Arsenal: Four Things We Learned From the Gunners' Visit To Anfield

he first brick of Arsenal's newest Premier League campaign was laid yesterday in front of a uncomfortable crowd of Liverpool fans jam-packing the mythical Anfield. The match was going to be tough and all the players and managerial staff knew it.

As the game progressed, an image, differing from the one pundits and fans had in their minds, began to form.

With a pretty evenly distributed arms between the two teams, the skirmish finished in justified stalemate, 1-1. The boredom of the result was dispersed by the affairs that unfolded in front of the- content-to-see-the-beginning-of-the-new-season football fans.

Four events, especially, pointed the direction of a truth-seeking gaze – truths that may just well lead to repairing the past mistakes or foretelling the outcome for the teams and new season.



An Average Arsenal without Captain Cesc Fabregas

After Wenger's statements in early preseason preparation, it was hardly surprising to see that two of the most important players for Arsenal were not going to take part in the season opening game at Anfield. Leaving Robin van Persie on the bench, and team captain Cesc Fabregas completely out of the squad, Arsene Wenger stayed true to his intentions to give them a good rest after a tiring World Cup.

That inevitably affected Arsenal.

At times, despite the creative flair of Samir Nasri, and Andrey Arshavin, the Gunners looked unimaginative and dull. Simple short passes and persistence through the centre, especially in the first half, painted the picture of a team trying to keep possession but lacking sharpness to capitalize from it at the same time.

The final touch was missing. The distributions to the lone striker upfront were predictable and easy to deal with for the experienced Liverpool backs.

Someone with vision was missing to wreak havoc in the Liverpool defense with a well executed through or high balls. Someone exactly like Fabregas.

The team needs him, for his absence was once again felt on the field. Despite grabbing a valuable point in a difficult encounter, the staff must work throughout the season to ensure that the team will not fall into the void of relying on a single player.



New Signings Ready for the Premier League Challenge

Arsene Wenger is known for his accurate assessment of talent and right qualities when looking for possible team-upgrading players. Maybe he has succeeded in doing that yet again.

Maroune Chamakh looked like exactly the type of weapon Arsenal needs for its attack. His energy and fearless commitments to clashes provided another dimension for the Gunners's game. And in one such case, it proved to be crucial for the final result.

Maroune lurched forward to meet Pepe Reina for a 50-50 ball, won it, and following Reina's mistake, evened the result near the end of the game.

The other signing, Lauren Koscielny, also put up a good official debut. His performance was tainted only by the second yellow card he received in injury time.

Near the end of the first half, he felt what was like to play in the Premier League when new Liverpool addition Joe Cole made a committed tackle that missed the ball, landing on the French defender's right leg.

If it hadn't been the protecting pads, Koscielny's career at Arsenal could have been brought to an abrupt setback. But he found strength to go back and finished the game with a resolute facial expression.

While it's too early to conclude whether the new signings are a success, they must be credited for their good start. “A piece of English football; we are not afraid to taste it.”

Once again, well done, Mr. Wenger.


The Gunners Face a Familiar Season of Pain Yet Again

The excessive use of force to disrupt the technical game of the men clad in red and white has turned into something of a trade mark for the opposing teams. And how can you blame them? It has worked miracles so far with its efficiency.

The tactics look bound to stay the same this season. A single game has passed, and we already see the signs of concern.

Joe Cole's tackle on Lauren Koscielny and Steven Gerrard's sweep on Maroune Chamakh are just the beginning. The Arsenal players have to toughen up in order to deal with this problem. But that is not the only solution.

The referees must be more strict and able to differentiate between commitment and just pure ill-intended aggression. Something they have failed to do on numerous occasions in the previous years.

One thing is certain: the Gunners will have to test their pain threshold once again, and hopefully, this time, they'll come out on top with no major casualties.



Scoring Goals Out of the Blue Can Make the Difference

We all know that the difference between a good team and the champion is that the champion will score important goals even when they do not deserved to. How many times have we seen Manchester United or Chelsea play bad and be victorious?

This is exactly what happened with Arsenal on Saturday.

That's not to say they didn't deserve the draw, but they were certainly heading for a defeat had it not been the lucky Chamakh intervention that lead to the mistake of Pepe Reina.

If Arsenal can sustain the spirit they showed against Liverpool, luck just might turn the tide this season.

One game – a tough one – one point. It's not what someone would call a disappointment.

Arsenal: Tweaks to Defense Is the Key to Long-Awaited Title Glory

“Titles are won by the defense” said Tony Adams, Mr. Arsenal, in an interview earlier this year. Actually, he is not far from the truth.

While there are a lot more other factors that could contribute to a successful football campaign, history has backed his statement more than once.

Last season, the team with the second-best defense, but nevertheless with the best attack, snatched the precious silverware.

A careful look at the statistics from the seven seasons preceding that event will reveal that the teams that have managed to concede the fewest goals have been crowned champions of England (2009 Manchester United—24 goals conceded, ’08 Manchester United—22, ’07 Manchester United—27, ’06 Chelsea—22, ’05 Chelsea—15, ’04 Arsenal—26, ’03 Manchester United—34).

As you can see, a big factor for winning what seems to be one of the hardest competitions, apart from obviously scoring more than 90 goals, is to concede less than 30 goals.

That, however, looks beyond the currently drowned in trophy-drought Arsenal.
Why you may ask? Well, because Arsene Wenger’s team is still a few steps away from being complete.

While the men carrying the red badge showed enviable skills in attack, they somehow failed to curb the goal galore at the other end of the field. Since the famous “Invincible” season which the Gunners finished without suffering a single defeat, they have performed under the requirements set by their own genius.

Last season, Arsenal conceded 41 goals, the one before 37, in 2008—31, ’07—35, ‘06—31, ‘05—36. The matter of fact is that Wenger’s men have been conceding more than 30 goals in every season after their last Premier League triumph.

But before pessimism envelops us, we must remind ourselves of the transition that Arsenal has been going through since that undefeated run in 2004. The erection of the new Emirates Stadium undeniably delayed the rebuilding of the squad due to financial issues, but also opened new doors for further development.

Now, Arsenal is gathering the fruits off the tree that was planted four years ago (Emirates Stadium was opened in 2006). Things are slowly returning to normal, and although the team is still incomplete, it is in no way far from it.

Wenger has managed to put together a squad capable of inflicting deadly damage to any opposition. But that has not been enough, and the French tactician knows it. The time has come to smooth out the defense.

Last season’s partnership between William Gallas and Belgian revelation Thomas Vermaelen managed to defy the critics.

Following consistent good performances by the two, Arsenal’s carefree life at the back was cut prematurely short by an injury of William Gallas which uncovered the insufficient defensive depth.

That shook the defensive stability, and eventually Arsenal finished the league third, having conceded 41 goals in the process.

A fast forward up to now, and we see that little has been done to alleviate this pain.

An exodus of experienced, but considered by some unfit to play due to their age, defenders has occurred.

William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, Sol Campbell, and Mikael Silvestre bid their farewell to the Arsenal cause. The signing of Laurent Koscielny has put the fans’ minds to rest for a while, but certainly more needs to be done to avoid a repetition of last season’s scenario.

And I’m not saying this only when considering the defensive depth of the team. With one more defender, the depth will be sufficient, and if not, the problem will possibly be delayed up until the winter transfer window.

The thing is that the defender needed must be the right one.

At the moment, Arsenal has three capable and of similar mould central defenders: Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, and Johan Djourou—all of them posses pace, strength, and good positioning. This type of defenders would fit perfectly well into the dynamic style of play that Wenger is obviously trying to implement.

The facts are that Vermaelen has the tendency to go forward, Djourou has been tested as a midfielder in preseason, and Koscielny is still adapting, so we must wait a bit for him.

Their speed supports the dynamism and allows them to go forward when set pieces are involved. If the attack is unsuccessful, for example, they can hurriedly track back to prevent any damage from counter-attacks.

Add Song, who can also track back to help them defend, and things look bright on paper.

So far so good, but what lacks is dependability—a defender that does all the little seemingly insignificant things and stays responsibly back at all times; a tall defender preferably with above average speed and very good positioning. Not someone to organize the defense, but someone who is stable and consistent at doing his defensive responsibilities; someone in the mould of Steve Bould, for example.

This way the other defenders will feel safe to contribute to the attack of the team.
The only one I can think of, and that Arsenal have in the current squad, is Johan Djourou. He fits the bill, but his injury proneness might create headaches as the new season starts.

A good way of dealing with this problem is by buying one more defender of those depicted qualities. If Le Professor does that then the team would be only one step away from completion—and that would be the goal keeper step.

With the new fascinating emblem that the Emirates Stadium is, the leverage has drastically multiplied, and as time passes by it will continue to do so.

Let’s just hope Arsene Wenger will listen to the advice of one of his ex-players, Tony Adams, and will put the final brick into the defensive wall.

You never know, the title might be one central defender away. Just the right one.

Szczesny and Mannone: The Pill for the Goalkeeper Headache

Amidst tons of expectation from the fans and Arsenal supporters, the holder of a Master of Science in Economics – or dare I say Master’s in Economy— Arsene Wenger has to find the solution of what seems to be turning into a long-time problem—the one of the goalkeeper.

The last couple of seasons have been all but a fairy tale for Arsenal when it comes to this position.

Many hope that the numerous blunders from the two first-team favorites, Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski, will force Le Professor to rethink the situation.

In a way, they might be right.

Wenger just might be looking to solve this problem during this year’s summer transfer window.

Tons of words have been written about who might be the right man for the job.

Italian goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (23), Slovenian international Samir Handanovic (26), long-time transfer-linked Sebastian Frey (30), Manchester City’s Joe Hart (23), aging Australian Mark Schwarzer (37) and even French talented keeper Hugo Lloris have all been associated with Arsenal’s next No. 1.

It has all been speculation so far.

The problem proceeds to daunt the idealistic minds of the fans.

Something has probably escaped us.

Arsene Wenger has always been known for sacrificing a lot to give a chance to upcoming youngsters.

What has changed?

All of the above suggested goalkeeper, with the exception of Mark Schwarzer, would serve the exact opposite of what Wenger stands for.

Almost all of them are bellow the age of 30. That means that by buying either of them Wenger will be obstructing the development of the two talented and young goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Vito Mannone.

Last season, Mannone managed to record five first-team appearances, most mainly due to the injuries of Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.

He served the team very well. At times, he even looked more stable than Wenger’s first choice in front of goal.

During most of his season though, the young Italian goalkeeper played for the reserve team where he went from strength to strength, showing obvious signs of speedy improvement in the process.

Despite being very young, Vito has managed to demonstrate great maturity and promising skill, leaving him with only one visible down point, his inexperience, which is the only factor keeping him away from the first team spot.

The other option Wenger has is the Polish talent Wojciech Szczesny.

Much could be said about the young footballer.

He spent a fruitful loan spell at Brentford, managing to impress many with his high-quality performances in the process of 18 appearances for the club. His Arsenal youth-team displays drew countless praises from youth coach and Arsenal legend Steve Bould. With suitable qualities like authoritativeness, quick reflexes, and great off-the-line intuition, Szczesny simply cannot be dismissed for the first team spot that easily.

Presented with those two gems, the French manager will have a brainstorm on his mind as to whether he really needs to buy a goalkeeper from elsewhere. Both of the youngsters have expressed their inextinguishable desire to play a role for the Arsenal first team.

Recently, Szczesny stated on the official website that he is willing to stay at the club for the new season rather than to leave on another loan spell. If this doesn’t show he is ready for first-team football then I don’t know what will.

In the midst of all the endeavors for improvement, Wenger is presented with a pill to alleviate his goalkeeping headache.

Could it be that that the key to the chest is so near that he cannot see it?

I doubt it.

Buying any of the aforementioned transfer-linked goalkeepers will discontent the future world-class keepers Arsenal already possesses in their ranks.

With the right guidance, they will be world-class.

One of the choices, however, seems fitting in enough. And it has come as a surprise to many why Arsene Wenger was even considering the signature Mark Schwarzer. His presence in the club could buy one more year in safe environment for Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny to develop.

They are certainly on the right track.

Will Wenger buy them time or will he lose them by buying a young long-term goalkeeper? Time will tell.

What’s Wrong with France?

Problems inside the French contingent continue to arise as they ostensibly edge towards failure in South Africa. Following two negative results and strife among the ranks, eventually resulting in the exclusion of striker Nicolas Anelka from the

French squad, France is in a very unfavorable position to reach the final stages of the competition.

They are currently third in the group, trailing three points off Uruguay and Mexico who are first and second respectively.

The French national side is officially in a crisis. They have failed to perform anywhere near to the way they did in the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Cup when they became champions.

In 2004, the team led by Jacques Santini fell victims of a very defensive Greek side that eventually, and to the surprise of many, conquered Europe.

Santini was released and Raymond Domenech was brought in to replace him.

The new manager experienced some success in the 2006 World Cup. His move to bring Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram out of retirement proved to be the right recipe for success. France reached the final, but lost to Italy by penalties. Zidane was picked for Best Player of the Tournament leaving no doubt as to who was responsible for this success.

Since that moment, France has all but had pleasurable times. Stumbling in the group stages of the 2008 European Cup championship and barely managing to qualify for this year’s World Cup is just the tip of the Iceberg of Trouble.

Many have come to recognize the controversial and bizarre techniques of Raymond Domenech. A keen admirer of astrology, the Catalan-born manager has refused to call on footballers under the star sign of Scorpio – Robert Pires springs to mind.

On more than one occasion, Domenech has stated that he considers astrology when forming the French national team. Now, while astrology is an entirely different topic of discussion, we have to take a look at the results to see whether it actually works.

Under the tenure of Raymond Domenech, France’s one and only success dates back to 2006 when they reached the final of the World Cup. But a further glimpse reveals that the real reason for that accomplishment lies in Zidane’s feet.

Undoubtedly, France still misses Zinedine Zidane. They lack the player who can lead and inspire them to victory with sheer class, breathtaking skill, and stable leadership.

The aging Thierry Henry and William Gallas have little left to provide, especially if they are not included in the first team on a regular basis. Even the presence of players who have potential to be match-winners does little at the moment. The young and talented Yoann Gourcuff is one of those players, as is Franck Ribery, but we are yet to see them put the full weight on their shoulders.

On top of it all, the rigid methods of Raymond Domenech do little to alleviate the difficulties in the team. His decision to overlook Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri has brought him a hefty amount of criticism from everyone.

And the results are for all to see – a draw and a defeat puts them just one step away from flying back home in shame.

The drab atmosphere surrounding the team was further emphasized by the ejection of the Chelsea striker Nickolas Anelka. Reports claim that Anelka was angered by the manager’s decision to substitute him at half time during the clash with Mexico. The resulting verbal outburst brought him the axe.

But where does the problem lay really? A look deeper would reveal that the worms had already started eating the rotting apple even before that incident.

The piling pressure has been as a result of inadequate decisions of the manager. His unwillingness to ameliorate the picture was overt during that match with Mexico. While his side was losing, all Domenech did was stay on the sideline and stare blankly. Being uninterested and inactive is hardly the best you can do to solve problems of a similar mould.

In truth, the French team has a problem. They lack inspiration.
It could be the conflicts or the stress; this can be only guessed. But in any case, if they don’t inspire themselves in their last match of the World Cup group stages, some radical changes would have to be made.

One of the first steps would be axing Raymond Domenech for a man with a better football mind – Lauren Blanc.

Things look gloomy at the moment in the French contingent and even though the host nation, South Africa, is not what one would call a football giant, I can see them snatching some points away from France.

In the best possible scenario for the French, someone will rise to the occasion to inspire his team-mates.

But that would hardly save Raymond Domenech’s place at the driving seat of the French national team. His peculiar reign is inevitably coming to its logical end.

Tottenham Dents Arsenal’s Title Hopes: A Disappointed Fan’s Rant

Hello and good bye. Hello to the readers of this article and good bye to Arsenal’s title hopes. What a suitable way to end them though: to lose against one of your fiercest rivals. Nevertheless, I have nothing against the Spurs.

They played their game and won. It makes that win look even more respectable after their hardships in the FA Cup, losing to Portsmouth after having played for a long tiring 120 minutes.

They defended perfectly, in a very organized manner. Well done, Harry Redknapp, and well done, players of Tottenham. You deserved your win.

But what side did you play against?

A side that had 8 days to rest; a side that had to rely on its reserve team after being crippled by injuries. But this is no excuse. All the teams with the title in mind have pretty much the same number of matches. What I was shocked about was how almost the same players who made an inspiring come back against currently the best team in Europe, Barcelona, looked so helpless this time.

Since the beginning of the match Arsenal looked sluggish. Sure, they had more possession of the ball, but the attack was as dull as a stick. They passed the ball in the centre of the park but met the well-organized defense of Spurs with a surprising lack of inspiration and creativity.

It only took ten minutes for the Spurs to exploit their North London rivals’ main weakness.

Manuel Almunia came out to collect what seemed an easy ball, but unknowingly why decided to punch it. The ball was met by the volley of the young revelation of the match Danny Rose. Almunia still had a chance to reach the ball, but slipped and failed to counteract, the ball passing just an inch away from his fingertips and into the goal.

It was one of those baffling mistakes that we have seen a hefty number of times this season. But, hey, Arsenal has come back from behind after similar stuff. Why not now? Well, not this time. It took me some time to perceive that.

Samir Nasri was not himself.

He rarely dribbled or attempted to use that killer dribble that he possesses. His passing was under par. His creativity – in the past.

His team-mate Thomas Rosicky was down there with him. He attempted a couple of shots which turned out to be very disappointing.

Emmanuel Eboue reminded me of that infamous match of his against Wigan in 2008: too many inaccurate passes and unsuccessful dribbles, just far too many mistakes.

Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner were pretty much like twins tonight. Both of them were terribly slow and ineffective. Diaby’s strength was useless against the massive pressure that the Tottenham players amounted every time he received the ball. The Dane up front was almost completely cut off from the rest of the team. He should have tracked back more often. Not to say that his feet were sluggish at best.

The only thing that was exciting about him was his chewing gum. It was fun to watch how calmly he chewed that gum while things were going the wrong way.

The only light beam in all that darkness was the man who returned from a long time out of the game, Robin van Persie. How unfortunate for Arsenal not to have had a footballer of this quality at their disposal throughout basically the whole season.

Immediately after his involvement in the game, the Arsenal attack gained another dimension. A couple of defense-splitting passes reminded us of what the team had missed. But as it most usually happens inspiration can be stopped only by inspiration from an opponent.

Heurelho Gomes is the name. He made three superb saves to keep his team in the lead, two of which from a terrific and on-fire Van Persie.

One goal near the end was not enough to clear the shame off the Gunners’ faces after this terrible performance. Arsenal looked totally clueless and unmotivated for the bigger part of the game.

While some will make excuses with the explanation that key players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Vermaelen, Ramsey, and Song were out, I think slightly differently. This side had to prove themselves. Something they completely failed to do.

What was scarier was the lack of passion, a total lack of passion.

I’m much more willing to forgive my team after losing 3-0 after playing their hearts out on the field. That, however, did not happen tonight. The silly mistakes are part
of the game, but passion is what this game is about.

Come on! You are playing against you fiercest rival in a match that you have to definitely win to get your first title in five years. If that doesn’t motivate you then I don’t know what will.

Not all was hopeless though. I cannot skip to give credit to Gael Clichy for his stamina and to Van Persie for his exquisite skills. Thomas Rosicky was unlucky, and so was Thomas Vermaelen who sustained an unfortunate injury so early in the match. That battle-scarred veteran Sol Campbell was a joy to watch too. He gave his best and tried to rally the troops, unfortunately to no avail.

Another hard-to-swallow year. But hope seems to have become an inseparable component of the soul of the Arsenal fan. So, we’ll wait. Maybe Chelsea will stumble. You never know.

Premier League High-Tempo Style: Arguments For and Against

In the last several years, one league has stood up with its dominant philosophy on the European international stage: the English Premier League.

Why? The answer is simple: higher tempo of playing, the superior fitness that stems from it and the mentality to never give up until the final whistle is blown.

But looking into the prevailing style of this so enormously successful league, we see it has disadvantages as well as advantages.

What are they, you may ask?

Here they are:

Pros

Firstly, it must be noted playing at a higher-than-usual tempo requires almost perfect body fitness. Faced with a strenuous battle with himself, a football player must be well prepared beforehand. The importance of a successful outcome is thus placed on the preparation, or the training.

Undeniably, footballers from the English Premier League are fitter than their counterparts abroad. Constantly pushing for perfection, their bodies begin to resemble those of athletes rather than the bodies of people who simply exercise regularly.

They can’t be blamed. Modern football in England requires for a player to have a totally fat-free body with muscles well used to continuous energy-consuming work.

Alternatively, if one stops to think for a second, it makes perfect sense. The ramifications of the use of such peculiar style are beneficial, both financially and in terms of popularity, for English football.

The higher dynamics of this style will make it much more appealing to eye. Hence, the popularity worldwide will rise significantly.

Another ramification comes from the fact when people recognize this superior fitness of the footballers, they would expect them to fully fulfill that potential. Referees, as part of that group of people, do not differentiate from that opinion.

They allow a more direct, more physical style of play which will lead to less interruptions of the game. I could easily, with a hand on my heart, say that I watch more football – the quintessential meaning of it – in England than anywhere else in the world.

Apart from that, the dynamism of football that is played and the superior fitness the players develop in result of it allow a distinct advantage to English teams on the international competition stage.

How many times have we seen an English club progress to the final stages of an international competition – such as the Champions League, for example?

I am in no way saying that this is the only factor for that to happen, but it certainly is up there with the rest of the defining ones.

However, like everything else, the dynamic style of play has its disadvantages too.

Cons

It has been proven that accession of fitness is in direct ratio with the increase of testosterone in the blood. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle and bone growth, but it also affects the mood.

Most often the more of the hormone someone has the more signs of aggression he will show.

Yes, better fitness, coupled with an approving nod from the referee, equals a more aggressive style of play.

This is one of the main disadvantages of the direct style of play that is worshiped in the Premier League. Not one or two ghastly injuries have we seen following a little more than usual aggressive encounter.

That exertion to the maximum is often the biggest causing factor for lighter injuries even. During every season, in England, an astounding amount of injuries are sustained by players. Especially near the end of the season when almost all have been squeezed out of the athletes and their bodies begin to crumble beneath the cumulated stress.

Despite defying all believes, the human body is not meant to take so much stress, a fact proved annually by the increasing number of injuries that occur.

Another negative effect that stems from the direct high-tempo style of play is the type of battles that occur on the field. A more dynamic game, in which the players move at all times, especially if organized pressure is applied in order to get the ball back in possession, would benefit battles in the sort of one versus two players rather than one versus one. With football being a team game, players must cover for each other, help each other.

In this way, if they have the sufficient fitness to keep burning that energy, we, the fans, would be most likely supplied with one player trying to out-battle the two or three facing him.

This, nonetheless, put the emphasis on defensive football and also restricts the usage of technique and tricks as they are rendered almost useless.

Drawing the Line

Football in England has become a huge commercial business in which rarely the health of footballers is taken into consideration. The satisfaction of the fans and customers has become more important.

High-tempo direct style of play has something tantalizing about it that lures people to enjoy its pure tension-charged atmosphere and pay more and more to watch their favorite teams exert to the maximum while they sit comfortably in their chairs.

As long as money is pouring into the kitty of the FA, they wouldn’t care if a player has sustained an open fracture, a head trauma, or anything else as ghastly.

The philosophy they had undertaken has brought the FA popularity. The English League is one of the most popular leagues in the world. Along with that, its clubs reap success in international competitions. But looking at the big picture, it’s obvious the philosophy is still a work in progress.

Ultimately, the style which the footballers will use on the field is directly influenced by what the fans want to see. Is that good or bad? It’s subjective.

Dissecting Arsenal and Barcelona: What to Expect at Camp Nou

What a memorable night for football Wednesday night was. Both teams, having similarities more than differences, produced a feast for the eyes on this Wednesday night. Drama, in all its forms, entertained us—the beauty of football, just the clean sense of it, glued the eyes of millions glued to the TV screens.

Barcelona showed once again why they instill fear into their opponents, with this style of play, players, and coach. Chelsea and Manchester United will nod their heads in approval when I say Barcelona is drop-dead dangerous.

However, they will have to overcome an underestimated the young yet, I have to say, experienced side.

Arsenal will have their share of problems, but Barcelona will too. What are they exactly? Here are a few of them:


Arsenal’s Pains

Andrey Arshavin, the Russian magician, will probably miss the highly-charged return leg in Spain. Arsenal’s captain Cesc Fabregas will also miss it, along with injured first-team choice William Gallas. That, with the fact the Arsenal’s most dangerous striker Robin Van Persie will be missing, restricts the choices of Arsene Wenger to zero.

No one from the Gunners’ camp would like to see the one dimensional Arsenal that this lack of first team players may cause at the Camp Nou. It will only make life much easier for the Catalans—and they would love that.

On top of that, the vulnerability of the Arsenal defense was exposed by Barcelona—those long balls proved too hard to decode for Alex Song and Thomas Vermaelen.

The fact that the partnership is likely to be the same for the return leg raises the question just how much work do Song and Vermaelen have to do before they reach the level of understanding that existed between the Belgian and Gallas? Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s two goals will certainly ring the alarm bells for Wenger and the players and will push them to improve their game and mutual understanding in training.


Barcelona’s Pains

Barcelona, similarly, will miss both their first-team starters at the back: Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, hardly a problem you can easily disregard.

The hopes of Arsenal are raised even more by other significant factors.

Despite the razor-sharp attack, Barcelona is vulnerable in the air, as we all saw. The absences of the short Arshavin and Fabregas may prove to be not as important as initially thought.

What matters, and key to exploiting that specific weakness of the Catalans, is the availability of the good headers in the team: Thomas Vermaelen, Nicklas Bendtner, and Abou Diaby. If the team plays a well-organized game, at the back, with precise execution of the crosses aimed at those exact players, and efficient use of set pieces, they might just snatch it away from the current cup holders.

Another potential problem-causing issue for Pep Guardiola’s team is their weaker physiques. We all saw how they pushed themselves to the limit until the 70th minute at the Emirates, and then they crumbled. I would argue the reason they conceded the first goal was more due to fitness than to psychology.

The team’s physical energy limits were drained due to their incessant attempts to win the ball and keep it in their possession. Every time when Arsenal won the ball, or attempted to make a counter-attack, at least three Barcelona players were at them, trying to close them down, and win the ball back.

While being a very effective part of total football, this tactic is very tiring to the players.

Wenger ingeniously kept the extremely quick Theo Walcott for the closing part of the game when the players clad in yellow were beginning to breathe heavier. The potential choice for the England national side was a big pain for the Catalans, ripping through the left side of their defense like knife through butter. The England manager, Fabio Capello, who was watching the match, must have been impressed.

If Arsenal manages to keep things at status quo until 60th, 70th minute favors might start to turn their way in the final period of the game. Of course, the result from the first leg will complicate things a bit as they will have to score to proceed to the next stage, but as the young Gunners have proven with this stunning comeback, it is not out of their reach.


Conclusion

Barcelona are the clear favorites. Arsenal has much to avenge for against this specific enemy, but it will not be about that this time. It will be about proving their worth against probably the best team in the world at the moment.

After Wednesday night’s performance, which is just the tip of the iceberg of a long and strenuous work, it’s a safe bet to say the young players at Arsenal have learnt a lot and have grown enormously, mentally as well as physically. For this reason, I claim they are much closer to winning anything this year than a year or two ago.

It only remains for them to go and give it all at Camp Nou. If they manage to win it, they will deservedly become one of people’s favorites to win this year’s version of the Champions League.