Thursday 17 February 2011

From San Siro to the Seaside

Watching Arsenal come back from behind to beat Barcelona last night brought me back down to Earth with a thud. Not just because their lightning-quick counter attacks stole Spurs' European thunder but because it was nothing out of the ordinary for them.

True, beating football's bee-stinging butterflies, was massive moment for Arsenal and, as some may tell you, long overdue. But these huge occasions are ingrained in Arsenal's modern history, year after year they return to the top table to dine with Europe's elite and, if I'm perfectly honest, I'm insanely jealous.

Our exploits this year have far exceeded anything I ever thought I'd witness as a Spurs fan and, if it's to be a one-hit wonder then I can be safe in the knowledge that, for just a while, all eyes are on us. It would be difficult to complain, such is the financial muscle bent on shoulder-barging us out of the top four.

But Champions League football is addictive. Europe seems to suit us, and Europe seems to like us. Battling for the limelight with Arsenal on a regular basis would be a dream come true, so now "finishing fourth" sways back to the top of our priorities list. 

We follow our San Siro social with a trip to Blackpool's Bloomfield Road on Tuesday, desperate to avoid that most crippling of comedowns - the Champions League hangover. 

The Seasiders will be no pushover and, where Milan failed, they'll have determination and character in abundance. As they say in tennis "there's no point breaking your opponent's serve if you don't hold your own." 

In that case, Tuesday night is our service game.

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