The problems facing Arsenal ahead of thier match against Barcelona in the Champions League
The age old cliché ‘be careful what you wish for’ came to mind when Barcelona’s came out of the pot for the team that was to play Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League.
After scraping through the group stages and making it through to the last 16 of the Champions League on the last match day, Arsene Wenger, Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas all with sheer arrogance said, we are not afraid of anyone,
bring on Barcelona and they got their wish granted in Nyon on Friday.
There is no doubt about the fact that it will be football for the purists when the two sides meet in February but the same spectacle was seen last year in the same competition, when Lionel Messi single handedly eviscerated Arsenal
at Camp Nou.
The first 20 minutes of the first leg on March 31st last year were the best 20 minutes of free flowing football that one can ever see when Barcelona dominated the proceedings and had 75 % of the ball possession, with
Arsenal’s 25% only accounting for the saves that their goal keeper was forced to make.
Arsenal somehow managed to salvage a draw from a game that saw them being dominated by the flawless, slick and mesmeric passing football that Barcelona played in that game but Lionel Messi made sure at Camp Nou that there was going
to be only one winner from the tie as he bagged all the four goals in the 4-1 win over Arsenal.
It is without doubt that Arsenal have been given the toughest of the draw among the four English contenders this season. Although Tottenham will be thoroughly tested by AC Milan at the San Siro but both Manchester United and Chelsea
will be hoping to seal their progress to the last 8 of the Champions League with games against Marseille and FC Copenhagen.
No matter how Arsenal’s form in the League is and what is their position in the League table, the game against Barcelona is sure to see the gunners up and without a shadow of a doubt, revenge will be on their agenda when they face
the Catalan giants in a month’s time.
The two teams are the flag bearers of slick passing football with Arsenal often called a ‘poor man’s Barcelona’, the footballing ethos of both the managers are the same with the intention to play beautiful, to entertain no matter
how the results fare on the pitch, but Arsenal can play it dirty if the need to and Barcelona must be aware of this fact.
There is no doubt that Barcelona are the best team in the world right now and after claiming the top spot in the Spanish Premiera Liga by mauling Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago there will be no stopping the Blaugranas.
But Arsenal will have an agenda of their own when they face Barcelona and it will be to beat Barcelona at their own game using their own tactic, and this is guaranteed that this not going to be easy.
Arsenal will have to win the midfield battles if they are to have any chance of gaining victory against Barcelona and their central defensive pairing of Squillaci and Koscielny will have to work wonders against Messi, Pedro and
Villa if they are to protect their goal keeper and there will be no room for any profligacy on Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin’s part.
The problems seem to be varying from defence through to midfield to attack for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger will have to address all these problems if his side is to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League.
Tags: