“The targets are so big that you don’t feel sorry for yourself”
Add comment February 18th, 2008
A couple of days on, and it still doesn’t feel great that we won’t be in the FA Cup Quarter-Final draw this afternoon. But as Arsene Wenger sagely points out, the presence of Milan on our horizon means that we have no time to lament our loss:
“I have difficulty being crazy today because I am more worried about the consequences it could have on the team. The targets are so big for us that you don’t feel sorry for yourself. We have a massive game in front of us on Wednesday night and I feel the immensity of the game makes you forget your disappointment. What we have learnt today is that this sort of performance will not be good enough against Milan.”
It’s clear that the potential ‘consequences’ could be far more worrying than the defeat itself. Hopefully Gilberto is right and the team will show the mental strength neccessary to fight back and defeat Milan.
One consequence of the United game that could prove especially costly is a possible suspension for William Gallas. Seeing as how he’s clearly guilty of the offence, and how the FA has already declared an interest in reviewing the incident, I think we can take it as guaranteed that, like Eboue, he’ll now miss three league games. Anything less would be a bonus.
And so focus shifts to Milan. Due to injuries to usual custodians Dida and Kalac, the Italians could be forced to field 38-year old Valerio Fiori, who has not played for the Rossoneri since 2003. Should that be the case, it’s important we use the first leg to attack and test the veteran as much as possible.
It’s unclear if any of our injured players will be available again. As much as we need Bacary Sagna, I hope he takes as long as is neccessary to recover from the tragic and sudden death of his brother. I’m sure all of our thoughts are with Bacary and his family.
This could be a big week. Win against Milan and Birmingham, and we’ll forget the United game ever happened. Which would be nice.
