He was 15 yards inside the Barcelona half and got stranded, knowing he was up against the hottest trio of strikers he’s seen during a considerable career.
He knew Neymar could run away from him.
What Mertesacker probably didn’t know was that Neymar could run away from Bellerin and leave him for dead and still have time to measure a perfect pass to give Messi a goal in the 71st minute.
At 0-1 , Luis Suarez hit the post from close range.
Flamini had been on the pitch for a minute when Mertesacker dropped him in it with a miskicked prod inside the box. Flamini was on his heels and never favourite for that ball but he went for it and brought Messi down, ending the tie.
FLAMINI SHOULD NOT BE AT THE CLUB!
Where are Arsenal going? Nowhere. Yes, as a business they’re successful.
Because they spend far less than they earn.
Wenger always wants to make money because long as Arsenal make money, he’ll be running the show.
But it’s the same old same old same old show, going out in the Round of 16 year after year after year after bloody year. And the same old clueless substitutions.
If Gooners buy season tickets for Groundhog Day FC for the next 10 years, Arsenal will be the same in 2026 as it is now.
PS. Don’t hope for regime change. Ain’t gonna happen.
The bigger a corporation becomes, the more totalitarian it becomes.