Champions League: Arsenal 0 – Inter Milan 3 (oh dear)

Posted by Pierre Igot in: Football
September 18th, 2003 • 5:21 am

Mmm. What more needs to be said? Arsenal were stunned by the accuracy of Inter Milan’s finish, and were unable to come up with a decent performance. Too many bad passes and not enough commitment. In such games, players like Pires and Ljundberg are supposed to be all over the place, both in defense and in attack. They weren’t.

Yes, Inter Milan were a tad fortunate with their goals, especially the first two — but they certainly deserve the win on the whole, and the goal difference is incidental at this stage.

Arsenal simply didn’t heed their own advice, which was to get tougher and not try to play pretty football all the time. I guess it’s just not in their nature. They can’t really change their game — and they won’t get anywhere in the Champions’ League.

The psychological impact on the domestic front is going to be crucial as well, especially with the next game being the all-important trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. It could turn out to be a very bad week for Arsenal. If they don’t recover quickly, they’ll lose a lot. If they have the mental strength to recover and to alter their game, then they still have a (small) chance in the Champions’ League.


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