Two down...two to go??

When we lost 4-1 at the Nou Camp last April we had witnessed a masterclass from Barca and from Lionel Messi. We had been outplayed and outclassed and I had no complaints. This time I just feel cheated.

Yes Barca had all the possession and all the shots before the ridiculous sending off of Robin van Persie but then we had produced the classic 'George Graham' European away performance. Soaked it all up and then got the crucial goal from a set piece.

At that point I knew we would go through. Barca would have got edgy towards the end and I fully expected us to get a second on the break. But once the referee decided to produce a second yellow card for the serious offence of shooting at goal in a noisy stadium that was that.

Even before the sending off it was clear where his allegiances lie. Every little thing went the way of Barca. Everytime we closed them down, went to tackle, even looked at one of their player funny, he gave them a free kick. Yet when Messi was brought down in the area by Johan Djourou he waved play on! Unbelievable. Of course he gave them a penalty in the end. He had to.

So while I would love to be writing about how great Barca were and how it was no disgrace to go out to them I am afraid I cannot do that.

Robin van Persie's sending off changed the game

Yes they played some lovely football. Wenger football as I like to call it. But while it was 11 v 11 we were very much in the game. We defended well and when they did breakthrough Manuel Almunia suddenly looked like a keeper again.

At no point in the first hour did I feel we would go out. Wenger got his tactics almost spot on. Almost. I would have started Andrey Arshavin instead of Tomas Rosicky and took the game to them a little more, but hey I don't get paid a massive salary to make those calls. I just get paid a tiny salary to write about them.

At 1-1 they would have taken more and more chances and with fresh legs the final fifteen minutes we would have scored again. No doubt about it. Yes we may have lost the game 3-2 in the end but it would have been enough.

Instead we are out of the Champions League thanks to the man in white and the quadruple has now become a mere double. No doubt by 7.30 on Saturday evening it will just be a single. Yes thats the way it goes with us. Lose one trophy and we lose the plot. It has happened time and again.

 

The Carling Cup was the first trophy to disappear

                          


Quickly followed by the Champions League

                                    
But whatever the result on Saturday I am convinced we will still win the Premier League. Why? Because Manchester United are awful. We will beat them at the Emirates, they will drop points against Chelsea and away at Bolton while, apart from Spurs and Stoke away, we will win the rest and that will be enough. 79-81 points will do it. Just another 7-8 wins.

But back to tonight. Every year around this time I feel like this when we get knocked out of Europe. Sometimes it is early April, sometimes late April, once it was the end of May. But it always happens. The only trophy we have never won is the only one I want us to win. But winning the Premier League will compensate. It has too. After Saturday it could be all we have left...