Ok then, the talk is almost over and tonight’s the night. Arsenal v Barcelona, Champions League. For both sets of fans it’s a great fixture and it’s certainly one for the neutrals to enjoy. But then who gives a fish’s tit about neutrals?
The footballing philosophy of both sides is similar – attractive, passing football with an emphasis on attack. It would be fair to say Barcelona have done it with more success than us and while they’ve had their success in Europe on a domestic level I don’t think they’re as challenged as we are in the Premier League. Real Madrid aside there’s no genuine title contender which is something you can’t say about England.
That’s not to take anything away from them. They are a fantastic team with world class players throughout. It’s not their fault they play in the sunny SPL. I kid, I kid. We know from experience how good they can be. I’ve seen Arsenal play Barcelona a few times in my life. I’ve never seen us win. From the time they passed us off the park and we scraped a 1-1 via Kanu, to the return game at Wembley which they won 4-2, the CL final, the 2-2 last season, and then Messi’s masterclass at the Camp Nou, they’ve had the upper hand.
So it would be normal enough to go into this game, into both these games, with a fair amount of trepidation. However, while there’s certainly respect for their ability and an acknowledgement that we’re going to have to work our socks off to ensure they don’t dominate the game the way they can, I don’t have any fear. We’re in good form, we’ve got our important players fit and healthy and I think we’re going to give them a real game. Arsene says:
I can say we are in an ideal condition to face them. We cannot complain, we have the belief, the confidence, the players available: 90% in February. That was not the case last year. Last year was not the real Arsenal.
The good news is that Samir Nasri is fit and I think he’s going to start. I looked at the pictures of training yesterday and he didn’t seem to be holding back. It might be a bit unlucky for Andrei Arshavin who has been playing better recently but Nasri’s form over the season means he’ll get the nod, I reckon. Which means we’ll line up:
Wojscez©® – Eboue – Djourou – Koscielny – Clichy – Song – Wilshere – Cesc – Nasri – van Persie – Walcott
Amazingly this is Wojscez’s Champions League debut. What a game in which to make your first European appearance but he won’t be phased by it. Johan Djourou says:
He is very young but it looks as thought he has been in the game for ages. It is great to have him behind you. He is very loud. He has presence. He is quite big and is good for defenders.
While Arsene says:
It’s a big game for him because you think that once or twice he may have to do something tomorrow. He’s not fazed by anything, which is very important at the top level. He doesn’t give you the feeling that he’s nervous in goal.
Beyond that we know what we’ve got and what to expect from them. The loss of Sagna for Eboue is a bit of a blow and the Ivorian needs a performance tonight. The cult hero stuff is and well and good, if that’s what you’re into, but it wears thin very quickly if he doesn’t play well. The defensive unit has been good recently and he needs to concentrate and work his arse off tonight. He will be tested.
The thing that strikes me about this game is that I don’t think Barcelona face teams like Arsenal very often in La Liga. Playing them becomes an issue of containment or damage limitation for some teams and they don’t have the emphasis on attack like we do. In possession we know they’re almost unmatched, they’re patient, and they keep at you until they see the slightest gap for guys like Messi, Villa and Pedro to exploit from the passes of Xavi and Iniesta. Maintaining our discipline defensively is going to be crucial – as is how hard we work when we don’t have it.
The Chelsea game has been referenced lots of times this week and that is the standard we need to set. Of course Barcelona are a far superior footballing side than Chelsea and I don’t expect them to crumble and make mistakes the way the the Russians did – but by putting them under as much pressure as possible we make life much more difficult for them from an attacking point of view.
When we have it we need to be as calm as possible. They’ll close us down high up the pitch so making sure we’re controlled and measured when we have it is going to be hugely important as well. But there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ve got the attacking ability to hurt them. For me Puyol is a big loss defensively and moving Abidal into the centre of defence means Maxwell at left back, a player I think can get some joy out of. Theo’s pace scared the crap out of him at the Grove last season and we’ll look to do that again. Nasri and van Persie will give the Barcelona defence something to think about too and we know about Cesc’s ability to make things happen in the final third.
For me, however, the most important area is midfield. We know how good Xavi is, on the ball he’s just impeccable, Iniesta will buzz around always looking for it as well, while Busquets will play the anchor role. Their trio against Song, Wilshere and Cesc is going to be where the game is won and lost, I think. Our trio have really developed a good understanding and while they’re nowhere near as mature as their counterparts I hope they can stifle the threat to a great extent.
The captain faces his ‘former’ club, of course, with ridiculous pre-game questions about how he’d approach this game. As if it would be any different from any other game. Of course it’s a bit special because of the opposition but the approach will always be the same – to play well, to work hard and to win. This isn’t about Cesc Fabregas vs Barcelona though, this is The Arsenal vs Barcelona.
I remember thinking, as Messi scored his fourth at the Camp Nou last April, ‘Oh for fucks sake’, but also wondering what it would have been like with Cesc fit, van Persie fit, Arshavin fit, Gallas fit. We went there with a bench that included Traore, Merida and Eastmond and Sylvester at the heart of the defence. As Arsene said that was not the real Arsenal. Or at least that was the reality of Arsenal at that time. Things are different now.
Tonight we’ll get a chance to pit ourselves against the best team in the world. There’s no bigger test and no bigger stage on which to take that test. I’m sure the Arsenal support tonight is going to be fantastic and the team will need it at certain periods, I’m sure. We’ve had the promise of a great European night at the Grove a few times but we haven’t really had it yet. Tonight would be the perfect night and the fans can play a big part. Of course it’s up to the team to do it and Arsene says:
We are determined, focused and we want to win this competition. We know we face the super-favourites of this competition but the only way to do it is to knock them out.
See, it’s not complicated at all. All we have to do is beat Barcelona. It’s a difficult task, no doubt about it, but not impossible. Tonight is just the first leg but I think we’ve got the momentum and the ability to get ourselves into a good position for the trip to Spain. It doesn’t have to be won tonight, in fact I don’t think it can be won tonight, but it can be lost. So let’s remember that there’s two games in which we need to perform. The temptation to put on a show at home is great, I’m sure, but common sense has to play a part too.
Nerves? None. Excitement? Absolutely. This is as glamorous as football gets and we’ve got a great chance tonight to show we can hold our own with the best, and not just that, really give them something to think about too.
It’s going to be a long day, I reckon. Come on Arsenal!
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For those of you who can’t see the game due to work, other commitments, time zone madness, or whatever else, you can join me later for live blogging of the game. Details in a fresh post a bit later on so check back.
Till later.
