Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal (6-3 Agg)

By Fab4.

Arsenal were beaten 4-1 by Barcelona at the Nou Camp last night, but don’t believe what you read in the papers or on websites, we weren’t beaten by a one-man show from Lionel Messi. Yes he scored all four goals and is by far and away the best player on the planet, but Arsenal were taught a lesson in how to play complete football by a team that worked as a unit, pressed us all over the pitch, never wasted a pass and  supported the phenomenon who scored the goals.

I have never seen a side work so hard to get the ball back than Barcelona last night, well actually, they were equally good last week. But it was just as impressive to watch as seeing Messi score his four delightful goals. Barca’s organisation and work ethic was the real story form the game, but i shouldn’t deny Messi his glory…he was truly unbelievable.

Arsene Wenger was forced to field a make-shift team with Silvestre coming in for Campbell, who hadn’t recovered from a hamstring injury, while Rosicky and Walcott started either side of Bendtner up front. I won’t go on about Arsenal’s injuries, I’m boring myself with that one.

The game started out well enough for Arsenal who looked far more comfortable than they did last week. Messi did go close a few times before Arsenal silenced the Nou Camp to open the scoring against all the odds. Diaby robbed the ball in midfield and suddenly we were 3 on 2, Diaby played in Walcott who raced clear and found himself one-on-one with Valdes. But instead of having the confidence to take the shot on himself, Theo elected to square it for Bendtner. The pass was slightly behind him but he still managed to get a shot away that Valdes did well to save but Big Nik got to the rebound first to poke home and give Arsenal an unlikely lead. GAME ON!

0-1 Bendtner (18)

I was really disappointed that Walcott didn’t have the ‘balls’ to take the shot on, or at least give Bendtner a decent pass. But his pace is the reason he started and it had help give Arsenal the lead, and quite possibly could have lead to us doubling our advantage only minutes after the opener had Diaby chosen the right option.

Again Diaby found himself with some time in the middle of the park and Walcott had made a great run through the middle but for some unknown reason Diaby chose to play in Bendtner, not only a bad choice but it was a poor pass and the attack died out. I was furious with Diaby, slip in Walcott and he was in on goal. A game changing moment in my eyes but at least Arsenal were looking dangerous.

Unfortunately, all the good work was soon thrown out of the window. Just when you wanted Arsenal to tighten up, slow the game down, keep the crowd quiet and make Barcelona work for a goal, up popped Silvestre with a superb assist! Messi weaved his way to the edge of the area and tried a through ball which Silvestre could only deflect straight back at him, Messi took a touch and smashed home from the edge of the box. A great finish but avoidable from Arsenal’s side.

1-1 Messi (21)

I think this is the reason Arsene doesn’t like playing two left footers together in the middle. If that was a right footed player like Campbell he could have cleared the ball into the stands or away from danger, but with Silvestre trying to control with his left, any bad touch would have diverted the ball back into the danger zone, as was the case.

A controversial moment arrived that was quietly brushed under the carpet by the Sky commentators, when Bendtner was put through one-on-one only to be ruled off-side, when he was a yard on. A terrible decision that went against Arsenal, after that i knew this wasn’t going to be our night. Not only giving away cheap goals again but decisions were going against us.

That feeling was confounded when minutes later Barcelona took the lead. Not surprisingly a close off-side decision went Barca’s way when Abidal was played in on the left, his low cross was cut out at the near post but the rebound fell to Pedro, his knock down found Messi who skipped past one challenge and fired past Almunia.

2-1 Messi (37)

The game had completely swung inside 20 minutes. Arsenal were in the tie until the 37th minute, but had missed their chance. Diaby’s decision making, a couple of off-side decisions, a poor touch from Silvestre and some deadly finishing from Messi had changed the game in Barca’s favour. Over the course of the tie so far you could hardly argue they didn’t deserve their lead, but from an Arsenal fan’s perspective you couldn’t help in wondering ‘what if’. The off-side on Bendtner was a real stomach churner. If we take a 2-1 lead there the game takes a whole different shape.

Anyway, Messi completed his hat-trick is superb fashion just before half time to all but end Arsenal’s challenge for another year. Vermaelen missed his header in the centre circle leaving a huge gap in defense. Messi was sent through on goal and finished with an audacious chip over Almunia. Amazing stuff, you couldn’t help but admire him.

3-1 Messi (42)

Arsenal needed 2 goals without reply in the second half, a similar comeback last week gave Gooners hope. I saw enough in the first half to know that we could cause them problems but with Messi about i wasn’t so sure we could keep him out at the other end.

The one thing in Arsenal’s favour was the open and expansive nature of Barcelona’s football meant we had opportunities to counter attack through Walcott’s pace. But Guardiola is tactful enough even at the young age of 39 to stifle any danger and duly brought on the defensive minded Toure for striker Bojan. This substitution indicated a new mind-set for the Barca team.

They basically toyed with Arsenal for the rest of the second half. They slowed the game down, defended deeper with two defensive midfielders breaking up play. Although it seemed Arsenal were having the better of it, Barca knew what they were doing. We did manage to create a couple of half chances, Rosicky firing high and wide when well placed and Bendtner wanting too much time in the area to get his shot off, but in truth we looked fairly toothless.

The best chance was from a superb Clichy cross which found Bendtner free in the box but his header came crashing back off the post, he was given off-side in any case, another wrong decision according to Wenger.

But with Arsenal running out of ideas and Barcelona looking comfortable, Messi stepped up to smash home his fourth and put a bit of gloss on the scoreline.

The Argentine weaved through the Arsenal defense with relative ease, his first shot was saved by Almunia but he collected the rebound picked his spot and drove home through the keepers legs.

4-1 Messi (87)

Four goals for Barcelona and four goals for Messi. On reflection the 6-3 aggregate scoreline is probably a fair reflection of the gulf between the two sides over the two legs. However, after surviving the onslaught at the Emirates last week, Arsenal had the chance to cause a real upset last night. At 0-1 there was a great chance to score a second, and then the Bendtner off-side at 1-1, either one of those opportunities would have changed the tie significantly.

I know Arsenal wouldn’t have deserved it, but you don’t always get what you deserve in football (Arsenal fans should know that!). I hold my hands up and say Barca were the better side but can’t help wondering if it could have been our night had Diaby passed to Theo or if the linesman hadn’t wrong-fully flagged Bendtner off-side.

Oh well, they were two magnificent games and if we had to lose to someone I’m glad it was Barca. They play outstanding attacking football, but also work hard to get the ball back on the rare occasion they lose it. A true lesson for any football side. They must have been good because i have never heard Arsene Wenger be more complimentary after defeat in my life. He said:

First I want to congratulate Barcelona and wish them good luck. They over the two games they deserved to qualify.

They are an exceptional team with an exceptional player and in the exceptional games the exceptional players make the difference.”

He went on to praise Lionel Messi but i think Arsene knew we came up short and he doesn’t mind being beaten by a great footballing side. You can see he had full respect for Barca and there footballing principles. I hope Barcelona go on to retain the trophy, they are the best side left by a mile.

So Arsenal’s champions league dream is over for another year and it’s back to the premier league. Unfortunately we have a week to wait for the next fixture, but what a fixture it is. Away to Tottenham at S*ite Hart Lane. Look out for match preview nearer the time.

What do you think of Arsenal’s performance last night? Did we miss our chance to progress? Please leave your comments below…..

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has included Theo Walcott in the starting line-up for the game against Barcelona tonight. Mikel Silvestre comes in for Sol Campbell who is carrying a hamstring injury. Thomas Rosicky has shacken off a knock to start.

Barcelona have started Bojan ahead of ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry in place of the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic. While Abidal comes in for Maxwell at left back. Iniesta makes the bench.

Arsenal team:

Almunia

Sagna                   Silvestre                         Vermaelen                    Clichy

Denilson

Diaby                                Nasri

Walcott                                                            Rosicky

Bendtner

Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Campbell, Traore, Eastmond, Merida, Eboue

Barcelona team:

Valdes

Alves                  Milito                  Marquez                   Abidal

Busquets

Keita                          Xavi

Messi                                                    Pedro

Bojan

So who feels confident now Silvestre is playing?!!! I’m not suggesting i know better than Arsene Wenger, but surely playing Sagna at centre back and Eboue at right back was the better option? Also, Arsene knew Sol couldn’t play 2 games in 4 days so why not start Silvestre at home to Wolves on Saturday and keep Campbell for tonight? Anyway….good luck boys, think you might need it!

Arsenal face a colossal task tonight when they take on reigning Champions League winners Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-final, knowing only a win – or a high-scoring draw – will do if they are to progress to the semi-final for the second successive year.

If it was already a difficult task, Arsenal’s odds have been lengthened dramatically with the squad ravaged with injuries – they are well and truly down to the bare bones.

With captain Cesc Fabregas, and key players Andrey Arshavin, William Gallas and Robin van Persie already out, Alex Song has now been ruled out with a knee injury, while Sol Campbell is struggling to be fit and Tomas Rosicky is rated as 50:50 with a calf injury caused by Wolves’ Karl Henry’s crunching tackle at the weekend.

Speaking of Song’s injury on Arsenal’s official website yesterday, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said:

“It was a bad surprise because he had a scan yesterday [Sunday] afternoon on his knee and he has an inflamed cartilage.

“We have to wait and see how bad it is but he is completely out for the squad for tomorrow’s game.”

Whether Campbell plays will be determined nearer kick-off with Wenger hinting that the veteran will have to prove full fitness before he is even considered:

“That is a decision I have to make after speaking to him tomorrow,” the Arsenal manager said. “Today he was still not completely available although he managed to get a warm-up. To go into such a game you must be completely fit or not play at all.”

Speaking on Sunday before Song’s injury became fully apparent, Wenger had said:

“The problem we have at the moment is that we are short,” he said. “We rested Abou DIaby, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner [against Wolves].

“We have Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas, Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin out. Can you believe that? That’s eight players. Any injury now can hit us very hard.”

The Arsenal manager obviously spoke too soon.

Barcelona are not without their own problems, however, but with the majority of their players available, there is sufficient cover for the absentees. Both first-choice centre-backs will be unavailable for the holders, with Carles Puyol serving a one-match ban for his red card in the first leg, and former Manchester United man Gerard Pique also out after picking up his third yellow card of the competition last week.

Gabriel Milito and Rafael Marquez will fill-in, both experienced internationals in their own right. With such cover Wenger believes it will not make too much of a difference to the World Club Champions.

“I don’t think they have any reason to speculate on any weakness when you look at the opportunities and possibilities they have to get over the suspensions,” he said.

“They have plenty of opportunities, plenty of centre-backs still available. I believe it is more important to focus on our side and how well we want to play,” he said.

Barca’s two-goal hero from the first leg, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will also be unavailable after injuring his calf during the warm-up before the match against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, while Andres Iniesta is also struggling to regain fitness after also missing the first leg with a hamstring complaint.

Bojan Krkic, who replaced the Swede in the starting line-up, could again be preferred to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, after scoring two goals against Athletic Bilbao and impressing in the lone striking role. Wenger believes the young Spaniard will keep Henry out of the starting line-up but suggests his former protégé could play some part.

“It can happen,” the Frenchman said. “But it doesn’t look at the moment that they go for this solution because in their last game they played Bojan so I am not completely sure they will go for Thierry. But it could happen that he plays against us tomorrow night. You could have Campbell v Henry again – that I have seen so many times in training sessions.”

Barcelona were totally dominant in the first 70 minutes of a pulsating match at the Emirates last Wednesday, but Arsenal hit back in the last quarter scoring two goals to go into the second leg on level terms.

Arsenal will need to win or draw 3-3 or more if they are to progress, while a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes will send the tie into extra time. It is an uphill task, but not impossible and Wenger insists that his young team still has a good chance of making it to the last four.

“I think it is more balanced than the impression people have,” he said. 

”If you look at the game again, we analysed it very well. Many times they gave us big problems in the first part of the game but if you look at the number of chances we created through the whole game it is quite interesting.

“Wenger added: “I am confident despite the injuries we have that we can do it. Of course we will need to get everybody 100 per cent of his potential tomorrow night and certainly have a great team performance. But this team has such mental strengths and I believe they can fight against the odds anywhere in the world and I am confident they will do it tomorrow.

The Arsenal manager continued: “We have not only to defend against them but use the ball better than we did in the first half. There are some ideas we have to exploit. They anticipate a lot in their pressing and they did it exceptionally well. That’s why after an hour it got a bit easier against them. 
We don’t choose to be patient but they said that’s the best half they played for a long, long time. They are not necessarily going to do it every single game.”

One of the avenues to exploit is on Barcelona’s left. Theo Walcott caused havoc after coming on in the first leg, scoring the first and playing a large part in the second. Brazilian left-back Maxwell struggled to keep up with the pacey England international.

Walcott was noticeably confident after the match and the 21 year-old will be looking for a repeat performance personally.

“As a winger, an attacking player, you always have to be on the front foot. Hopefully I can get at them and will give them a problem. However, it is not just me, we have got ten other players out there, but if I can create space for some of the others, then that is all part of my job.

“It is a nice thing to have people saying good things [about me] – I just have to do it on the pitch.”

If Arsenal are to spring a shock tonight, then Samir Nasri will also play a key role. The 22 year-old will have the unenviable task of replacing Cesc Fabregas in the playmaking role for the Gunners.

The former Marseille player is at his most confident in this position, however, and has impressed when he has played there this season. Wenger has singled out his fellow countryman as the player to lead the team in Fabregas’ absence.

“He will of course be important because he will lead our game,” said Wenger. “I would love Cesc to be there 100 per cent. But we have no choice, we have to compensate a little bit. 
 
”I have to find a good balance in the side to make life difficult for Barcelona. But of course Nasri is one of the players who can create.”

If the Gunners can somehow overcome arguably the best team in Europe with countless injuries, a semi-final with either Inter Milan or CSKA Moscow awaits. Then, and only then, will Arsenal players and fans believe they can go all the way.

Possible Team:

Almunia

Sagna               Campbell           Vermaelen               Clichy

Denilson

Diaby                       Nasri

Walcott                                                              Eboue

Bendtner

Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Rosicky, Merida, Eastmond, Traore, Silvestre

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reflected on his team’s performance in the Champions League quarter-final last night and that of their opponents, Barcelona, who he describes as an “outstanding team,” but he insists that Arsenal can win in the Nou Camp to qualify for the semi-finals.

Arsenal were given a footballing lesson for much of the first half by a Barcelona team that attacked from the first whistle, but Wenger praised the performance and character of his players for not capitulating.

“I must first say that we played against a great team who was dominant in the early part of the game. That’s where we were lucky because they had early chances,” he said. “We gave them too much room to play. But I must say I give a lot of credit to my players because we kept in the tie at 2-0 against a team like Barcelona. If you have no mental strength you can go down to 5-0 but we came back to 2-2. The only regret I have tonight is the way we gave the two goals away. We were lucky to be 0-0 at half time but I am convinced that had we not given those two cheap goals away we would have won the game.”

Wenger added: “They are an outstanding team but I believe that most of the shots on goal they had were in the first part of the game. We were in a position at 2-0 when you play against a great side and you have to throw everything forward. You know you can be caught with another goal.”

Despite being outplayed for most of the match, Wenger is confident his young players can stand up to the challenge that lies ahead in the daunting Nou Camp, he said: “It would be a big achievement but I believe we can do it.”

The Arsenal manager has singled out Theo Walcott as a key player for the second leg after an impressive cameo appearance against the Champions League holders.

“I believe that when we win the ball back we always looked dangerous against them. Especially using some weaknesses that we have exploited quite well tonight. We have to go for that…He [Walcott] had a huge impact when he came on and I am very happy about that. I found it absolutely fantastic. He has qualities which can be useful on a big pitch like the Nou Camp,” said Wenger.

Although Arsenal go into next week’s return on level terms, they may be severely weakened as William Gallas (calf), Andrei Arshavin (calf), Gael Clichy (ankle) and Cesc Fabregas (knee) all picked up injuries during the match. Wenger had gambled with the fitness of Fabregas and Gallas ahead of the match and it backfired as both players could well be out for at least a couple of weeks, although it is still too early to tell the full extent of their injuries. Questioned on whether he had rushed the pair back too soon, Wenger said:

“I don’t know. At the end of the day you have to trust how the player feels and you trust your medical people. There was nothing wrong medically, they told me, and he [Fabregas] had a test this morning and said he was ready to play. I haven’t spoken to him yet because he has an X-ray – we have to check nothing is wrong with him.”

The Arsenal manager added: “William has a calf strain. He will be out for a while now. Again, I took a gamble that didn’t pay off. I can say yes, I regret that now.”

Fabregas was booked long before his injury meaning he would have missed the trip to his home town anyway, and Wenger praised his attitude to keep going despite knowing he would not be able to play in the second leg.

“He is fantastic. His mental strength… he didn’t give up. I believe the whole team was mentally unbelievable tonight because we kept going and kept going and kept going against an opponent that is class. But I am still convinced we can make life difficult for them in the second game. We have a chance to qualify,” he said.

Can Arsenal win at the Nou Camp? Have your say below….

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/2794/wenger-reflects-on-an-amazing-night-at-the-emirates/feed/ 4 http://football-talk.co.uk/2783/arsenal-fightback-against-barcelona-master-class-video-highlights/ http://football-talk.co.uk/2783/arsenal-fightback-against-barcelona-master-class-video-highlights/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:09:26 +0000 Jonny Payne http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=2783 More >]]>

By Jonny Payne.

Arsenal produced a magnificent battling performance last night to come back from two down with goals from Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas to draw a game they really should have lost to a majestic Barcelona in their Champions league quarter-final.

From the first whistle, Arsenal looked overawed and nervous, as Barcelona didn’t allow Wenger’s charges to settle on the ball. But for some wasteful finishing from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and some magnificent saves from Manuel Almunia, Arsenal could well have been four down by the interval.

It was quickly turning out to be a re-enactment of The Battle of the Somme, with Arsene Wenger leading his young lambs to the slaughter with Barcelona encamped in their opponents half for much of the first half.

Too many Arsenal players were hiding in their trenches hoping for the attacks to pass without casualty, but soon Barcelona hit the target.

Just 30 seconds after the restart Ibrahimovic made amends for his earlier misses, lifting the ball over a hapless Almunia and into a gaping net.

The Swede soon made it 2-0, as another long ball over the top found the tall striker who controlled and then let fire past Almunia once more, this time with the Arsenal goalkeeper firmly rooted on his line.

But Arsenal didn’t give up and two substitutes helped to change the game. Theo Walcott’s pace helped to finally force Arsenal onto the front foot, backed up by the effervescent Emmanuel Eboue. The pressure soon told, and the England international raced onto a clever ball by Nicklas Bendtner to dispatch a low effort under the despairing Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal.

With five minutes remaining, Walcott’s cross was nodded into the path of Fabregas by Bendtner, and the Arsenal captain was felled in the area by fellow Catalan Carles Puyol. Fabregas stepped up to score the penalty himself, as Puyol took an early bath.

All talk before kick-off was whether Fabregas and William Gallas would return from their injuries, both did with Alex Song moving back into his familiar midfield position to accommodate Gallas who had missed the past eight weeks with a calf injury. Samir Nasri, Andrei Arshavin and Abou Diaby had also overcome knocks to make the starting line-up.

The Emirates was buzzing at kick-off in anticipation of a free-flowing match between two of the best footballing sides around, but optimism soon turned to fear as Barcelona cut through Arsenal with ease from the off.

First, Daniel Alves broke down Arsenal’s left and sent in an inviting low cross towards two of his teammates in the box, but Thomas Vermaelen managed to get there first to clear for a corner.

Then, from the corner, the ball found it’s way to Sergi Busquets whose snap-shot was heading into the net until Almunia stuck out a flailing arm to turn it wide.

Barcelona sensed a weakness on Arsenal’s left with Gael Clichy exposed due to the disappointing Arshavin ahead of him, and a very narrow midfield. The Frenchman had to deal with both Lionel Messi and Dani Alves for much of the first period.

It was becoming an onslaught as Barcelona tried every way to make a breakthrough, but time and time again Manuel Almunia stood in their way. The Spaniard was obviously determined to make a late bid for a place in the European Champions World Cup squad for the summer.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s midfield and defence struggled to keep up with the movement of the likes of Messi, Pedro and Xavi.

When Arsenal did eventually get the ball, Barcelona pressed and hustled the men in red, forcing mistakes, particularly from right-back Bacary Sagna, Andrei Arshavin and Abou Diaby.

With Arshavin forced off with an injury, the gamble to play Gallas from the start also backfired as he succumbed once again to his calf injury. Wenger introduced Denilson for the Frenchman, dropping Song back to partner Vermaelen.

By now Wenger had used two of his three permitted subs with only 44 minutes gone, it was starting to turn into a disastrous game for the Gunners, but at least they went into the interval on level terms.

That soon changed, however, as seconds into the second period, Gerard Pique sent a long ball towards Ibrahimovic. With Vermaelen underneath the ball, Song failed to track the Swede and with Almunia in no man’s land the skilful striker lifted it over the Spaniard and into the net.

From hero in the first half, Almunia had undone all of his hard work in seconds, with another unfortunate error. At least the ‘keeper escaped the initial wrath of Wenger as the Arsenal manager had not even taken his seat after the restart.

Arsenal looked to respond straight away and they did have a glorious chance to equalise. A tantalising cross by Clichy found Bendtner arriving late in the box, the ball was a perfect height for the Dane but his header was too close to Victor Valdes who turned the ball away. The striker should have done better, but it was a truly world-class save by Valdes.

In what was soon becoming an end-to-end game, Xavi found himself unmarked in the box, but he couldn’t direct his header goalwards – but soon the Catalans had their second.

With almost a carbon-copy delivery to the first goal, this time from Barca’s playmaker Xavi, Ibrahimovic was again free to try his luck. This time Almunia opted to stay on his line, but he could not do much to stop the thunderbolt of a shot going into the top corner – two-nil to Barcelona.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Wenger decided to bring on Walcott for Sagna. With Eboue dropping to right-back and the England international ahead of him, there was suddenly an abundance of pace on Arsenal’s right.

Walcott got the better of Maxwell on a couple of occasions soon after coming on and Arsenal saw this area as an opportunity to exploit the Champions League winners.

It soon worked, as Bendtner’s clever ball found Walcott bursting into the box, the England striker took a touch before side-footing the ball towards goal, Valdes dived over it and the ball squirmed in. With the deficit halved, and the stadium rocking once more, Arsenal soon went in search for the second.

Whether Barcelona were tiring or just suffering from complacency, Arsenal soon gained control. With Fabregas, Denilson and Diaby now getting the better of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Seydou Keita in midfield and Walcott and Eboue causing havoc on the right, Arsenal were in the ascendency.

Going into the second leg at the Nou Camp trailing to arguably the best club side in the past twenty years was not ideal, so Arsenal needed a second goal – and it duly arrived.

Walcott again found space on the right, this time he decided to cross, Bendtner found enough space in the box to cushion a header to Fabregas and the Barcelona captain Carles Puyol got his legs in a tangle with his Arsenal counterpart just as he was about to pull the trigger.

The Swiss referee, who had until then been softer than Gruyere cheese in favour of Barcelona, gave the decision Arsenal’s way. Puyol was dismissed and Fabregas put the ball on the spot.

Despite Puyol’s delaying tactics, Fabregas kept his cool to hit a low, hard shot to the ‘keepers right to score against his boyhood club. The celebrations soon turned to anguish though as Fabregas limped meekly towards the halfway line.

Arsenal had little time to capitalise on the man advantage, if you could call it that with Fabregas hobbling, and they will go into the second leg surprisingly on level terms. Surely though, Wenger would settle for that after the first-half master class from their visitors.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas starts tonight’s champions league first leg against Barcelona after proving his fitness. William Gallas also makes the line up, but former player Thierry Henry is on the bench for Barcelona.

Arsenal line-up:

Almunia

Sagna                   Gallas                  Vermaelen                 Clichy

Song

Fabregas                     Diaby

Nasri                                                             Arshavin

Bendtner

Come on you Gunners!!!

By Fab4.

So the big one has arrived…Arsenal vs Barcelona at the Emirate in the champions league first leg. This is a game with more sub-plots than an Eastenders Christmas special. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry returning to face his former club for the first time, Cesc Fabregas playing against his boy-hood club and serial stalkers Barcelona, as well as the revenge factor for Arsene Wengers Arsenal after the unfortunate defeat to tonight’s opponents in the 2006 champions league final.

The tie promises to be an exhibition of passing football at it’s best. However, my excitement for a game i have waited years to watch has been dampened by Arsenal’s greatest foe in recent seasons…injuries. I would love nothing more than for both sides to be able to field their strongest eleven and slug it out. But it seems lady-luck has deserted us once more with our captain and most influential player Cesc Fabregas being rated at 60:40 against to make the game tonight.

What a cruel time to pick up an injury for both Arsenal and Cesc. Without him, our chances of over-coming arguably the worlds best team are heavily reduced. Fabregas is Arsenal’s heartbeat and he will be up for it big-time if he plays so the loss would be a devastating blow. But there is still a chance he will make it, as Wenger explained in his pre-match press conference:

“He didn’t appear in training because at the moment he is not fit to play,” said the Frenchman. “We will give ourselves 24 hours more and we will assess the situation tomorrow. But today he would not be available.”Sometimes you do not want to take a gamble in training because 24 hours more can help. You don’t want him to get another kick so it was better that he didn’t train.

“I would say it is 60 against, 40 for him playing. Cesc is desperate to play in every single game we play. But if he is not capable to play I wouldn’t even put him on the bench. We have 19 players in the squad, that means I have considered the possibility of ruling him out completely.

“But if Cesc is fit I will play him. And I cannot give you an answer today because the medical staff tell me there is still a chance he will be available. But that will decided in the warm up tomorrow night. That tells you how late we will leave it.”

Part of me hopes this is all a cunning Wenger ploy to lead Guardiola down the garden path and disrupt the Barca game-plan. If they don’t think Cesc is playing they won’t prepare any special plans for him. Maybe im just dreaming!

To make things worse, there are doubts over Andrey Arshavin, Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri. But all three trained yesterday and are expected to make it. It really would be mission impossible if those three were out as well as Fabregas.

On a more positive note, William Gallas took part in a full training session yesterday and is in the squad, with Arsene saying he is in contention to start. Im not sure how i feel about throwing him straight in against Barca after he’s missed the last 8 games and only had a few days training, but maybe Sol Campbell is still feeling the effects of Saturday’s game and the boss sees a half-fit Gallas as a better alternative.

“Gallas is in the squad,” said the manager at Tuesday’s press conference. “I have not picked the team yet but he has a chance.

“He looks physically quite good. He has had three days training and I will now have to have a chat with him and then decide.

“But,” he added later, “Sol Campbell has played many games recently and a little breather would be welcome.”

Possible starting team:

Almunia

Sagna                    Gallas                    Vermaelen                    Clichy

Song

Fabregas                     Diaby

Nasri                                                          Arshavin

Bendtner

This side is only RVP short of being our strongest eleven, but obviously many of the players are not fully fit, and Gallas and Fabregas may not even make it. If they don’t, i expect Campbell and Rosicky to step in, with Nasri moving in to take Cesc’s role and Rosicky out on the right.

There is some welcome news from the Barcelona camp, as Andrea Iniesta has been ruled out with a thigh injury. Although the loss of Iniesta may not be as substantial as many Gooners would hope as he has not found the form he produced last season, but is a quality player none-the-less.

Unfortunately Barcelona have received some more positive news on the injury front, with Xavi, Yaya Toure and Gerard Pique all being declared fit.

Thierry Henry is expected to take his place alongside Ibrahimovic and Messi in attack. It’s sure to be an emotional night for Thierry and he will no doubt get a rapturous reception from the grove. I wrote a report on Henry’s return, if you missed it check it out here.

I see games like this as a time to just enjoy the occasion. It’s time to test yourself against the very best. If you manage to beat the reigning champions, it will give you the confidence to go on and win the tournament. If Arsenal lose, there is no shame in losing to the best in the world. It will be gutting don’t get me wrong, but we ARE the under-dogs and rightly so. Barca have proven they are the cream of the crop and it’s up to Arsene Wenger and his players to figure out a way to beat them…something Sir Alex 09Ferguson and Manchester United couldn’t do. I just pray injuries don’t end the game before it has begun.

Whichever 22 players take to the field tonight it will be a great game of football. There is a slight worry that both teams may cancel each other out, but with the philosophy of both sets of players to play open, expansive attacking football, I’m sure there will be goals. Let’s just hope it’s the boys in red and white celebrating them!

Could Arsenal beat Barca without Fabregas? Will the Gunners stop Messi? Please leave your comments below…..

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/2709/arsenal-vs-barcelona-same-old-problems-for-arsene-wenger/feed/ 6 http://football-talk.co.uk/2182/barcelona-a-monumental-task-for-the-gunners-as-a-legend-returns/ http://football-talk.co.uk/2182/barcelona-a-monumental-task-for-the-gunners-as-a-legend-returns/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:56:37 +0000 Jonny Payne http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=2182 More >]]>

By Jonny Payne.

It could surely not have been much worse. Arsenal were today drawn against the holders, Barcelona, in what is set to be a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final.

It is the Barcelona that comprehensively beat Manchester United in last year’s final, the Barcelona that have arguably the best player in the world, and the Barcelona that ended Arsenal’s dream of lifting the trophy in 2006. Arsene Wenger said:

“It will be an interesting and exciting game…When you get to the quarter-finals of the Champions League you play good teams and Barcelona are a good team.”

Former Arsenal player Charlie Nicholas told Sky Sports:

“It’s going to be a proper football match you can guarantee that, two teams who just love to be expressive and love to go forward.”

The draw brings together two teams with a similar ethos. Both play free-flowing, attractive football, and both have successful records of turning young hopefuls into genuinely world-class talent.

One of those to be turned from a raw youngster to a world-class player by Arsene Wenger is Thierry Henry. Now at Barcelona, Arsenal’s record-goalscorer and former captain will not be looking forward to facing his old team.

In an interview with The Times earlier this month, he said:

“I’ll be an Arsenal fan until I die and if you ask me how that makes me feel about the possibility that Barcelona might meet Arsenal in the next round of the Champions League should we both qualify, I have to say I find the idea unthinkable.

“It’s always the same on the day of a Champions League draw. Until I see that Arsenal have been paired with another team, I can’t breathe. Proud though I am to be a Barcelona player, I dread the thought of having to oppose Arsenal. I would hate it. I pray for it not to happen.”

But it has now happened, and it is set to be an emotional return for the Frenchman. Handball or not, he will surely be given a warm welcome from the Arsenal fans.

The one thing arguably in Arsenal’s favour is that they play the second leg away. With away goals so crucial, if the Gunners can shut up shop at home, admittedly a daunting task, the pressure will be on Barcelona not to concede at home in the second leg.

If Arsenal do overcome the monumental task of beating the Spanish, European and World Club Champions, waiting for them in the semi-finals could be Inter Milan, who dispatched Chelsea so admirably in the last round.

A win in the semi-final could then lead to an all-English final with Manchester United, but Wenger is reluctant to think that far ahead. He said:

“You can only take one step at a time, of course the road is not easy, I concede that, but I believe the best way to be successful in the quarter final is to get into this competition in good condition and with a strong belief.”

As well as Henry’s return, it will be another emotional occasion for Arsenal’s Catalan captain, Cesc Fabregas, who has been linked constantly with a return to his boyhood club. He will surely want to show them what they are missing and Nicholas believes he will relish playing against two of his heroes, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

The former Arsenal striker said:

“What a cracking draw it is for Fabregas, to play against the two guys he’s admired so much and the club that’s been linked with him so often.”

So which players should Arsenal be wary of? Most teams have one or two dangermen to look after, Barcelona however have a wealth of potential match-winners. Lionel Messi once again affirmed his status as World Player of the Year with a hat-trick against Valencia at the weekend and two goals against Stuttgart in mid-week.

While fellow youth products Andres Iniesta – who has been called the “best player in the world” by Wayne Rooney – and Xavi Hernandez, continue to pull the strings from midfield. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – now the most expensive player in the world in the baffling deal that sent Samuel Eto’o to Inter Milan – has not fitted in as well as some would like, but the Swede has an array of skills and can create something out of nothing.

There is also the lesser-known Pedro Rodriguez, another product of Barca’s academy, who has impressed this season amassing 21 goals from the wings and scoring in every competition he has played.

Shielding the defence will be one of two players linked to Arsenal in recent years. Sergio Busquets – another Catalan product – has ousted Yaya Toure from the starting line-up in recent months, but both are very effective in helping out the defence while those ahead can strut their stuff.

The defence is Barcelona’s weak link. The marauding right-back Dani Alves could be caught out defensively and the long-term injury to left-back Eric Abidal has seen Maxwell fill in, who was recruited primarily as a squad player. Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique – once of Manchester United – make-up an all-Catalan central defensive partnership, and although they are undoubtedly good players, they can look far from convincing at times. It is an area the likes of Andrey Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott could exploit.

The 2006 Champions League Final was eagerly anticipated as a game of flair against finesse, but the early sending off of Jens Lehmann spoilt the spectacle between the two sides, which didn’t allow for the expansive match that could occur this time around. On the other hand, with so much attacking talent, both sides could cancel each other out.

One thing is certain, however, if Arsenal can overcome the Catalan challenge then the players will know they can beat anybody and the red half of North London can dare to dream.

What do you think of Arsenal’s chances? Will Barca prove too good? Please leave your comments below…….

By Football Talk.

Arsenal and Manchester United now know their route to the final of the champions league and Man Utd will be far happier with the draw than Arsenal that’s for sure.

The full draw:

Quarter Finals:

Arsenal vs Barcelona

(First leg Wednesday, March 31 second leg on Tuesday, April 6.)

Lyon vs Bordeaux

Bayern Munich vs Manchester United

(First leg Tuesday, March 30 second leg on Wednesday, April 7)

Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow

Semi Finals:

Bayern Munich / Manchester United vs Lyon / Bordeaux

Inter Milan / CSKA Moscow vs Arsenal / Barcelona

The tie of the round is without a doubt Arsenal vs Barcelona. It’s the game everyone has been waiting to see since the 2006 final and now Arsenal have their chance for revenge. A game of pure football that is sure to be a spectacle to remember. With the first leg at the Emirates, it leaves Arsenal with a daunting trip to the Nou Camp for the second leg.

If Arsene Wenger manages to get past the champions, he will most likely have to face his old foe Jose Mourinho in the Semi finals, so it couldn’t have got much harder for the Gunners.

Manchester United couldn’t have asked for a better draw. They face Bayern Munich in the quarters then the winner of Lyon/Bordeaux in the semi’s. Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t have wished for more than that.

But the draw does still keep alive hopes of an all-English final, Manchester United will be there, but it doesn’t look good for Arsenal.

Who do you think will progress? Will Arsenal manage to overcome Barca? Have United got it easy? Please leave your comments below…….

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/2168/all-english-final-again-united-will-be-there-will-arsenal/feed/ 21 http://football-talk.co.uk/1833/who-backed-bendtner-to-score-a-hat-trick-nasri-and-arshavin-fill-the-void/ http://football-talk.co.uk/1833/who-backed-bendtner-to-score-a-hat-trick-nasri-and-arshavin-fill-the-void/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:07:00 +0000 Fab4 http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=1833 More >]]> By Fab4.

Arsenal brushed of the absence of Cesc Fabregas to blow Porto away with a 5-0 thumping at the Emirates and book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Five minutes into the game i rang my mate who loves to gamble, he told me he wanted to stick a £10 on Bendtner to score first. I said forget that, back him to grab a hat-trick. He laughed but i meant it. I fancied big Nik to score three last night, he was out to prove a point after his Burnley horror-show and Porto were there for the taking.

Theo Walcott was surprisingly left on the bench after his MOM performance at the weekend, but Arsene Wenger later confirmed he had a slight groin problem so wasn’t risked from the start. Apart from that the line-up was as expected.

After a bright start it soon became apparent that Porto were the perfect opponent for Arsenal. They were terrible at defending and looked to attack when possible leaving gaps all over the place for us to exploit. I wont describe every chance we had, there isn’t time, instead i will go through the goals as that will take long enough!

Following a couple of half-chances, Arsenal eventually opened the scoring on 10 minutes through Bendtner, but the build-up was very un-Arsenal like. Almunia punted a long ball up to 5ft 6″ Arshavin who, despite being marked by a vastly taller opponent, won the header to find Nasri. The Frenchman tried a through ball for Arshavin, but Porto keeper Helton got out to block with the rebound falling to Bendtner who poked home to give Arsenal the lead.

1-0 Bendtner (10)

The second goal was far more Arsenal-esq. Arshavin collected a loose ball on the edge of the box on the left hand side. He weaved his way past three Porto players, drove into the area and cut back for the unmarked Bendtner to tap home from close range for 2-0.

2-0 Bendtner (25)

It was superb stuff from Arshavin and good to see Nik taking up clever positions in the box as well as keeping himself onside.

Although Arsenal were fully in control, after following them for over 16 years you learn that we don’t make things easy for ourselves and i always worried we would let Porto back in the game. A better side may have managed it, but Porto are a poor team and wasted any chances we gifted them.

The game was put beyond any doubt just after the hour mark and Nasri continued his recent form with a peach of a goal. He collected the ball on the right hand side of the penalty box, twisted his way past at least four Porto defenders before smashing into the far corner from a tight angle. Unbelievable skill from the Frenchman and at last he is showing Arsenal fans just what he is capable of.

3-0 Nasri (64)

Minutes later we scored a fourth that reminded me of Arsenal 5-6 years ago. It was a devastating counter-attack that Henry and Pires would have been proud of. From a Porto corner Arshavin broke from inside his own half, carrying the ball all the way up-field towards the Porto area before releasing Eboue who rounded the keeper to tap home.

4-0 Eboue (66)

That’s the kind of goal i want to see more of from this Arsenal team, direct powerful running combined with clever supporting runs. We are capable of playing counter-attacking football so more of the same please boys.

We had to wait till the final minute before Bendtner sealed his hat-trick, which should have won my mate a lot of money had he listened to me. Eboue was brought down in the area to give Bendtner the chance to score his first ever Arsenal hat-trick. He stepped up and buried into the bottom corner, who doubted the big man?

5-0 Bendtner (90, hat-trick)

So the Gunners are through to the last eight of the Champions League for the third time in four years. I can really see a change in this team. They celebrated the goals and the win as a team and showed the kind of togetherness some say we have lacked in recent years. Although he was slightly shaky tonight, i think much of this team spirit is down to the influence of Sol Campbell. His experience and presence has benefited the team hugely in recent games.

But lets not get carried away, this was a very poor Porto side. Their defending put Burnley to shame, i can only imagine what the scoreline could have been had Fabregas and RVP been fit. There are much tougher opponents to face if we are to lift the trophy this year that’s for sure.

I suppose you can only beat whats put in front of you and Arsenal did that with flying colours. A 5-0 win in the last 16 of Europe is always impressive. A special word for Bendtner, i was pleased he bounced back after his horror show at the weekend. It will do his confidence the power of good, not that he needs any help in that department!

Player Ratings

Almunia – 7- Not his busiest days work, but did well when called upon.

Sagna – 6.5 – Caught out a couple of times with balls over the top but did ok.

Clichy – 7 - A couple of good crosses and intercepted well at the back.

Vermaelen – 8.5 – Another great display, gave everything for the team.

Campbell – 6 – Looked sluggish at times and a couple of shaky moments.

Song – 7 – Played well but a couple of loose passes.

Diaby – 6.5 – Not imposing enough, although a few trademark runs.

Nasri – 9 – Superb goal and fine all-round performance.

Rosicky – 6 - Not at his best and went off injured again.

Arshavin – 8.5 – A couple of superb assists, looked tricky all night.

Bendtner – 9 – Well placed for his goals and took pen well. Link-up play was good as well. Will get MOM for his hat-trick, although Nasri probably deserved it more.

Subs:

Eboue – 8 – Powerful running, well taken goal.

Denilson – 6.5 – Neat and tidy without excelling.

Walcott – 6.5 – Not a lot of time but looked lively.

Can Arsenal go all the way this year and win their first Champions League trophy? Please leave your comments below……

It’s difficult to know where to start. But i will get all the ref/manager/player bashing out the way first then end on a positive note. A match report is fairly pointless, there were only really four incidents in the game worth talking about.

Porto open the scoring after 11 minutes

Or should i say Fabianski opened the scoring. This goal was an absolute shocker and to see it in a Champions League last 16 match from a team with supposed aspirations of winning the tournament is laughable.

Clichy was skinned by the lively Porto winger Varela who sent in a low cross, Fabianski had stepped off his line early correctly anticipating the cross but the ball ended up goal-side of the keeper and as he tried to recover he failed to gather the cross spilling the ball over his own line. Don’t expect to see a worse piece of goalkeeping anywhere in the country this weekend.

Big Sol Campbell equalizes for Arsenal

Arsenal grabbed a priceless away goal within 7 minutes of going behind. Niklas Bendtner had a long range effort deflected wide for a corner. Fabregas sent in a dangerous cross which ended up at the far post where Rosicky headed back across the face of goal where Sol Campbell was waiting to nod home from 2 yards. Two in two for the big man in the Champions League! (His last appearance was in the 2006 Final when he opened the scoring)

The goal settled Arsenal down and we were in total control. We still had a few dodgy moments at the back, but when don’t we? A few half-chances were squandered but Porto never really looked like seriously testing us.

Arsenal penalty appeal turned down

Early in the second half Rosicky jinked his way into the box from the right, clearly had his foot clipped as he shaped to cross but the ref waived play on. Linesman was looking straight at it, ref had a good view but somehow neither of them awarded a penalty? Not the first time Arsenal have had a stone-wall penalty turned down since the Eduardo affair. A very strange decision that may be explained by the referee’s next act of kindness towards Porto.

Porto take the lead in controversial circumstances

Campbell was seeing a Porto long ball back to Fabianski, the young Pole hesitated in coming to collect, Campbell got a slight touch on the ball and Fabianski picked it up inside the area.

Ok, we have seen this many times before all over Europe. Goalkeeper handles a back-pass, indirect free-kick. But what i have NEVER seen before is a referee go out of his way to ensure a quick free-kick is taken.

Now let me get one thing straight. I fully agree that it was inept defending on our part, we should have been alert to the danger and re-organised quicker than we did. The three players nearest the incident, Fabianski, Campbell and Vermaelen should all have got goal-side of the incident straight away instead of disputing the decision. I don’t buy that it was a complete accident by Campbell, i think he felt he had to get a touch due to Fabianski’s hesitation  to collect.

But, how can the referee justify his decision to go after Fabianski like he did demanding the ball from him, then dropping it on the floor and wave for play to resume without letting the Arsenal players know a quick free-kick was on the cards? He literally assisted Porto in scoring the goal. To make things worse the referee then stands in Sol Campbell’s way stopping him from getting back to defend.

If ever there has been a case of the referee giving an unfair advantage to a team this has got to be it. What could Fabianski do? The referee demanded the ball from him, if he refuses he gets booked. In hindsight, yes of course he should take a booking, but in the moment he was adhering to the law of the game. He would be well within his rights to assume once the ref has possession of the ball he will give both teams a fair chance.

The mistake Fabianski made is once he gave the Porto player, i mean ref the ball, he turned to moan at the linesman leaving his goal open for Porto to score. So for that he must shoulder the blame.

But i would like someone to demand an explanation from the referee as to why he felt the need to grab the ball from our goalkeeper, drop it on the floor in front of the Porto player, make no attempt to get out of Sol Campbell’s way, make no attempt to indicate to the Arsenal players that a quick free-kick was on and to let play resume 10 yards from our un-guarded net.

Watch the goal again carefully.

The ref runs at Fabianski demanding the ball, once he has it he simply drops it to the feet of the Porto player. Why would he do that if he didn’t want the game to be re-started quickly? He didn’t blow his whistle or say anything to indicate the imminent indirect free-kick. As Micael takes the kick he turns his back on the ball and walks straight into Sol making no attempt to move, he actually bumps into him! Why would he not jump out of his way to let him get back to defend? Surely that would be the natural reaction of an impartial person?

He also never saw Micael take the quick kick, for all the ref knew Micael could have rolled the ball to Falcao with his hands! We see ref’s every game make players re-take free-kicks because they took them too quickly while they weren’t looking. Why not this time?

The referee had a moral and ethical obligation to allow Arsenal time to defend the indirect free-kick. This is what qualified referee’s are saying on the incident so i want to know why this wasn’t applied.

I don’t want to start any conspiracy theories here. But the fact that this is the ref who got hammered by the world for allowing France’s famous ‘handball’ goal against Ireland does make you wonder. Was this his chance to even the score? Get one back at France through an Arsenal team with a heavy French influence? Very doubtful, but im not that only one to point it out and you just never know these days.

For those out there that compare this incident to the quick free-kicks Thierry Henry used to take, this can not be compared. Henry, and others i may add, have in the past scored from quickly taken free-kicks that were at least 25 yards from goal, while the opposition had a wall in place. The opposing team had time to organise a wall and get players back. This goal took place 10 yards from goal, no players were goal-side and the net was un-guarded.

Player and Wenger bashing

There is no point talking about Fabianski’s errors. I don’t have time. But it’s safe to say he has blown his chance at Arsenal. I like many have wanted him to be given a chance as our No.1 Almunia has proven to be unreliable this season, but sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say when someone isn’t good enough. Fabianski, my hands are held up high mate, your not good enough.

Denilson…what can i say. He even surprised me last night with his total disregard to take any sort of responsibility. He joggs around the pitch in 1st gear showing no signs of the grit and determination that a player in his position needs. The minute i saw he was playing i knew Porto had a chance.

Arsene, if the display last night showed you anything i hope it was that we need a goalkeeper. But just as important i hope you take on board just how poor a player Denilson is and he is simply not Arsenal standard. Ramsey may be younger but has more talent in his left nipple than Denilson has in his entire body.

Positives

Porto are crap. We should still beat them at home by at least two goals and qualify for the quarters. Sol Campbell played well and can be relied upon as a back up to Gallas and Vermaelen.

That’s it. Sorry but they are the only positives to take.

Arsenal have announced their team to play Porto in their Champions League first leg. As expected Sol Campbell, Thomas Rosicky and Denilson have replaced the injuredtrio William Gallas, Andrey Arshavin and Alex Song.Fabianski has replaced Almunia between the sticks.

Arsenal Starting eleven:

Fabianski

Sagna                Campbell                 Varmaelen               Clichy

Fabregas              Denilson                Diaby

Rosicky                                                                                             Nasri

Bendtner

Come you the Arsenal!!!!

The Champions League is back and i can’t wait to watch Arsenal face Porto at the Estadio do Dragao tonight. Not for the first time this season we have been hit by injuries ahead of a key game but i still think we have enough to get a result.

So the news broke yesterday that Arsenal flew out to Portugal without five key players, that’s on top of long-term victims RVP, Gibbs and Djourou. We knew Andrey Arshavin would miss the game and Song was a major doubt. But the unexpected lose of Almunia, Gallas and Eduardo just typifies our luck with injuries this year.

Although he can produce a piece of magic from nothing, i don’t think we will miss Arshavin that much. In a tough away fixture like this we need all our attacking players to help out the defense as much as possible and Rosicky and Nasri will cover the full-backs more than Arshavin would.

The form of Almunia this year has proved to a lot of Arsenal fans that he’s not up to it and i really wasn’t bothered when i heard he was injured. Although Fabianski is far from perfect, i have no problems with him starting tonight.

The loss of Eduardo is a little disappointing as he could have been useful to bring on for the last 20 minutes but Bendtner would have started regardless of Eduardo being fit or not so it won’t affect the starting line-up. The return of Vela should compensate for Eduardo’s absence.

But the team is definitely going to feel the absence of Song and Gallas. Unfortunately Song’s injury means the likely return of Denilson to the starting eleven. I hope not, but we know Wenger can’t resist the opportunity to play his beloved Denilson so i expect him to take Song’s place as defensive midfielder. I honestly hope he has a good game, but im not holding my breath.

Gallas’s injury opens the door for Sol Campbell to make his first Champions League appearance since scoring in the 2006 Final. It is likely that Campbell will get the nod over Silvestre, with Arsene Wenger confirming he isn’t keen on playing two left-footers together.

We have Silvestre too who can come in, too, but the difference is that if Silvestre plays then we have two left-footed players at centre half.

I had no worries about Sol playing in the FA Cup against Stoke as they are a bunch of long-ball hoofers and he could deal with that, but tonight he will face THE HULK! This bloke has pace and if Campbell gets left one-on-one with him, no chance. Lets hope he uses his experience to deal with the Porto attack, i back Sol to have a good game tonight. Im interested to see how he and Vermaelen play together.

Predicted starting team

Fabianski

Sagna                         Campbell               Vermaelen                  Clichy

Denilson

Fabregas                        Diaby

Rosicky                                                                             Nasri

Bendtner

That team is still good enough to get at least a draw tonight. Arsene might start with Walcott to give us some pace, he may even stick Eboue in for Rosicky after his impressive display against Liverpool and he would offer good defensive cover for Sagna.

I think Wenger knows that we just need to avoid defeat tonight and that should be good enough to see us through at home. Porto have a great home record but a terrible away one. An away goal would be handy but i would take a 0-0 now.

Some facts

• Arsenal have never won at Porto with their previous attempts ending in three draws and one defeat.
• No English side have ever scored more than once at the Estadio do Dragao.
• Arsenal have won just once in their last seven European away games.
• We didn’t score on four of those seven occasions.

So trust me, a 0-0 would not only be a good result, it is a likely result!

Just a quick injury update ahead of the Porto game. Arsenal have left the airport without Gallas, Song, Arshavin, Almunia and Eduardo.

We all knew Arshavin would miss out, Song was a major doubt and Eduardo has been out for 3 weeks. But if im honest i didn’t even know Almunia or Gallas were injury concerns. Im sure we will find out more about their injuries in Arsene Wenger’s press conference later today.

It now looks like Campbell, Denilson, Rosicky, Fabianski and Bendtner will be the likely replacements. These injuries are a real blow but for them to come before such a big game is cruel.

Arsenal’s injury problems mount but i have full confidence in all the replacements, with the exception of Denilson. I hope he proves me wrong but he will have to step up big time!

The Champions League returns this week and im going to have a look at Arsenal’s chances of winning it.

Let’s get one thing clear from the start, Arsenal are a feared side in Europe and nobody would want to draw us. We have a style of football that could tear anyone open on our day. We have a very good record in the champions league, reaching the quarters, semi’s and final in the last five years. I think we should only be behind Barcelona, Man Utd and Chelsea in terms of favorites to lift the trophy this year.

The champions league is arguably the competition that suites Arsenal’s style the most. We seem to look a lot more comfortable playing against European opposition. We get more protection from referees as well. It’s no secret that Arsene Wenger would sell his mother to win the Champions League (joking of course!). But it is the one trophy that has eluded him thus far and he has to win it at some stage, he’s too good not too. (lets hope it’s not with Real Madrid!)

First we have to navigate a tricky away tie against Porto (full match preview tomorrow). They have a very good home record and i think a draw would be a great result on Wednesday, then tear them apart at home. If we can’t beat Porto over two legs we shouldn’t even be thinking about winning the competition. It was a lucky draw so let’s take advantage and get through to the Quarter Finals with minimum fuss.

After beating Porto, success in the Champions League will rest on several things, but the main two will be:

1. - Avoiding Chelsea
2. - Avoiding Man Utd

We would have far more chance of progression if we faced Barcelona or Real Madrid than either of the English sides. We really need to avoid them for as long as possible. Don’t give me ‘i’d love to play Utd or Chelsea and get revenge’, i think we have seen enough evidence this year alone to suggest that many of this squad can’t cope in the big games against ManUtd and Chelsea.

So to have any chance this year, let’s pray we don’t meet Man Utd or Chelsea, if we had to let it be the final where anything can happen. We could do them in a one-off game, but not over two-legs.

I would take any of the likely remaining European teams,  with the exception fo Barcelona. I would love to meet them at some point for two reasons. To watch the greatest exhibition of football you will ever see and to get revenge for 2006. If we did draw them i think we would give them a real game, but they might just have too much for us so lets leave them till the final if we can help it. But any of the other possible sides i think we would be fine.

The possible return of Robin Van Persie could be a major influence in our Champions League aspirations. He is due to return in mid April, with the hope he could get back ahead of schedule. The first leg of the semi-finals is on the 20th April so if we make it that far, we may have RVP back! I know he wouldn’t be fully match fit but he would be a real boost to have back in the squad.

Injuries have really hurt us again this year and i fully believe if RVP didn’t get injured we would be top of the Premier League. So avoiding any more serious injuries to key players is obviously another important factor if we were to win the Champions League.

Winning any cup competition relies on luck. Getting a dodgy decision in a game, avoiding injuries and suspensions, and lucky draws all play there part in winning a cup. So with a bit of luck, avoiding the English teams and Barca till the final and this could be Arsenal’s year.

This was just a quick look at how Arsenal stand in this years Champions League. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, we have a tough away trip to Porto on Wednesday. Match preview tomorrow.

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/1344/1344-the-champions-league-returns-but-can-arsenal-win-it/feed/ 0 http://football-talk.co.uk/1115/champions-league-draw/ http://football-talk.co.uk/1115/champions-league-draw/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:49:01 +0000 Football Talk http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=1115 More >]]>

The draw for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League has been made:

Porto vs Arsenal

AC Milan vs Manchester United

Inter Milan vs Chelsea

Stuttgart vs Barcalona

Lyon vs Real Madrid

Olympiakos vs Bordeaux

Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow vs Sevilla

A very interesting draw. Of course the two big stories are Jose Mourinho going back to the bridge and David Beckham going back to Utd.

The first legs are to be played in 16/17 or 23/24 February with the second legs due in 9/10 March 2010.

Football Talk

RACE FOR THE TITLE

Occasionally we will add posts related to other teams, but only when something really important happens and we feel you just have to know about it!

The main editor of the site, know as ‘Football Talk’, wont be revealing which team he supports (for now). We are running a poll to see who readers believe he supports based on his articles, to see if there is any bias  towards his beloved team. So please take a moment and submit your vote in the left sidebar.

Over the coming weeks we will be updating the website and adding new features, as well as writing regular posts,  so please visit us regularly and get involved in the comment section’s for some good-humoured banter!