The way you get on like that, with the added smilies makes you sound like you're twelve or something. But I guess you have to take some sort of weird joy out of games like this, since you get none what with England and Spurs both being laughing stocks.

Our Carling Cup side were always going to have a tough, tough job against Sevilla. Played well and bossed the game for 25mins, took a lead from a well worked goal and looked comfortable. Then the guys who haven't played many games made mistakes that players without match fitness or form make. Senderos makes mistakes fully fit and on form anyway, but that's another matter.

As I expected, we'd lose this one.

We're through, that was the target and it was achieved. This is why Wenger played the Carling Cup side tonight. Cesc started because he wanted to play in his homeland I'm sure.

Gilberto, poor. Senderos, hilarious. Traoré and Hoyte couldn't make the step up from Reserves/Carling Cup level to European level tonight. Good players they are, but just weren't great tonight. Not helped by poor defensive performances in Midfield.

We gifted them the equaliser, and fell asleep with their second. Never a penalty in both occasions where the Ref pointed to the spot. Eboué definitely should have had one, but sure. The mistakes leading up to the equaliser let Sevilla back into the game and we struggled to find the reins again. Sevilla are a class outfit though.

On the positive side, Bendtner was top class tonight and has been the past while. Superb for Denmark and great everytime he fields for Arsenal. It's great stuff from the young lad. He played a lone Striker role with little support like some top class veteran tonight. Eduardo scores again and played well in a sort of alien position whilst Eboué played some neat football going forward.


One worry is that without Touré there's a huge gap to fill. Senderos has returned from injury and lacks games, so hopefully he'll get some games before Touré is gone.

This worry about finishing second and getting a tougher draw is pointless though. If you want to win the competition, you have to beat the better sides. Bring them on.

How do you win the Champions League? You beat the best. Now or later, it doesn't really matter.

We're more than good enough to beat anybody in the competition and I personally look forward to drawing a strong team. In saying that, it's not all done and dusted. We can still win the group, but nonetheless the target was to qualify and we've achieved it.

Besides, he wasn't "reserving" most players. He admitted he wanted to start Clichy, Adebayor, Flamini and Hleb. But they're all injured. Sagna and Rosický were the two that were rested.

Wenger is the worst loser ever

When Barça won the Champions had to play against Chelsea in the round after groups not because Barça had finished second in the group. Barça finished first and Chelsea finished second then if you do what you have to do and in the draw you have to play against Chelsea then isn't something that you can control. And since the quarterfinals then the rival can be any team. I have seen Arsenal's web page and in the injured list there isn't Adebayor, and the list is updated to 26th november, yesterday, and Adebayor wasn't in the list for the game. Rosicky didn't start the game, only played the last 30 minutes. Doesn't Flamini usually play, he does? And he has been all the game in the bench.

For me is better that Arsenal can finish second because I want that they are eliminated but well if I was an Arsenal fan I wouldn't like that in this game 2 or 3 of the players that usually play (and more when other important players are injured) don't play. Last season Rijkaard said that wasn't important to finish first and I didn't like that he said it.

Why? Has he said or done something that I have lost? Or because some players haven't played?

On the contrary - Spurs are looking a lot better thanks to Ramos. Good advice about sticking with Jol, but his flower went a bit manky.

I enjoy seeing Arsenal lose, being a Spurs fan. I'm sure the feeling's mutual. Even a child like you can understand that, J.

We'll see what Arsenal are made of come the New Year - they've got some big games coming up.

I'd much rather see Djourou in there over Senderos when Toure is gone. Djourou has done well on loan with Birmingham starting in 11 matches. And he does come back in January, unless they extend his stay which I doubt Wenger would do. I'm pretty sure that was Wenger's plan all along, to send him away on loan so he could get a place in the starting XI with a premiership club and get some good experience under his belt. (I don't think Ivory Coast has called him up either)

Wenger will probably pick someone up during the transfer period. Toure could be out for a little over a month if Ivory Coast do well in the competition.

Flamini picked up a slight thigh injury and will return for the weekend. He was only on the bench tonight to make up the numbers. But you cannot say Wenger has made a mistake there, because Gilberto, the Captain of Brazil is no shoddy replacement!

Wenger seen the game as a chance to give some other players a chance of course. That's why Traoré and Hoyte both started. Wenger's "reserved" side can challenge anybody and until certain players made a few mistakes we were outplaying Sevilla and controlling the game.

We just didn't play too well after the initial mistakes.

Who is to say that our best strength selection tonight would have beaten Sevilla anyhow? They're no mugs, they're a top class European side. I don't think many Arsenal fans will question Wenger's selection. We're top of the League and have a very tough schedule from now through to the new year! So considering we're through to the next round of the Champions League, it's OK to rotate a couple of players. Although I did think Adebayor was ruled out from injury, or tiredness.



Totally understandable from where I'm looking, and I'm glad he's done so. It means that Gallas, Adebayor, Flamini, Cesc, Rosický, Sagna, Clichy and any others that have been rested or not fully used, will be fresher for the more important games in the League. This Sevilla game wasn't all that important, because we are through, as simple as that. And we can still win the group.

If I was an Arsenal fan I had prefered that Adebayor hadn't played against Wigan last weekend and had played tonight.

Flamini is still hurt. He traveled with the team, but wasn't match fit come today.

Adebayor and Gallas were left home to rest.

Sure you've all been saying that since the start of the season.

"Oh but Arsenal have Man United and Liverpool to come soon, that's when the wheels will fall off." etc.

Yet, qualified to the KO stage of the Champions League, still top of the League by 3 points with game in hand, through the Carling Cup QF with our Reserve selection and still playing great football despite fielding 29 different players.

Didn't Tottenham just get out of relegation zone? 2 points out of relegation. That says a lot after spending all that money.

Not really, Adebayor hasn't been playing well in the past month ever since he's returned from Togo. And Bendtner was outstanding as a lone Striker tonight. Great hold up play, great passing, great assist for the goal and generally played the game like a veteran.

Our faults were at the back, and on the flanks. As I said, Hoyte, Traoré, Gilberto and Senderos weren't up to it tonight. Adebayor wouldn't have helped us win that game tonight.

And we're through! Beating Wigan put us 3 points clear of Man United in the League. It was a much more important win.

Djourou is Swiss.

But he is better than Senderos, however Djourou is too similar to Gallas in terms of play and Senderos has worked better alongside Gallas.

And lets not be too critical of Senderos, other than that flop at the ball tonight he did well to hold off a lot of Sevilla attacks considering his last game was early October where he picked up an injury. When Senderos is on a roll, he's a very useful Defender. When we reached the Champions League final, Senderos was a big part of why when we kept that record breaking clean sheet running streak.

I would worry that Djourou is too similar to Gallas, and Senderos makes a better balanced partnership with the Captain.

We would have won if we had a full strength side out there and you know it. We showed that the first time around when we won 3-0 and handed their ass to them on a plate.

The only thing I question about the selection is not starting Sagna. I believe there should have been 2 regulars and 2 non regulars in defense.

Now Arsenal know it's not easy to win in Sevilla, even if this year Sevilla is not a very strong team in La Liga.

Doh, I could of swore he was from Ivory Coast. LOL.

I just don't like Senderos. He can be good, but can be woeful at times. And usually when he's woeful it turns into a goal and it happens a bit too much for my liking.

I cannot say we'd beat Sevilla with our best selection tonight. We might not have been beaten and certainly wouldn't have made as many mistakes, but beating Sevilla on their own patch in Europe is not a simple task.

Sagna has played out of his skin all season, and Hoyte is used to coming in to Right Back and doing a job. He's a good hard-working player and was not beaten once tonight. Traoré had a hard time on his own alongside Senderos, facing Navas and Alves though. But Clichy is injured.

Sagna will be playing three games next week, won't he? I don't think resting him for 70mins tonight did us any harm, it was actually a smart move as he'll be fresh for the must win Premiership games. The game tonight was not a compulsory win - we're through, and can still top the group, end of.

The problem is that all football players are like ladies. See NBA players, they play 4 or 5 games per week sometimes and there isn't a problem and in the USA the distances are big.

Yeah, I agree.

But he's the type of player who on form can be great as well, and he has improved much this season when he's played. I do feel he'll provide a better partner for Gallas, as he's aerially stronger than Djourou which gives a better balance to the partnership and will be better in the cold Christmas period against the physical Premiership opponents.

Don't get me wrong, Djourou is better and I'd prefer him in there as he's safer but Senderos could work much better with Gallas I feel.

Are you kidding? NBA players play roughly 40 minutes a game (and that's the stars), and multiple breaks in between. (timeouts, commercial timeout, halftime, break after fouls, and so on) There are very few players that play more than 40 minutes a game. And it's more like 2-4 games a week. And a 4 game week is rare.

putrum is just clinging on to cling-film.

I see that you don't know a lot about NBA. 4 games per week is rare? Celtics last wek 4 games, Memphis last week 4 games, Golden State last week 5 games, Lakers last week 4 games and this week 4 games more, Toronto last week 4 games and this week 4 games more,......yes very rare, almost every team that I'm seeing has played 4 games per week this and last week. The games are 48 minutes and sometimes an overtime. And some days they play, go to the airport and travel during 3 hours to play another game tomorrow. And is a sport more physical. In the football if you see a statistic you will see that a lot of games are stopped the half of the time.