, I am sorry for this, this service has been cancelled because of a fault with the signalling system. ^GG

@SW_Help Why, at 17.37, was it decided that the 17.35 from Waterloo would not call at Winchester? Fairly confident that this would’ve been known before everyone going to Winchester was on the train

@now_arsenaI First three games he’s been very passive and first thought is always backwards. Partey was always looking to go forward. He may prove me wrong but very average so far

Honestly, one of the most clearest upgrades I’ve ever seen.