Arsenal 3 – 0 Milan: Now let’s fight for more nights like this
208 comments March 7th, 2012
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction
Last night, for an enthralling ninety minutes, Arsenal dreamed an impossible dream. Laurent Koscielny’s header turned the preposterous in to the improbable. Tomas Rosicky’s sidefoot transformed the improbable to the enticingly plausible. And then Robin van Pesie’s penalty set up a second half laced with that cruelest of baits: hope. In the end, sadly, it wasn’t to be. The dream was no more than that, and exhaustion took its inevitable toll on Arsenal limbs, minds and voices as Milan survived to lick their wounds and fight another day.
As the full-time whistle blew, an exhausted Arsenal side collectively fell to their knees, shedding sweat and, in some cases, tears. Rarely, however, can a team have lost a tie and been met with such a resounding chorus of approval. The vast majority of supporters remained behind to salute a heroic effort. Arsenal failed to claw back the prize of a Champions League quarter-final, but did recapture an enormous amount of pride.
In the past fortnight, Arsenal have beaten arch-rivals Tottenham, cup-winners Liverpool, and the champions of Italy – in two cases by a margin of three goals. It is a run that has done much to heal the wounds in the relationship between players and supporters. Last night they stood together, and their combined efforts did much to repair the club’s bruised reputation.
It was an extraordinary team performance, but it would be wrong to overlook the contribution of certain individuals. In his post-match press conference, Arsene Wenger reserved special praise for Tomas Rosicky, who has typified our recent resurgence. After the North London Derby, many called his performance his best in an Arsenal shirt. I would say that last-night’s display leapfrogged even that showing. He was everywhere, chasing, harrying, and knitting up the gaps between midfield and attack with a tireless combination of artistry and application. One wonders if, finally, he is beginning to return to the heights he hit prior to spending almost two years on the sideline with injury.
Beside him in central midfield, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed incredible maturity. His progress from Championship to Champions League has been seamless – at every level his talent has shone through. It’s not just that, though: he’s gutsy. His run to win the penalty told you everything: he picked up the ball and drove at Milan, daring them to try and stop him. Everytime he is in possession, he is determined to make something happen. And he is 18 years old.
Robin van Persie’s excellence is so consistent that one almost forgets to mention it. Alex Song was dogged, and Theo Walcott covered an enormous amount of ground on the right-flank. The entire defence, too, deserve credit. Chasing goals left us exposed to the counter-attack, and the defenders and Szczesny all showed tremendous awareness and commitment to the cause to keep the clean sheet that made our progression even remotely achievable. I was particularly staggered by the performance of Vermaelen, who several times in the space of one game put his body on the line to get to the ball first.
In the end we suffered from not having the required quality on the bench to freshen up the side. After an hour we looked spent, but a midfield injury list that reads Wilshere, Arteta, Diaby, Ramsey, Benayoun, Coquelin, and Frimpong meant our options were limited. Park and Chamakh were thrown on, and whilst the Moroccan did put in the required leg work, there was to be no late miracle.
However, this remained an undoubtedly great night – and the sort that only the Champions League can provide. There is something electric about the atmosphere, something spine-tingling about the anthem, and a grand sense of occasion that only European football’s great names can provide. When Arsenal’s league form has faltered, I’ve read some fans suggesting that finishing outside the top four doesn’t matter as there is no point qualifying for a competition that you are not going to win. I can say with absolute conviction that I’ve never felt more opposed to that statement than I did last night. At the risk of sounding like I’ve bought in to UEFA’s marketing strategy, the Champions League is the World Cup of club football. It’s a glamour-filled, continental party, and I want Arsenal to be there. If we lose our seat at Europe’s top table, it might be some time before we muster the money and the might to be there again. We all want to push on and challenge for silverware, but will be that much easier to do is we have occasions like this to keep the likes of Van Persie at the club, and inspire others to join him.
I was bowled over by what I saw last night. Arsenal may have lost the tie, but I couldn’t have been more proud. Proud of the performance, and proud of the club. Lesser men would have given up before kick-off. Lesser clubs, I would argue, would have crumbled after what we have been through this season. And yet there we were, putting the sword to one of Europe’s finest. The fans who sang so loudly, the players who worked so hard – they all need to know that if they show similar levels of commitment between now and May, they will be back on that stage, with a chance to put things right. Let’s make it happen.
