Lucky, lucky boys

Well, that was a painful evening's entertainment wasn't it?

Arsenal are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after drawing 0-0 at Porto, and with Hamburg beating CSKA 3-2 we could even have lost and gone through. As it is we actually topped the group. But we were lucky.

We were piss poor from start to finish. Every fifteen minutes or so (although not at all for the first half hour) we'd put together a nice passing move which saw us into the box but not threaten to score. For the rest of the match we basically spent our time giving Porto the ball, and for the first 70 minutes at least they seemed well up for knocking a few past us, with Queresma hitting the post twice and looking dangerous all night.

There were appalling performances from many, abjectly average performances from the rest. Of the whole bunch I'd really only say that Kolo, Johann and Jens acquitted themselves with any degree of respectability. The midfield five, well, embarrassing is too kind an evaluation. Gilberto was particularly awful, giving the ball away once every five minutes like clockwork, more often than not by misplacing a five yard pass. Even Fabregas was giving the ball away, getting caught in possession a number of times. If you're playing five in the middle then surely you should be looking to maintain possession and dictate play. We looked lost.

In fact, some might say that we played like that because we don't know how to play a controlled, defensive, possession game, and to be honest I don't think we do. That said we shouldn't have been looking to play for the draw, which I think we did, and which worries me a lot. The approach to this game was all wrong, despite our claims that we would "go out playing to win".

I don't think having TH14 for this game would have made much difference to be honest, although it would have atleast provided us with an outlet once we regained possession, something that was shocking in its absence last night. Unless Clichy or Eboue bombed down the wing we had no one willing to overlap or make a run past the player in possession. Whilst no one wants to get caught out of position, if that were true then these two players are the LAST two you'd want caught out of position playing against a team utilising a 4-3-3 with very quick wingers, and with five in midfield you'd think that one of the men in the middle would be the one to make the run to create an angle.

Still, we're through to the last 16 and we live to fight another day. Man Yoo won 3-1 so they go through as well, and in fact all the English teams topped their groups, which is a nice statement about the Premiership. That said when you've got teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Roma and Inter Milan finishing in second place in their groups it seems it doesn't matter whether you qualify first or second, you're still going to have a tough last 16 match up.

Chim chiminy chim chininy chim chim Djourou is a doubt for Chelsea on Sunday, following a groin strain he picked up last night (you may have noticed Big Phil warming up at half time yesterday), which is a bit of a fucker as not only is he playing very well at the moment, but it means that our only fit and elligible centre half for Sunday is Senderos (who doesn't seem like he enjoys playing against Chelski, and particularly Drogba), as Kolo is suspended and Gallas is still recovering from injury. Puts us in a bit of a pickle does that.

Speaking of Sunday's game, you may or may not have seen these yet, but they're "special" banknotes to take to the Bridge on Sunday in honour of that all round nice bloke Cashley Tweedy.


I think that the mobile phone is a nice touch.

More rumours abound that we're going to spunk £6m on Glen "traffic cone" Johnson. Makes absolutely no sense when we've got four right backs (two of whom are English) who are at least as good if not better than Johnson already. So bollocks to that.