Pep Guardiola: Arsenal frightens me
Arsenal, after qualifying second in their group as opposed to Barcelona topping theirs, the two heavyweights of Football lock horns yet again.
The sides have had an interesting battle in recent history, reputed to play similar one touch football that has entertained the masses for quite some time. The two sides met in the 2006 Uefa Champions League final that saw the Catalans knick the game in
the dying minutes against a 10 men Arsenal with a 2 – 1 score line. Last year, the gap widened. At the Emirates, the game ended with a 2-2 draw while the reverse leg saw the Spanish side walk all over Wenger’s team with a 4 goal brace from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 – Barcelona
went through on a 6 – 3 aggregate in their favour.
However, despite all that, Pep Guardiola is still weary of the Arsenal threat.
"Arsenal frightens me, but that is true of all clubs in the draw," he said.
Reflecting on how far the North London side has come over the course of last season, the Barcelona manager commented:
"I think they will be stronger than they were last season with [Samir] Nasri now fully established in the team, plus the signing of [Marouane] Chamakh.”
He was also quick to remind that the 2nd leg last term should not be set as yardstick as the Gunners were without their midfield talisman Cesc Fabregas.
"Also there's a difference this time: Cesc [Fabregas] will be on the pitch."
Barcelona currently find themselves at the top of the Primera Liga. However, this is half the story. After their demolition of their historic rivals FC Real Madrid at Camp Nou, Guardiola and his men have earned worldwide recognition for not only being the
best in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 but also, arguably, the side to beat in Europe. It was perhaps due to these raving remarks that the Barcelona manager opted to play down the hype and maintained that Arsenal were a tough side that had the potential to upset literally anyone in
the world on their day:
"If you're not at your best, Arsenal overruns you. It should be a fantastic game because we are two very similar sides. They are a very bold, daring team, a side that forces you to defend well. They play and defend with the ball - they are a very good team
who play nice football."
As far as Arsene Wenger is concerned, the pressure of ending Arsenal’s trophy drought makes it a vital step towards their season prospects. Whether or not the North London side has evolved since a disappointing 2009 – 2010 season, remains to be seen when
the two sides meet in February.
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