Preamble
As I sat watching the first half, as shots rained in from a swarming Barcelona side, I kept thinking “well, if Arsenal are going to go out of the Champions League I guess we might as well go out to what is clearly the best team in the world.” As events unfolded before me though, fact, opinion, emotions all started piling up and before I knew it, I was in information overload.
I’ve only been blogging for two years, how do I hack this amazing event down to something manageable? I mean, I could write 1000 words just on Theo’s appearance, or Arsene’s choice of starting lineup, or Diaby’s nightmare, or how crucial Denilson proved to be. Hell, Almunia’s performance alone could be an entire book!
I settled on this format, you’ll probably hate it, but at least I get to vomit all the things up in one place and let you help me make sense of the game. Here goes…
ArsenotloB?
At the very start, Arsenal pressured a bit but Barcelona’s passing and movement was so superior that our midfield sort of backed off and just let them have at it. Just to give you an example, according to the Telegraph’s match report, Xavi had 121 passes in midfield and completed 93% of them. Cesc had just 43 passes which has to be a season low for a 90 minute game. But you probably instinctively know this already since if you watched the game, you saw how we were basically beaten at our own game. Barcelona played the same swarming defense and beautiful precise passing that is the hallmark of the 4-3-3 and which Arsenal managed at the start of the season, but which we haven’t been doing much of lately.
So, how did we respond? We started snapping in to tackles and lobbing long balls up to Bendtner! Oh gods… Sam Allardyce is going to be making a statement about how we’re a long ball team any moment now. I’ve been criticizing teams for playing long balls and fouling our players for two years now and suddenly we were forced to play the same way! And not only that, but, but, but, we came back because of heart. Not because we out passed them, not because we stepped up the level of our game, but simply because we wanted it more.
And it was an English player, Theo Walcott, who helped put the heart back into the team. Gods help me, I think my head just assploded.
But the question is, were we “reduced” to playing like Blackburn or did we show versatility in our game in the face of four major injuries and gut out a 2-2 draw? I’d rather think the latter.
Ha! How good was Denilson?
In his 45 minute cameo he completed as many passes as Cesc but more importantly, Barcelona seemed incapable of getting the ball off him and he managed to win the ball in midfield at crucial times. The only thing I was disappoint in his game yesterday was that toward the end of the game, he surged forward and I thought he should have had one of his long-range shots but he elected to pass and the attack petered out.
Should he be man of the match or does Cesc’s emotional performance win the day for you?
Get Almunia on Lithium, stat.
Manny made a season high 8 saves yesterday, all of them brilliant, and single-handedly kept us in the game. Then, 22 seconds in to the second half he pulled an Almunia and was caught out in no man’s land to hand Barcelona the lead and make our road past Barcelona that much more difficult. It seems to me like he’s got the physical attributes to be a good keeper but lacks the mental ability to be at the top level.
Do you think Wenger is hoping he’ll learn to be a better goalkeeper with more experience?
What’s up with Arshavin?
Most of us were hoping that Andrei Arshavin would shake off his recent spate of poor performances and show up for yesterday’s game and most of us were left disappointed as he sprinted off the field and down the tunnel with a mystery injury. Worse even that that he’s saying today that he’ll be out for three weeks with a “new” injury. Not naming which part was injured, just saying that he’s injured his new. We don’t know how he got the injury, but many suspect it was from the yellow card tackle.
So, what do you think he was he thinking with that tackle? Could he have been trying to get sent off?
Diaby or Denilson
Let’s assume that we play Sol Campbell at center back on Tuesday and put Song back in the midfield where he was very good at shackling Messi (as much as Messi could be shackled!). Given the nightmare that Diaby had, passes that were nowhere near a teammate, poor tackling, uninterested pressuring, and the great performance of Denilson combined with what we’ve seen that their midfield does…
Do you start Diaby or Denilson on Tuesday?
Leaving on a jet plane
The Theo Walcott substitution was a master stroke from Arsene Wenger. At first it looked like he was going to take Nasri off and I was left pulling my hair out and screaming “NO! Not Nasri!” at the television. But then it looked like Wenger had a change of heart and elected to take off Sagna and push the largely ineffective Eboue into the right back spot.
Theo re-payed Wenger by simply being brilliant. More than just pace and width Walcott made runs off the ball which drew his defenders away, scored the goal that got us back in the game with an audacious shot, and helped set up the second with an early ball in that was difficult for the Barcelona defenders to deal with.
So, with Fabio Capello looking on, you have to ask yourself, will Theo Walcott… start on Saturday?
Ok look, that’s a penalty.
I don’t know how that isn’t a penalty, I mean, really. So what exactly the announcers were on about I’m not sure. Puyols barges in, no where near the ball and tackles Cesc’s shooting foot. It’s a bone-headed defensive play, denial of a goal scoring opportunity and a stonewall penalty. I don’t even think it’s harsh that he got a red card there. They wrote the rules that way because in the old days players would do exactly what Puyols did, deny the goal scoring opportunity, get a yellow card, and give their team at least a chance to stop the goal in the ensuing penalty kick.
Unlike the Vermaelen “tackle” this was a very good call by the official.
Cesc wears his guts on his sleeve and his heart in his throat
After yesterday’s performance I’m not entertaining any more stories about Cesc going to Barcelona for at least two years. I don’t think any player could make it more clear where his loyalties lie than by doing what Cesc Fabregas did yesterday. Playing through pain that at least felt like a broken leg, Cesc simply was inspirational. He didn’t have his best game technically, but he did have his best game as a leader and a man who clearly is ready to sacrifice everything for Arsenal.
He knew he wasn’t playing on Saturday because of the injury. He knew he wasn’t playing on Tuesday because of the yellow card. So, despite the pain he stayed on the pitch, to give what he had left to the team and try to get the win. Great stuff, end of.
Conclusion
Sorry if this isn’t to your taste and sorry if you didn’t get your pet topic put up here. This is the best I can offer at the moment while my pea brain kicks around the events of yesterday. Maybe one day I’ll make sense of it, maybe not, but for the moment this is what I’ve got.
Arsenal News 24/7
I posted this on yesterday’s thread a little too late, so i’m posting it here again. Just some food for thought.
Can a loan deal be terminated prematurely?? Does this apply to every kind of loan? Why dont we get Senderos back? Its not like he’s getting first team football there. His chances of first team are probably better at Arsenal!! And God knows we could do with some backup in that position!!
April 1st, 2010 at 8:35 am
@Akash, it depends on the contract but let’s assume he could be recalled and look at this realistically:
1. He has been shipped out for two years running, so rather than wondering if he can play for us we should be wondering if he would even want to.
2. According to the dot com, he’s injured.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:14 am
@Tim, Hmm.. True. But he could also be thinking this might be a chance!!
Where did you find the info about his injury? I checked the Everton site, they didn’t have him up there as injured.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:28 am
@Akash, On the dot com!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/loan-watch-emmanuel-thomas-takes-on-bartley
I read everything…
The biggest loss is Archavin. A fit Nasri can do well playing in Fab’s role. And Sol’s experience can compensate for his declining speed. We can win with this lineup.
Almunia
Sagna Sol Vermy Clichy
Denilson Nasri Song Rosicky
Walcott Bendtner
Key subs:
Eboue, Eduardo, Diaby
April 1st, 2010 at 9:32 am
@Marty McFly, I disagree about Arshavin.
a) I’m not entirely sure his injury is real
b) He’s played absolutely disinterested since the Porto match
c) I actually think he might have tried to get sent off against Barca.
Something about him bothers me and is making me suspicious. Paranoid, yes, but why is he announcing injuries via his personal web site and yet the dot com is silent about it?
Also, this is the second time he’s done this “oh I’m injured, I’ll be out for a few weeks” in the last few months.
Basically, I don’t trust him.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:39 am
@Tim, AA usually has an interview at his website after each match, and usually much before the official Arsenal site posts something. He didn’t “announce” his injury via his site, he just said he thinks he will be out for 2-3 weeks. I know AA looks like he isn’t putting in a shift, and while that has been true in quite a few games, I thought he did cover his player for the most part while he was on field yesterday.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:39 am
Arshavin just might be a plain batshit crazy dude. I wish we’d have him in the next leg; he clearly has a flair for the dramatic. But you might be right, and I’m sensing many other fans starting to really wonder about the guy.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:41 am
@ArseChicago, Arshavin has been picking up little nicks off late. He’s probably the only Arsenal player who plays through them (but his game has suffered).
Besides I think he was really good against Brum last weekend.
A few missed chances doesn’t equal lack of interest. He is a smart player looking for an oppurtunity. Besides the Porto game was not that long back. He never has been the “working his socks off in defense” kind of guy. Never was and never will be. It would be wrong judging him based on that. What he brings is unpredictability and that for any defense is a nightmare!!
April 1st, 2010 at 12:40 pm
He ‘looks’ uninterested, but he isn’t. That is part of his game to have the other team forget you before he hits them.
On the ‘faking injury’ or whatever hidden agenda there might be, I have no idea. But it seems a little far fetched, no?
April 1st, 2010 at 10:44 pm
@Marty McFly, The official website says he’s injured, in one line. Nothing additional. My guess is he’s got some personal issues and Wenger will give him some time to deal with them like Mooney had at the start of the season.
Plus the formation is WRONG! We play 4-3-3, you’ve not yet realised that after an entire season?
Cesc out for the season. What is it with us and broken legs
tim, nicely written. i still am shaking my head about yesterday. i’d start denilson/nasri/rosicky in midfield, and leave song to the back with vermaelen. song wasn’t as bad as diaby when he was in midfield, but his turns and shielding were much better in defense (even though he was a liability on the second goal).
we’re not going to beat this team at our “usual” pass pass pass game. theo’s incision and pace, eboue’s pace and directness, and the ability of nasri, song, and vermaelen to carry the ball all will hold us in good stead. i’d keep eboue at the back with clichy and the other two, put rozza on the right, sami on the left, and denny in the middle in the same role as yesterday, and bring in eduardo, bendtner, and theo up front. i think it’s going to be a close game at the nou camp.
up the arsenal!
i believe Arsenal were underperformed especially in the first half. They couldnt be that bad.
of course there’s no dobut that Barca seem to be a class above the gunners, both in terms of confidence and techniques…. anyway I will back the gunners till the very end, keep fighting!
the only thing i worry now is the game vs wolves.
we must take this 3points first!
Theo’s always best when coming off the bench, so there’s no point in starting him. Let Barcelona tire themselves out as they did yesterday, and try to kill them with Theo’s speed. Maybe even save Eboue for later as he helps the cause with his pace and charging forward on the right side.
We NEED Rosicky in that lineup Tuesday. We need his experience, his craft, his creativity, his passing. As I wrote yesterday, and with full acknowledgement of Diaby’s much improved year he’s having this season, his game in midfield is just not good enough to square up against Barcelona.
Let’s put Eduardo and Bendy up front, and hope Eduardo rediscovers his magic at just this right and opportune time. Put Nasri and Rosicky and Denilson behind them, with Song being between those guys and the back 4 (Campbell, I suppose, next to TV5….is he fast enough though? gulp).
Obviously we can’t overlook the Wolves match this Saturday (they’ve not been terrible of late), but playing Wolves is going to seem like playing a pub team after what we faced yesterday. But as for Tuesday, we’re going to have to be a little bit more lucky than good I feel. We can do it, certainly. Time for Arsene to pull the rabbit from the hat.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:49 am
@ArseChicago, Took the words right out of my mouth, Walcott is a super sub, 55′-60′ min put him in, he’s much more effective off the bench. Barcelona will come out the same as they did yesterday and Theo would be nullified the entire first half.
Possibly start Eboue there, but I would go Denilson from the start, and bring on Diaby in case of a need for offensive height in the box around 70′.
Song in midfield, and Sol in the back has to be right, just park the old man in the box and enough of this high line crap, that’s how we conceded two yesterday, even Almunia was playing the high line ffs!!
If we win the EPL and Champions League (Which we are!!) I think this team will go down in history as the most resilient!!
Great post Tim.
Your post makes sense for me and if it doesn’t make sense to anyone, they are not Arsenal fans and cant feel what we feel. No excuses, they were simply a digital version of what we want to be!They confirmed their superiority over us without being physical or cynical;just pure class.I cant even claim anymore that we are a poor man’s Barcelona; perhaps we’ll get there one day!My goodness, what have we been learning/playing?
They don’t just play the passing/possessing game extremely well, they also know how to stop anyone from playing it!Too bad we allowed them play it!
I was probably as shell-shocked as my Arsenal players under that barrage of assaults in the first 15/20 minutes of the game.We have so much to learn in this so called passing game! I have always said they are better because they press very, very well and their off the ball movement is simply outstanding.
On the reverse, it says much of our boys to have refuse to give up and fight back for a draw.I hope AW changes the tactics a bit so that we at least give a good account of ourselves on our way out of the CL!
Have I given up on getting a good result at the Camp Nou? Yes and No. If we play like we did in the first 60 minutes last night, no need to predict it, its over! No, because we showed that if we do what we need to , we can open them up and split them open too. Add that to the absense of their two first choice CBs on one hand and the absence of Fabregas and Arshavin on our part.
We must mix it and cause them problems with long balls to Bendtner upfront;then utilize Theo’s pace and hope the right Theo shows up…and that the Diaby of recent plays well…then Iniesta would probably be back by then…Oh No!
I would rather keep my nose very close to those two table toppers playing each other and seek to take advantage of a likely draw(I pray)!
After it was all over, and I had wiped away the tears, my only thought was: I wish I was a neutral so I could have enjoyed that match objectively.
It lived up to the hype, that is for sure.
I think yesterday in the first half (just like against ManU and Chelsea) we gave them too much respect. We were in Awe (almost doubting our credentials), trying to be too cautious. It never works for us. There’s no denying Barcelona were class but to an extent we let them be!! We have got to start believing and back our selves to turn the tie in Nou Camp.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:47 am
@Akash, Totally agree. The pressing was non existent. Bendtner played good in attack, but he just limited to watch Barcelona starting plays. In general, all players were just a yard farther from their men than they should. Come tuesday the team MUST show more aggression (in the good sense) in defence and pressing. We wont definetely win this tie if we play again like the first 60 minutes. It was down to 2 things basically: Belief/Confidence, and a little more commitment when pressing. Did you notice how Barza defended almost with 4 men every player with the ball??? I mean… come on!! 4 men defending a single player, and then you compare it with our toothless defending. That was the key to why they dominated the first 60.
Great post Tim. You have put my feelings exactly in to words. I have been looking at Arsenal blogs all day and I am disgusted at the negativity out there.
OK, so it wasnt the best result we’ve ever had put my heart is swollen with pride at the commitment, steel, and attitude they played with. If football was just a game of numbers on paper you wouldnt get 60,000 in the Emirates every other week. It is played with the heart and the brain as well as skill and athletiscism. You dont always get rewards just for sticking in there, but on glorious nights like yesterday you get the greatest pay back of all.
These games are why I follow the Arsenal. The trophies are the crowning glory of course, but youve got to love the journey.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:48 am
Hear, hear.
great post.
we need to rest bendtner this weekend! give edwardo a shot!
whats really really fascinating is that after our tuesday game barca play real madrid! thats like the title decider for them. so thats really good stuff. i am sure it will play on their minds. we have a rest as spuds play fa.
so lets give some players rest.
rosicky and theo should start at emirates this weekend. give edwardo a go. he has been resting a lot lately. and give sol rest also. we need him in defence. i dont like song in the back. he is not a defender. he is perfect in the midfield. the mentality of the defender in terms of positioning and awareness is something song dosent have . he is being played out of position. its costing us. clichy and song were both clueless with the 2 runs from which they scored.
so give sol rest. play song against wolves. i am sure if edwardo plays we will get goals. he must be itching to play. and lets see how the mid weeks goals. the weekend real madrid game is sure to play its part. we need to gamble the wolves game at home.
injury at arsenal is crazy! just when we all were thinking that except rvp and ramsay all are fit there goes 2-3 big players.! life at arsenal!
and yes. arshawin is clearly not happy at arsenal.he should go in the summer if his attitude is like this. when i saw the tackle i was like? wtf? he was lucky not to get a red. maybe cause it was just one foot. but it was clearly more like a tantrum foul. he is moody!
April 1st, 2010 at 10:48 am
@munawwar,I think you should give the Psychic in you a little rest.
Have you thought about maybe he was a little frustrated on not being able to retain possession? Maybe he kicked out in frustration. Haven’t we seen RvP do that. So is RvP looking to exit as well?
Everyone has a dip in form. Maybe that is what Arshavin is going through. Unless he says he is not happy at the club I think we should stop acting like the “Sun/Daily Mail” trying to concot fiction out of nothing!!
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:01 am
yeah. we are getting moody ourselves and taking out some frustration on arshawin.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:51 am
It could have been borne out of frustration. I don’t think Arshavin has the stamina for our game or Barca’s. Simple as that.
From his website….
Patrick: Andre, do you have the stamina for Arsenal’s game?
Andre: No.
Arshavin has been off form and so has Fabs to be fair. Both can come up with goods when it’s needed but maybe it was time for Nasri to step into the centre anyway.
Rosicky is world class as well and Diaby will not have another game as bad as that, he’ll learn.
Denilson, Nasri and Diaby in the centre, Rosicky, Eboue and Bendtner up front with Theo to come on. That team would give as good as it got, mark my words.
Great article Tim, frankly I’m still a bit shell shocked. Proud of the boys, but shell shocked.
Nice article as always Tim.
Off topic but thought I would share anyway, Allardyce is busy with other lunacy at the moment.
YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS
I cannot believe that someone pays this idiot to manage a football team…
April 1st, 2010 at 10:50 am
@Alex, Does the bird brain realize using TV replays is far more useful.
Are we going to have refs dressed like mall cops now??
April 1st, 2010 at 11:01 am
@Alex, what day is today?
April 1st, 2010 at 11:27 am
@Tim, fair enough. Actually didn’t notice the date (been running like an animal in traffic lately). Of course, Allardyce still found a way to step on his dick today.
April 1st, 2010 at 11:08 am
@Alex, I’m assuming they have April Fool’s Day in the UK as well? Can’t be real.
It’s a great write up and I dont think your readers expect an apology. As for the game – Let’s try to wrap our hands around this a little bit. Wenger said the the roots of his current system come from the Dutch. And who was the Dutchman who brought that particular style of football to the forefront? That man is Johan Cryuff. And which team did Cryuff play for? Right.. so you see Barca has been playing the pass and move game for ages. Relative to them, we are still fairly new to the game. So perhaps its no surprise that we got so comprehensively outpassed and outplayed.
It’s tough calling a man of the match from our side. Everyone showed a lot of heart. It’s easier to call out the players who failed – Diaby and Arshavin (although it’s a bit harsh on Arshavin since he injured himself – and no I dont believe he did it on purpose). Im not going to point the finger at Almunia for the first goal because he did enough in the first half. Diaby’s game is the only one that requires some pondering given Arshavin will be out and Almunia – well we are stuck with him through the end at this point. I commented yesterday that Diaby might have been nervous or still carrying some injury from the Birmingham game. Eitherways if Sol plays over the w/e and we go with the Song in CB for the 2nd leg, we pretty much don’t have a choice but to play Diaby in the middle with either Nasri or Rosicky playing Cesc’s role. Theo should be used as an sub because that’s how he would have the most impact on the game. You start with him and his speed becomes less effective against fresher legs. Lastly, and I hate to say it, but we have to look into playing the long ball a bit as Barca’s make shift defense may have some problems dealing with that. KEEP THE FAITH!
April 1st, 2010 at 12:04 pm
@nycgunner,
I’m hoping that Diaby was just a little knacked from Birmingham and couldn’t put everything he had into the game. He has had some stellar performances lately and hopefully has a lot more up his sleeve in the near future.
I agree Theo’s pace is perfect as a super sub; he comes on and runs their already ragged defenders into the ground and can produce performances like yesterday.
I’d like to see Eduardo or maybe even Vela get a start this weekend; this way we could see how our other forwards are right now. Nothing against Bendtner, his positioning is great and he will be nasty once he develops that killer instinct and final ball. I would just like to see how our other options are in current form, maybe Eduardo or Carlos are ready to explode and I would love to see Vela’s pace put on display against the likes of Marquez and Milito.
Maybe I’m just dreaming.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
IMHO, for the 2nd leg we should replace Arshavin with either one of Edu or Vela but not both. Bendtner may not have the finishing but he gives us shape and wins a lot of balls in the air, not to mention his link up play is very good as well. So I think he should keep his place.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:21 pm
@nycgunner,
You make a good point. Bendtner’s link up play has been damn good and he can control the aerial game pretty well.
I like your idea to try out one of those two on the wing, I would think it would be Vela on the wing with Eduardo lurking on the bench to replace either him or Bendtner. Then there is also the quality and class of Rosicky to consider. It will be very interesting to see how Arsene plays this. So many possibilities.
First I would just start by saying F**k You Chelsea. They are now sitting there like a cat who ate a fat rat.
Arsenal are like my GPS unit: take the next left, Take The Next Left, Take your Ramsey, Take your Fabregas, Take your Arshavin, Take your Gallas (you have pass that left turn), recalculating, recalculating. That’s what Arsenal now have do until the end of the season, recalculate. Our season is far from over. We are now just ‘leaner’ ;( and certainly meaner as we go into the final round up for points.
Arsenal did something yesterday that no other team in the world could do and that’s play the current best team in the world, who were playing a level of football, no other team has ever played and may ever again to a 2-2 draw. I could be kind and say we were using the old Muhammad Ali ‘rope-a-dope’ to let Barcelona punch themselves out. Barcelona did in fact wear down but let’s face facts: we were absolutely, positively being destroyed.
I woant to disagree with the notion that Song was culpable for both Ibrahimovic’s goals. Where was Vermaelen? On both goals Vermalen was up at the half way line while Song was tracking back from the (R)CB position. The off side trap was caught out.
I would also like to give a hearty f**k you shout out to Brian Laws (Burnley) and Mick McCarthy (Wolves)who both said : Arsenal got a taste of their own medicine against Barcelona. Ha,ha,ha. We are coming for you Mick McCarthy this Saturday. Put on your party dress and put out your best team asshole.
I thought Diaby was over matched and over awed for most of the game. He doesn’t get it yet. He’ll learn and rebound from this.
The key player going forward will be Nasri who has just been remarkable in the past few weeks. He gets it.
I was disappointed that Eboue had a mental relapse under that withering Barcelona pressure. We know he can rebound and hope that he will because we will need his direct running pressure.
Arshavin was a major disappointment because he’s the experienced 27yo player everyone of our critics say we lack. He was MIA.
Milito and Marquez are good defenders but they can be exposed by pace. I saw Marquez self destruct in a USA-Mexico game last year for no good reason. Valdez can be shaky as well. We have a hope albeit slim of going through.
Please let’s not forget the forgotten man on our bench, Carlos Vela. He’s played against Barcelona more than anyone on this current team.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:56 am
Hard to blame Song. I think the problem was clearly the amount of space Xavi was given to pick his passes. If Fabregas had that much time and space, watch out.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:39 pm
@Patrick, I blame Wermaelen who must have thought he was playing for The Belgium National Team.
Just wanted to say a few words about Cesc. So proud of guy, he really is our leader. Like you said Tim, he didn’t have a great game technically, but what heart he showed staying on with a cracked fibula for those last 10 minutes, what intense pressure he must have been to score that goal. I hope the sacrifice and example galvanises the team.
We’ve had so many setbacks this year and emerged fighting, I’m really proud of Arsenal, I feel that despite the loss of Cesc, Gallas, Van Persie, Arshavin, we can still challenge for the title and give Barca a game at the Camp Nou.
Clichy (back, again) and Denilson (groin) are a doubt for Wolves. Gallas and Arshavin are out 3 wks with calf strains.
At this point I really don’t care who the f**k we put out because we are ‘beggars’ and we can’t be choosers. If a player is in our line up then they WILL do the job. We can bring up Edmonds or Coquelin.
This, I believe… Arshavin is not a tough minded athlete, at least not the way you need to be in the EPL. I think that he has drifted, because I think that the EPL has worn him out. He would be better in a different league. He is a brilliant footballer, but he is as consistent as the weather and he doesn’t keep his head in the game. I also believe that we would be better off with someone else in his place. I don’t want to bring in Chamachck (sp) and leave Arsh on the bench, I want to bring in Chamackch (sp) and leave Arsh off the squad, entirely. I want him no longer to be a gooner, Adebayor 2.0. That is how I see it.
And since no one is going to read it, this is also how I feel. Theo Walcott was brilliant. He is too fast for the Spanish defense, and he was confident and tough minded when we needed it. No Walcott, I think we lose 3-0. But… I don’t believe we should give him the start. Let him come on in the 60s and let him burn past their substitute defense.
Lastly, Puyol did not deserve a card. It was hardly a foul, but, Fab did not deserve a card either.
I think they should both be allowed to play in the return leg. Fab is injured, Puyol deserved the card…I still think you give Almunia the Man of the Match. Bottom line, we could’ve had 5 goals put up on us, but only had 2. Feels odd to give it to him after his early second half allowed goal (the second one he couldn’t do much about; Ibra hit a scorcher), but he really did play the half of his life in the first half.
I think the squad is going to get a rousing welcome from the Emirates crowd this Saturday, yeah. Anyway Bergkamp can suit up for us next Tuesday?
oh, and Clichy was aggressive, and that pulled the Barca attack back a bit. Except, Clichy was partially responsible for the 2nd goal. But hey, he was playing against the best goal scoring machine in the world. Overall, Clichy had a strong match.
I’ll be Arshavin.
Tim: Were we “reduced” to playing like Blackburn or did we show versatility in our game in the face of four major injuries and gut out a 2-2 draw?
Andrei: Yes. We are fitter then Barca.
Tim: Should Denilson be man of the match or does Cesc’s emotional performance win the day for you?
Andrei: No MOTM. It was a team effort.
Tim: Do you think Wenger is hoping Almunia’ll learn to be a better goalkeeper with more experience?
Andrei: Yes
Tim: So, what were you thinking with that tackle? Were you trying to get sent off?
Andrei: No
Tim: Do you start Diaby or Denilson on Tuesday?
Andrei: Maybe both or neither
Tim: Will Theo Walcott… start on Saturday?
Andrei: I don’t know
April 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am
*than Barca
April 1st, 2010 at 3:37 pm
@Patrick, Lol!! Almost perfect impersonation. should have throw in some personal questions (like does he prefer wearing boxers or briefs) in there for good measure!!
April 1st, 2010 at 4:00 pm
@Akash, ok.
Tim: Do you wear boxers or briefs?
Andrei: Boxers.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
@Patrick, I wear a cup. At all times!
Ok this is really bothering me so I HAVE to get it out of my chest. Just because we have played a game where we have had to rely on long balls does not turn us into blackburn. The longball should a part of our arsenal (err..) just like all our complex passing patterns are. Any good team should have that as a part of their game. The diffence between us and blackburn is that the long ball is ALL they have. A good team is able to utilize any one of their weapons. This isn’t the first time when our passing has not worked and it certainly wont be the last. Barca themselves have utilized long balls to good effect in the past. So please let’s not compare us to Blackburn yet. Jesus.
April 1st, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@nycgunner, In fact, Barca used a pretty good long ball to open us up for the first goal, after all that nice passing hadn’t worked in the first half! Straight down Route One to Ibrahimovic (with Manny playing the role of policeman standing to the side and waiving traffic through: “Move along, now. Nothing to see here. Doh.”)
Its not long balls but pin point long pass’s its Arsenal after all.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@joseph,
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/820152-pooing-cristiano-ronaldo-statues-selling-well-in-barcelona
Marquez has 12 appearances and Milito has 9 appearances. Both are coming back from knee surgeries. Milito is coming back from an ACL and did not play 2008-2009 season. He returned back to La Liga Jan this year. He’s the weak link we’ll need to attack.
Irony of ironies: Denilson now becomes the most important player who absolutely must play next Tues.
Vela, Merida, Eastmond, Coquelin need to be in the mix during this run in.
ALMUNIA
i have determined he reacts to shots fairly well. his display in the first half even buffon could respect and clearly kept arsenal in the game.
but his judgment poor. he comes out when he should hold, he punches when he should catch and catches when he should knock the ball back to midfield.
unfortunately, for him (and us), judgment and decision-making count for more.
-a
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=765029&sec=england&cc=5901&cc=5739
So it appears that Arshavin was really not in the best of shape to even be on the pitch in the first place and I should not have criticized him for his lackluster performance. This story calls into question Wenger’s rationale for starting Arshavin with a groin injury. You favor the groin unconsciously with your movements and perhaps you wind up with the subsequent calf strain/tear that now really puts Arshavin in a hole.
Starting Gallas after a couple of training sessions now appears rash as well. He should have done a reserve game (if time permitted) before hand.
Our defensive ‘cupboard’ is now really bare.
http://aculturedleftfoot.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/stone-cold-friday-finding-opportunity-in-the-midst-of-adversity/
Mark Lawrenson, for one and there are many, said that Barcelona did to Arsenal what Arsenal do to Premier League opposition. Let’s put this in perspective then. If Barca are us and we are Blackburn and we drew them 2-2, then do Barca have to go out and spend money because they lack what is necessary to put away teams like, erm, Blackburn?
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:43 am
@Patrick, Lol!! Well said.
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@Patrick, Superb analysis sir.