I’M UP FOR IT.
Tonight will be fun and I’m really up for it.
I’ve lost too many European games but now I’m gonna win when it matters.
Benfica, I sat there waiting to lose, thinking ,”Finish us off in 90 minutes, please, I wanna go home.”And it went to extra time and Arsenal lost 3-1.
Being 2-0 up against Bayern Munich and drawing 2-2 felt like a defeat.
Deportivo La Coruna outclassed Arsenal, so that was no fun.
Chelsea, when Vieira vanished in the second half, was agony, even before Wayne Bridge scored.
There has to be, at some point, a big, rocking victory by Arsenal and this is it.
BUT I WON’T PREVIEW IT.
Journalists get sick of writing previews. They get previewed out. Writing previews spoils the event.
You get out of synch with the event because you think the event through in advance and you go right through it and out the other side before it has happened.You can’t enjoy it because you’ve previewed yourself out of it. You’re bored before it starts and I’m not gonna do that today.
I’ve done my share of previews, so I don’t have to do one today.Yes, I planned to do one, I promised to do one, but I changed my mind
I’ve previewed gigs and plays and matches and radio comedies and TV drama serials. I’ve previewed Bob Marley at the Lyceum and Bruce Springsteen at the Hammersmith Odeon and dozens of Cup Finals and hundreds of internationals and the Embassy World Snooker Tournament and the Derby and a BBC play about the French Revolution, where I interviewed Anthony Hopkins.
I wrote 190 pieces on ANR in 2005 and many were previews.
I’ve lived a life of previews and I’m now previewed out.
I don’t wanna talk about Villarreal till 7.15 tonight.
SO MY PREVIEW IS SEVEN WORDS.
Fabregas is fit and Arsenal will win.
Actually, it’s 12 words.
Fabregas is fit and Arsenal will win, but watch out for Sorin.
Short, chunky, long-haired, left-footed, Juan Pablo Sorin is able to head crosses like Bryan Robson, Diego Simeone, Steve Hodge, Martin Peters, David Platt.
Sorin pops up in the box and surprises you.He wasn’t there a minute ago, he wasn’t there five minutes ago, he wasn’t, actually, anywhere near there for 55 or 75 minutes, and then suddenly he’s there for one second and the ball’s in the net.
GILBERTO knows that and he will be watching Sorin, not the ball.
Tonight will be close because Villarreal’s teamwork is marvellous.Their teamwork is very, very, very good.Their teamwork has already beaten Everton, Man United, Rangers and Inter.
Villareal will try to slow the game down, Arsenal will try to speed it up.
BOTTOM LINE, Arsenal have the best goalkeeper in the Champions League. If Villarreal had Jens Lehmann they would win.
It will be a good game, an exciting night. It will be loads of fun. Meet Ian Grant there at 7.15 and go in and see Arsenal win.
I’M SMILING TODAY after an email from Rob Hughes in Seoul.
Rob’s giving a talk on Sports and International Peace to an audience of political scientists and hanging out with his mate Chung, the boss of the South Korean FA, and he’s written this in IHT today about his old sparring partner Berlusconi. I think it’s quite funny :
Silvio Berlusconi, the owner of AC Milan, lost his position as Italy’s Prime Minister a week ago, and refused to believe the result.
His team are in similar denial after encountering Barcelona at the San Siro, and losing the first leg to a goal inspired by Ronaldinho and finished off by Ludovic Giuly.
“They won at San Siro,” said the Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. “We can win at Barcelona.”
Maybe Berlusconi will demand a recount.