Cesc vs. Vieira the same as Arsenal vs. Juve: No Contest.
90 comments March 29th, 2006
What a night. When we overcame Real Madrid in the last round, it was a tremendous result. But neither of those performances were quite as good as last night’s, when we not only mugged, but probably murdered the old lady of Juventus.
If any old ladies reading are offended by the above I apologise, but the emotive nature of our victory has lead to unfortunately violent language.
We were dominant in every area of the field. The 4-5-1 system which served us so well against Madrid was employed again, the only difference being that Robert Pires took Freddie Ljungberg’s attacking midfield role. Pires was a revelation, hounding Vieira and Emerson every time they got the ball, and in fact putting in the excellent tackle which lead to the first goal.
A goal scored by Cesc Fabregas: an 18-year-old who made two World Cup winners in Emerson and Vieira look like Tottenham players. Since the turn of the year, he has been simply outstanding. 2006 could well turn out to be an Absolutely Fabregas year for the boy wonder, with the PFA Young Player of the Year award surely on the horizon.
His duel with Vieira was fascinating, and it seemed almost symbolic that Vieira will not even be able to take part in the second leg, having picked up a booking. One commentator even had the temerity to suggest that his foul may not have been entirely accidental.
The second half showed that we weren’t prepared to sit back on 1-0. The penetration from Eboue and Flamini matched any of Cole and Lauren’s attacking skills, as we pushed for a second goal. The pressure mounted, and eventually, Juventus caved. Hleb slid in Fabregas, who looked up before tucking the ball back to Henry, who of course managed to scoop the ball into the net. 2-0. Against Juve. In the quarter-finals. Words fail me.
At this point, Juventus seemed to lose control of two rather important things for playing football: their legs, and their brains. The rest gained from not playing Pompey had, in spite of my protestations, clearly done us some good, and the Italians were visibily tiring. And once their heads dropped, they were doomed. Two late sendings off for Camaronesi and Zebina seemed almost inconsequential. The night was Arsenal’s.
But not the tie, if you listen to the grounded Cesc. At least not yet. I suppose he’s right. But for now, enjoy last night. And enjoy this picture, which I noticed on Arseblog. It perfectly sums up Paddy and Juve’s evening.
Brilliant, wasn’t it.
