Archive for February, 2011
February 17th, 2011
Because sometimes, the scoreboard is the headline.
Arsenal 2 – 1 Barcelona (Villa 26, Van Persie 78, Arshavin 83)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
The Emirates Stadium was born in 2006. Last night, we baptised it with one of Arsenal Football Club’s greatest nights.
I was incredibly privileged to witness it in person. Fans who have been thrown together by the stadium move, who take their seats among strangers without a greeting or a handshake, were arm-in-arm. A club is a community, and a community is built on shared experiences. Last night, we all shared a remarkable one.
Arsenal beat the best team in the world. The best team of a decade, a generation, and maybe more. And what makes it all the better is that we didn’t triumph over a weakened Barcelona line-up. They didn’t fail to perform. Far from it: they were superb. Their possession play and ability to split the defence drew gasps of admiration from the Emirates crowd.
And yet we beat them.
And we did it our way. We didn’t batten down the hatches and hope to catch Barca on the break. We went forward and tried to outscore the greatest attacking team in living memory. We did it our way: The Arsenal way.
If there was any dark corner of the world where our team was still regarded as the functional war machine it was in the early 90s, then that preconception was consigned once and for all to ancient history last night as we took the very best on at their own beautiful game, and won.
I’ve tried to avoid the newspapers, and tv punditry. The reason is simple: this is our victory. Every Arsenal fan I’ve spoke to since full-time seems to understand that. What other people say and think doesn’t matter. To a degree, what happens in the second leg doesn’t matter. Whatever happens in Barcelona, the significance of last night will continue to reverberate.
The bits of punditry I have seen have been predictable. BBC Breakfast news just told me that Barcelona ‘outclassed’ Arsenal. What tosh. I’ve admitted already that Barcelona were outstanding. As last year, I was in awe not only of their tiki-taka pass-and-move style, but also at how hard they work to win the ball back. At times our centre-backs had no choice but to go back to the rookie goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny. There was no way forward.
That feeling was compounded when Barcelona took the lead. A through-ball from Messi found David Villa, played onside by Gael Clichy. His finish was typically cool, but in the stadium blood was boiling. Fans were convinced Villa was offside – a suspicion compounded by the fact no replays of the goal were shown in the stadium.
That led to a fractious finish to the first-half, in which Alex Song walked a very fine tight-rope. Having been booked for a tactical foul on Leo Messi in the first five minutes, he was arguably lucky to stay on the pitch for a succession of late tackles. Barcelona move the ball so quickly, that drawing fouls is an inevitable consequence of their style.
Despite Barca’s lead, we’d shown plenty in the first half to suggest the second would remain an even contest. Robin van Persie had forced Victor Valdes in to a save at his near post, whilst only a flying header from Eric Abidal prevented the Dutchman from nodding in to an empty net.
Arsenal have plenty of ability, but when you’re up against players of this class you need to earn the right to show it. Not only that, but you have to gamble. Arsene Wenger took a serious risk by removing Song and bringing on Andrey Arshavin. Our midfield was now one of Wilshere, Nasri, and Fabregas – none of which are defensive players. We were taking the game to Barcelona.
It was an all-or-nothing strategy, and this morning it really feels like we took it all. We had to be patient in our quest for an equaliser, but when it came it was a stupendous strike from Robin van Persie. Gael Clichy clipped a right-footed (yes, I know) pass in to the penalty area, but the ball seemed to be running away from Van Persie and out of play. Incredibly, he lashed the ball form the narrowest of angles in to Valdes’ near-post. The keeper was perhaps at fault, but it was an audacious strike.
Robin celebrated by running down the touchline and embracing his manager, Arsene Wenger. This was, in many respects, Arsene’s victory. His substitutions were perfect, his philosophy was enforced, and his academy players flourished.
Five minutes later we had the winner. It felt inevitable by then. A red-and-white tide was sweeping back the Catalan Armada. In the first half I’d been impressed with Barca’s work-rate and stamina. But they’re not used to keeping it up. Most teams flounder and roll over under such sustained pressure. Not Arsenal.
We smelt blood, and we went for it. And if Barcelona had scored our second goal, then it’d be revered as a great. Fortunately, they didn’t: it’s ours.
Cesc released Samir Nasri down the right, the Frenchman showing no signs of the hamstring injury that had forced him to miss two weeks of action. As substitute Bendtner charged in to the box, Nasri held on to the ball and checked back inside, laying it in to the path of the onrushing Arshavin. As the Russian’s curled effort hit the net, I have to admit I welled up with pride. Arsenal had done it.
There was still time for a few moments of panic, but Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny saw us through. Both are in their first season of Champions League football – this was Szczesny’s European debut – and yet you’d never know it. Commanding and calm, they gave assurance to a back-line missing the oh-so-reliable Bacary Sagna.
There were fantastic performances all over this pitch. Xavi has talked a lot about Barca DNA. Well, Cesc might have Barcelona in his blood, but he’s got Arsenal in his heart. Last night, he led his team superbly, cajoling his team-mates and the crowd in to raising the tempo ever higher.
And what of Arsenal DNA? In Jack Wilshere we have a young man who is Arsenal through-and-through. He was incredible last night – the best player on the park. I have never seen an English player so comfortable receiving the ball in tight spaces. His passing was immaculate and his commitment as wholehearted as ever. It is true (and the ultimate compliment) that if he had been playing in the red and blue of Barca, he wouldn’t have looked a jot out of place. At 19.
I’m so proud. Proud of Jack, proud of the team, and proud of the fans, who were also fantastic. Granted, there’s a big game coming up at the Nou Camp, but for now let’s savour one of our finest hours.
By far the greatest team, the world has ever seen.
And it’s Arsenal.
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To celebrate last night’s win, we’ve got a couple of free desktop wallpapers for you, one denoting Jack Wilshere and his ‘Arsenal DNA’, and another in Praise of Songs.
Simply click the image above and then download from the link at the bottom of the page.
I know the Jack design has been particularly popular in the light of last night, with some people asking if we could get it in to production as a shirt. We’re working on it – keep your eyes peeled for more news later today.
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Go, enjoy your day. You don’t get a trophy just for beating Barcelona. But you probably should. That’s how good this feels.
Thankyou Arsene, and thankyou Arsenal.
February 16th, 2011
February 16th, 2011
Congratulations to Spurs on their outstanding result last night. Granted, it’s not as good as our 2-0 victory against a stronger Milan side a few years ago, but it certainly raises the stakes a little ahead of tonight.
As if it were needed. This evening was already set to be an incredible occasion.
Arsenal and Barcelona are two clubs whose recently history is helplessly intertwined. Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Gio van Bronkhurt and, of course, Cesc Fabregas only tell half the story.
This team share more than a handful of players. They share a set of footballing principles: a desire to play the game right way. And they’re both, I’d venture, rather good at it.
In their current incarnation, Barcelona are the best. In the world. Possibly, and I don’t say this lightly, ever. They are an extraordinary team, with some remarkable players. The heartbeat of the side, Xavi, described their style thus:
“It’s attacking football, it’s not speculative, we don’t wait. You pressure, you want possession, you want to attack. Some teams can’t or don’t pass the ball. What are you playing for? What’s the point? That’s not football. Combine, pass, play. That’s football – for me, at least.”
Arsene Wenger would agree. Last year in this tie, his team were outclassed for long periods. It would be easy to approach tonight with trepidation. But Arsene feels that this time, things will be different:
“The only thing I can say is we are in an ideal condition to face them. We cannot complain. We have the belief, the confidence and the players available. We are 90 per cent in February and that was not the case last year. I feel we are in an ideal position to face them.â€
As usual, he’s talked up the ability of his players. Now they have to prove him right. They did it against Chelsea in December, and the return to fitness of Samir Nasri means that 9 of that XI will play – Emmanuel Eboue will replace the suspended Bacary Sagna at right-back, whilst Wojciech Szczesny is arguably an upgrade on Lukasz Fabianski.
The task remains an enormous one. And that’s where we get to the real subject of today’s blog: How To Beat Barcelona.
I don’t claim to be any great tactical authority. I’m not Zonal Marking, Jose Mourinho, or Andy Townsend. I do not own a tactics truck, or even an ipad. But a bit of research and a bit of common sense tells us just where we’ll need to get it right if we’re to come out of tonight ahead in the tie. Here we go…
Never give Busquets or Pique time…
“The key idea we had was to pile the pressure on their defenders and not allow them to bring the ball out of the back.”
Manolo Jiménez; Beat Barcelona 2-1 on 5 January 2010 with Sevilla
Pressing high up the pitch was key in the victory over Chelsea, and will be so tonight. We can’t afford to sit back and let Barcelona have the ball – once they get it in to the likes of Xavi, Messi, Iniesta and Villa, serious damage can be done.There will be a huge onus on Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas to get in and around Pique and Busquets to stop the flow of Barca’s game at source.
Shoot from long range….
“Xavi and Andrés Iniesta – key players in the team – almost never drop back to their own penalty box. This style of play in the midfield creates free space for shots from the middle range.”
Kurban Berdyev; Beat Beat Barcelona 2-1 on 20 October 2009 with Rubin Kazan
We’re not a team who look to do this often, but with Barcelona open to leaving gaps around thirty yards out, it will be more necessary than ever to heed the crowd’s cries of “shoooooot”. If Nasri is fit to start then he, Cesc and Robin all have the potential to test Victor Valdes from range.
Run the channels…
“Their full-backs, Dani Alves and Eric Abidal, tend to play wide and leave some space in the centre.”
Kurban Berdyev; Beat Beat Barcelona 2-1 on 20 October 2009 with Rubin Kazan
Aaron Lennon’s success in roaring past AC Milan last night is a timely reminded of how effective sheer pace can be on the European stage. A friend close to the squad told me last night that the players are in no doubt about who is best placed to get at Barcelona: Theo Walcott.
Last year, Theo didn’t start the first game. When he came on, he turned the match on its head and terrified Maxwell. An injury to Carlos Puyol means the Brazilian will be starting again, with Eric Abidal switched in to the centre. Whilst Abidal has had a good season, the gap between he and Maxwell is arguably the most obvious weak-point in the side. Walcott’s movement could be crucial.
Be compact…
“We had to try to keep our shape short and narrow to make it hard for Barcelona to find players between the lines.”
Quique Sánchez Flores; Beat Barcelona 2-1 on 14 February 2010 with Atlético Madrid
Alex Song and Jack Wilshere will have to curb their attacking instincts to keep track on Barcelona’s floating wide men, Pedro and Messi. Both players enjoy going forward, but tonight more than ever they’ll have to make sure they don’t leave the back four, featuring the reliably unreliable Eboue, too exposed.
Give everything…
“We were very compact and we fight for every metre and give everything. That is what we said to each other before the game.”
Wesley Sneijder; Beat Barcelona over two legs with Inter Milan in April 2010
It’s not a very academic point, is it? You can’t illustrate it with a Guardian chalkboard. And yet we all know it to be true. Arsenal will get nothing out of tonight without leaving everything on the pitch.
Don’t be scared. Not even of Messi. We can’t afford to be intimidated. This is just another game in what has, thus far, been a rather good season. Barcelona might be the world’s best, but we are a proud club. We Are The Arsenal. Let’s show them what that means.
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I don’t think it’ll be easy, but I think we can win tonight. Why not? Whether we can win over two legs is another question, and one we won’t be able to answer for a couple of weeks yet. Whatever happens this evening, it’s only half-time.
Just enjoy the occasion. This is what being a football fan is all about.
February 14th, 2011
Arsenal 2 – 0 Wolves (Van Persie 16, 56)
Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
This was just what we needed after the Newcastle debacle…
Three points, a clean sheet, and no (serious) injuries. Afterwards, Mick McCarthy said:
“They murdered us. From one to 11 they were better than us, stronger than us and quicker than us. I have to admire their class and the way they play. And for us to get better we have to admit we got turned over – we were completely spanked.”
It’s worth noting that McCarthy trots out these comments fairly regularly. It’s a handy way of absolving his Wolves side of blame when beaten by the bigger teams.
On this occasion, however, he was justified in his praise. We absolutely battered Wolves and could have won by five or six.
Goals will be the final piece in the puzzle for Wilshere…
In 32 appearances this season, Jack Wilshere has just two goals. It’s not that he doesn’t have the ability to score. As a 14 and 15 year old, he was bagging hatricks for the U-18s, and earning comparisons with a certain Lionel Messi in the process. And yet that knack hasn’t yet translated to the senior team.
Everything else is in place. Wilshere was outstanding on Saturday, making a mockery of the Makelele comparisons with a display full of invention and imagination. Yes, there were tackles and interceptions, but there were also deft dribbles and pinpoint passes.
The goals will come. As Arsene puts it:
“At the moment I believe he will soon score, he looks very close. He has a hesitation sometimes to finish himself and chooses at the moment to give the ball, but I think when he will be a bit more confident he will score goals. He has not scored yet but Cesc was for a while like that.”
He’s right. For a long time our captain chose to look for the pass rather than the shot. Wilshere did just that on Saturday, eschewing a chance to put his own name on the scoresheet to set up Theo Walcott just ten yards out. Incredibly, Theo missed.
When Wilshere decides to take the chances on himself, he will begin to rack up the goals.
RVP & Theo are forming a lethal combination…
Theo had something of an off day finishing-wise, but the same can’t be said for Robin, who now has 12 goals in 12. Walcott’s four Premier League assists this season have all been for Robin, which suggests they’re enjoying a fruitful relationship.
I suppose it makes sense when you think about it. They’re like two halves of the ultimate footballer. Everything each respective player lacks, the other has. Walcott has the pace and athleticism to combine with Van Persie’s vision and guile.
Perhaps we could convince them to breed. Unconventional, you may think. Impossibly, you might say. But if we left them in a room for long enough then surely nature would, as in Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, find a way.
Of course, locking them in a room would mean we couldn’t play them. And there is rather a big game coming up on Wednesday…
The Dutchman made special mention of Johan Djourou…
…in a classy interview with the BBC. The Swiss defender was immaculate again. Barca will be the biggest test of his career to date.
Andrey Arshavin is coming back to form…
His performance on Saturday may have been his best this season. As his touch has returned, his work-rate has picked up. The two are clearly quite bound up in his idiosyncratic head.
There is an outside chance of Samir Nasri being fit for Barca, but even if he is I suspect he’ll only make the bench. It’s a chance for Andrey to make a point. Let’s hope he takes it.
It’s a good old-fashioned title race…
United’s victory over City means it’s going to be very tricky for the latter to take the title. It looks to me like a good old-fashioned, late 90s, United vs Arsenal title race. Suffice to say that I would love it (love it) if we beat them.
More on Barca and other things to come. For now: Happy Valentines to you. Not, not you. Yes, you.
February 12th, 2011
As I hurriedly type this, we’re less than an hour away from the Manchester Derby. From my Sky-less abode, I have about half an hour to type this up, and then get to a pub if I’m to catch the game.
I needn’t bother. For, like a footballistic Tiresias, I have foreseen it. Last night, as I slept an iPlayer and Chinese takeaway fuelled sleep, my mind swilled with visions of what would pass today.
In the dream, I tuned in to United vs City after just nine minutes. In an intriguing replica of last week’s Newcastle v Arsenal game, United were already 3-0 up. Ryan Giggs had scored the third with a cheeky lob, and pundits were queuing up to name him Footballer of the Year again, primarily because he is old and quite cuddly.
Sadly, unlike Arsenal the previous week, United didn’t completely collapse in the second half, and went on to win 4-0. As it happens, in reality, the line-ups have just been announced, and neither Dimitar Berbatov nor Edin Dzeko are afforded starting spots, so it doesn’t look (on paper) like a goalfest.
Whatever happens in Manchester, Arsenal will be in a position to benefit. If City lose, we and United could begin to break away in to a more manageable two-horse raise. If United lose, we gain ground on the leaders. And a draw could be the most beneficial result of all.
Of course, it’s all dependent on us beating Wolves. I also dreamt that we did just that, winning 3-1, but two of our goals were scored by Sol Campbell, who doesn’t play for us, and one was a forty-yard free-kick. Even for a dream, that’s a fairly unreliable prediction.
Right. The team news is generally good. The international break has hopefully allowed the players to forget about that dreadful 45 minutes at St. James’. Come On You Gunners.
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