What makes this game such an exciting prospect is that we are playing a team like ours, a team that has one way of playing – quick on-the-ground football, fast feet and faster imaginations, elegance and brilliance allied with pace and power …. It’s testament to the Other Pole in Goal that there is no talk about our goalkeeping frailties.īench: Almunia Bendnter Denilson Squillaci Arshavin/Nasri Rosicky Gibbs Fabianski wilted under pressure in the Champions League and it took him a year to recover. How will he cope? Indications are that he will be calmness personified, but who knows? It is a huge test. ![]() What a night for Szczezny! Still using stabilisers on his bicycle and yet playing against what is being heralded as the best football team of all-time. Clichy will have to be alert and contribute to a secure defensive performance. Barca defend from the front with the strikers working the defence and stopping an easy out-ball, thankfully both JD and Kos are comfortable with the ball at their feet. Djourou in particular has been a revelation – we all know that the 2 points gifted to Newcastle were as a direct result of JD leaving the field. They have pace and power and neither seems to panic under pressure. but the central pairing of Djourou and Koscielny are developing into a fine unit. No defence can realistically stop Messi, Villa, Pedro etc. An ageing Abidal should be targeted by both Nasri and Walcott, he remains a fine player but has lost a yard of pace, and by playing down the left we will force Pedro to stay and cover. Robin is in the best form of his life and looks unplayable, whereas Walcott has already shown Barca that his pace can and will cause them problems. Both Van Persie and Walcott are in fine fettle. Will Mascherano or Keita play? We know all about Mascherano, a super player and well used to playing Arsenal. We know that Busquets is a fine player – he forced Yaya out of Barca – but Jack will have him running and tackling air. Should he not play, Arshavin is returning to his devastating best and will be hungry to show the world that he remains World class. And then there is Nasri, our will o’ the wisp, a man who can bamboozle any defence. Who needs Iniesta and Xavi when we have two players who are as good and are a combined 15 years younger? Song has become the Premiership’s best defensive midfielder with the ability to create as well as tackle. The emergence of Wilshere has propelled Fabregas to a higher level. What a mouth-watering battle we have in midfield tonight. The combination of Messi and Alves cause trouble for the very best – both Eboue and Walcott will need total concentration. I would love for Eboue to prove me wrong but if I was Guardiola, I would target him. Defensive discipline is a must and unfortunately our Ivorian has lapses of concentration. I have made my opinion clear about Eboue, he is not good enough, and I fear for him tonight. The loss of Sagna (a dreadful decision from a dreadful referee) may well prove costly. ![]() Had Nasri been fully-fit, Sagna and Vermælen available we could compare like with like, as it is we will have to beat them with Eboue. Well, tonight Barca will be playing almost our first XI, and I expect things to be different. That night we had Silvestre playing at CB, Eastmond, Merida, Campbell and Traore on the bench!!.īut what do we hear? We hear that AFC received a football lesson in Spain. Take the 5 most influential players out of the Barca team and see how well they do against a full strength Arsenal. Then we went to Barca without … Cesc, Gallas, RvP, Arshavin and Song. ![]() ![]() True, we got steam-rollered in the first half at THOF but more than held our own in the second. If any team in Europe can beat an in-form Barcelona it is an in-form Arsenal.Īnd you doubters, think on this – last season we went to the Nou Camp level after 90 minutes. 4 points behind but 5 years ahead in terms of footballing ability. Should the unthinkable happen and United go on to win the PL, what will we say? I will tell you, we will say that the best team in England are not the Champions, because without any question this Arsenal team are the best in the country.
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