Typical us

Last night was the usual story - we had all the advantages but just didn't take them. Home crowd, more shots, a man advantage for 80 minutes, and eventually a lead we failed to hold onto. Basically, it was a game which sums up our recent years - we can have all the advantages or be favourites in some way but we will always end up making it harder for ourselves.

A big plus was seeing Lacazette score again - we need him to keep in form. Our defence is the worst of it - made up of past-its, unpredictables and those with no motivation, and now it's starting to show. Mertesacker got slow as he aged (he was never quick to begin with) and the same has happened to Koscielny and yet we persist. Of all the defence yesterday, Mustafi was getting flack for the goal but all he did was slip - Koscielny was the one who mishandled the incoming ball, and Welbeck lost it upfield in the first place. But I digress.

Yes, it's a two leg tie. But the home leg is where you lay the foundation because going away is that much harder, especially against a team like Atletico. Once again we had it all - an atmosphere, a man advantage, a lead - and once again we've left ourselves with it all to do.

Not saying we can't or won't do it. Just that thanks to us wasting gifted opportunities as we always seem to do, it is now that much harder.