FC Barcelona (h) Preview: Time To Step Out Of The Shadows

The Emirates hosts its biggest match involving a non-English team this evening as Barcelona swagger into town. Whatever you may think, to be reigning Champions at domestically and continentally is some achievement. Both of those are under serious threat, no matter what the Catalans may believe. Arsenal, we are told, has no chance of winning. Thankfully, football is not played in the numerous electronic and paper column inches that this match has commanded.

It is a chance for Arsenal to erase the memories of their big match encounters this season. Four times they have met Chelsea and Manchester United, on each occasion the results not going their way. This time, they face a side who play football in a similar manner. Wenger has been at pains to point out that the Arsenal style is more closely aligned with the total football of the Dutch in the 1970s than Barcelona. Presumably, he has yet to realise that football did not exist before Sky took over the broadcasting rights and people are not supposed to be able to relate to anything before then.

Much advice has been passed his way on the dangers this evening poses to his desire to win a European trophy. About how Messi is unplayable at the moment, Ibrahimovich will torment Vermaelen or Xavi will outpass the Arsenal midfield. Little credit is being given to the Arsenal players, even supporters are questioning how we can win such an encounter.

It is all rather reminiscent of the matches against Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan in recent seasons. How could the Arsenal sides in question win such matches. Quite simply, they kept clean sheets and scored. The first part of that equation could be the most important thing this evening. Denying Barcelona an away goal is crucial. It puts pressure on them to score at home – as would an Arsenal win this evening – and allows the prospect of Arsenal counter-attacking them successfully in the Camp Nou.

The defence received a boost in William Gallas’ return to the first team squad. Like Cesc, it is a decision that Wenger will make tomorrow and should not be considered a slight on Sol Campbell’s efforts in his absence. Quite simply, at this stage of their careers, Gallas is the superior player. The former England captain has done a good job covering for him whilst Gallas was injured; perhaps that will continue tonight with the only question mark being whether or not Gallas is match fit.

In midfield, Cesc would want to play even if it meant using a mobile life support machine to get him onto the pitch. That Wenger suggested it was currently 60:40 against the Spaniard being fit means that he will no doubt be there at kick-off, accompanying Diaby and Song in the centre of the pitch.

They are in some respects better suited to facing Barcelona than Manchester United’s quartet were last year in Rome. Arsenal win a lot of their possession through intercepting passes rather than diving in with rash challenges. Forcing the opposition to pass constantly when they have the ball increases the likelihood of a mistake. Barcelona may like to have the ball and use it but they are not infallible.

Key though will be Arsenal retaining possession and forcing the visitors back four into their own half. With full backs who like to attack, there will be space for the Arsenal front line and midfield to exploit. Thomas Vermaelen summed the situation up nicely:

You are aware of the qualities of the opponents, but you also know what your own strengths are.

Arsenal possesses enough quality in the playing personnel to force Barcelona onto the back foot. Much is being made of the determination Fabregas will have to do well against his former club; that should not be underestimated. However, perhaps two other players hold more of a key than the captain does. Andrey Arshavin likes the big games; his form is typical of the flair player. Infuriating at times, driving you to distraction but the moments when the Russian is focussed bring a joy to behold. Quick of mind and fleet of foot, this is an occasion for him to shine as he has done in the past. His goal threat means that the Barcelona right side will be fully occupied.

Similarly, the left must surely have problems awaiting them in the form of Samir Nasri. Whilst Theo Walcott has pace to burn, Nasri is in a rich vein of goalscoring form which must put him ahead of Walcott in the starting line-up. His spell in the centre of midfield appears to have done wonders for his confidence, the talent he undoubtedly has shining through in recent games. Given his age, adding consistency to his performances will surely enhance his reputation, benefitting himself and the team, a point acknowledged by Nasri in an interview given at the weekend.

Provided that fitness tests are passed, I would expect the line-up to be, (changes if Fabregas / Gallas do not pass their tests):

Almunia; Sagna, Gallas (Campbell), Vermaelen, Clichy; Fabregas (Nasri), Song, Diaby (Denilson); Nasri (Walcott), Bendtner, Arshavin

This is the night, the chance to prove themselves to the doubters – I did like Bergkamp’s description, ‘non-believers‘ – and to give themselves a good chance of progressing to the semi-finals. Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it.

’til Tomorrow.

In Conversation With A Barca Blogger

Bibin from All About FC Barcelona has been kind enough to spend some time giving his thoughts on this week’s Champions League clash and Barcelona in general.

ACLF: Over the two legs, Barcelona is the favourites. How do you see the two matches going?

Bibin: I believe the First leg at Emirates is the crucial one. We have to go for a win there or at least a goal scoring draw. If we failed to score at Emirates, we will be in trouble. The key in the tie will be how Toure Perform. If he continues his good form, Arsenal could be in trouble (only if Guardiola picks him ahead of Busquets). Also Xavi’s return helps a lot. I think we will win the match at Emirates and then draw the return leg.

What makes you believe you will win at Arsenal?

Three reasons. First one is the fact that Barca will be more comfortable with Arsenal’s playing style. Second is the central defence you have got. Vermaelen is class but Sol Campbell is past his prime. Messi could make life difficult for him. Third one is the fact that the Barca squad is more experienced in terms of these kinds of matches. Even then this is going to be a tight match.

It seems that you think Barca will have problems keeping clean sheets in both legs?

It will be hard for both the teams to keep clean sheets in this tie. It is going to be a display of attacking football and definitely goals will come from both sides. Add to it, the occasional mistakes both our defences are used to make, goal will be guaranteed.

Iniesta is definitely out of the 1st Leg and highly doubtful for the 2nd. How much will Barca miss him?

We will surely miss him. He is an integral part of Barca midfield and forms the most lethal midfield alliance with Xavi. This injury surely complicates the first leg for Barca. He is expected to return for the second leg. Luckily we have Xavi returning now and that should ease the headache a bit. A midfield of Toure, Busquets and Xavi should still be able to do the job for Barca.

Henry has said that he would have preferred not to play Arsenal – do you think he will start in either leg? Is age finally catching up with him?

I believe we will start with him at the Emirates, especially because of his experience and knowledge of Arsenal. He is also one player who is past his prime. But he still is able to contribute to Barca’s success, that’s the quality of the talent he possesses. This season most probably will be his last season at Barca.

Where do you see the main danger from Arsenal?

That’s simple. I believe the main danger for Barca will come from Arshavin and Fabregas. Arshavin would be able to exploit the space left by Alves while going forward. And Arshavin always is a big game performer. Fabregas also is key, especially with his ability to split defence. But for me containing Arshavin will be the key for Barca.

No mention of Nasri or Rosicky. Walcott’s pace could trouble the left side of your defence if he plays. And what of our own version of Lionel Messi, Emmanuel Eboue?

They all are quality players, but I doubt they have the command on the game like Fabregas and Arshavin. Just watch your big games this season; it’s these two guys performance that decided those matches. When they failed, your team struggled against bigger teams.

Alex Hleb said that he felt Arsenal moved the ball quicker and were less direct than Barcelona

Arsene Wenger always loved the Barca style of play and with the quality of players you got, that’s not a big surprise. And it is also due to the fact Barca is playing at a much lower tempo this season compared to last season.

The defence is seen as the weak link in the side which seems harsh as they have kept 25 or so clean sheets this season. Is it an area which concerns you?

Isn’t it strange that one of the tidiest defences in Europe is considered a probable weak link? That’s life at Barca. It may not be entirely wrong. The defence has a definitive weakness against aerial ball especially when there is a strong CF like Drogba. But why the defence is getting exposed at times is due to the fact that they are an integral part in Barca’s attack. Arsenal Fans can definitely relate to that.

Another reason is the high defensive line we hold and the full backs getting forward most of the time. That’s why there is always trouble if the midfield fails to dominate possession.

Lionel Messi grabs headlines for his attacking displays; the suggestion is that he is carrying the side.

If you look at the whole season, then definitely not true. But yes, in the last few matches we have depended heavily on him to win matches. Luckily Messi is not complaining. But the last two matches showed that many of our players especially Toure and Iniesta are coming back to form and we should see them contributing heavily for Barca. But still Barca might look to Messi to score majority of goals, as Ibra still is struggling in front of goal. But he should have more creative assists from others.

The perception is that Barca has an outstanding starting XI but not too much depth to the squad.

Again the arguments do have some merit. What we are missing is some quality cover at the front left position and the centre forward position. But the problem is with the amazing quality of youngsters that are coming from the Youth Academy. So I think management always sees whether they can give enough chances to players like Bojan, Pedro, Jeffren, Jonathan etc. Again it’s quite tricky, just watch what happened with Gudjohnsen or Hleb in that case, it is not that easy to replace the starting XI and they always struggle to find quality playing time. And in Barca the youth products always will be preferred.

There was a lot of talk that Bojan would move on last summer. Perhaps Pedro is in a similar position? Is Barca facing a wider issue of talented youngsters leaving? Are the club ready for that?

There is a high possibility of Bojan leaving on loan next summer. Guardiola has preferred Pedro ahead of him. Guardiola looks like don’t not have much confidence in Bojan but Pedro is his chosen one. So he will never leave. Bojan’s recent form has been ok and most importantly he is getting some playing time, so he also may decide to stay. With such an excellent youth system, we may have to accept the possibility of some of these talented players leaving. The key is to identify the best and retain them.

This has to be asked…Do you think Cesc will join Barcelona in the summer? Who would he replace in the side?

This is a very risky question, especially considering that this is going to get posted on an Arsenal blog. I will answer this question in two parts:

1) Should Barca Go For Cesc?

Ok, my answer will surprise many but I firmly believe that Cesc will be a costly buy, one which Barca may not need at this moment. If Cesc arrives, then one of the options will be to move Iniesta forward. That is something I am against. I don’t want a midfield minus Iniesta.

Iniesta may not score many goals or may not have too many shot on target, but he provides something to our midfield which makes it the best. He with his constant tricks and skills and amazing ball possession and passing skills give the forwards lot of space to operate with.

What we really need is a guy to replace Henry on the front, someone like Silva or may be a Ribery without injury. There is no doubt that Fabregas is the ideal replacement for Xavi, but Xavi should play at this level for some more years (touch wood). By that time one of Thiago, Jonathan etc should be ready.

2) Will Cesc Join Barca this season?

No, if Arsenal wins some Silverware. Otherwise there is a high chance. Why I say high chance is because Real Madrid will be looking to pounce on him and no Barca management can afford that to happen. So we will definitely go for him if Real Madrid makes a even a slightest of noise.

Laporta though is obsessed with re-signing Cesc! Madrid cannot even say who their coach will be next week, let alone in the summer!! Most Madrileños will be praying that Arsenal dump Barca out of the Champions League, the shame of Puyol lifting the trophy in the Bernabeu would be too much for them to bear!

It’s always the story with Madrid. But remember in Madrid, the President runs the show, especially the transfer sagas. Barcelona winning the Champions League at Bernabeu will see Madrid making another mess of the transfer market. So I think everyone should be worried about that. I firmly believe that Laporta is obsessed to bring Cesc to Barca because of the reported interest by Madrid. Don’t blame him, he cannot allow such a scenario.

It was said that on the day Laporta first took over as President, his predecessor left him Fabregas’ file with a note, “You will have to explain how this one got away”. The question is whether Cesc would be the player he now is had he stayed or has leaving been the best thing for his career?

Nobody can say what would have happened had Cesc stayed at Barca. Arsenal did play a huge part in the development of Fabregas. But again you can’t say that, has he stayed at Barca he wouldn’t have developed into a quality player. You are talking about a team which developed the likes of Xavi, Iniesta etc in recent times and some exceptional midfielders in the past.

Laporta finally leaves the club this summer. Good news or bad?

I personally would love to see him continue. But there is no need to feel bad. In Barca it is the system which produces success. But it will be a dishonour not to appreciate his contribution. He was the one who placed Barca firmly back in the European Map.

But then there was a bit of luck which went his way. Just Imagine, What would have happened if he managed to sign Beckham instead of Ronaldinho? I think he has managed to keep in place a system that should continue the good work. He rightly has put the emphasis back on Youth academy.

Most Arsenal fans hate Laporta and will be glad to see the back of him. Next will getting shot of Florentino Perez!

Every Barca fan would love to see the back of Perez, but he will not go that easily. He will make another mess of the entire footballing scenario before leaving.

You wouldn’t want to see a Galactico approach at Barcelona then?

I would like to see Barca buy quality players because they have to offer something to the team, not because they are stars. The Galactico policy is all about buying stars. I firmly believe in developing stars. Remember in Messi, Iniesta and Xavi we have already saved at least 200 million in transfer money.

Pep Guardiola will go down as one of the most successful managers in history. Is he good or simply fortunate to have an outstanding team?

Bit of both. He is good but not excellent and definitely he is blessed with one of the best sides of all time. I don’t regard him as a tactical genius; he is more of a disciplinarian. And that was what this Barca side needed. He had made errors with his tactics and has made me angry many times with his decisions of not utilizing the whole substitution quota. But we should all remember that he is just in his third season as a coach. He will definitely improve and should end up as one of the greatest coach of all time.

His contract is due to be renewed but with the elections there is some doubt about whether he will sign a new one?

He will definitely sign the deal. But I like the attitude of signing deal for a year; it helps him keep his focus.

Thanks to Bibin for his time. ’til Tomorrow.

Title Thoughts & Cesc

Now that Birmingham is in the past, attention turns to the match that you half-suspect everyone at the club has had their eye on, Barcelona’s visit to The Emirates. With the results at the weekend, the assumption is that there will be a deflated atmosphere around the club as far as the Premier League is concerned. I am not so sure that there should be. The seventeen games remaining for the top three (United v Chelsea is one match) are not straightforward in their entirety, writing off Arsenal’s chances is still premature. Despite this, the media persist in doing so, even though they know that the best case scenario for Arsenal is a draw which would bring the gap at the top down to two points.

This weekend is crucial for the title challenge. It is the toughest fixture for both of the top two and for Arsenal, anything but a United win will be a decent result. If United has won by the time we kick-off against Wolves, you have to be honest and say that the Premier League title is unlikely to be coming to The Emirates this season. Even with an Arsenal victory, it would be perhaps too much to expect them to lose twice which is effectively what Arsenal requires such is the superiority of the goal difference that the defending Champions has.

Recriminations against individuals and saying that certain matches – the four against United and Chelsea – did for us are pointless in their vacuity. Other points dropped such as those against Burnley, Everton, Birmingham are equally damaging because they were ‘compensation’ for the points lost to Chelsea and United. As long as the lessons are learned and the squad strengthened, then the progress of this season can be built upon. That does not lessen the disappointment of the eventual outcome but surely if this season does eventually go south, hope should dominate.

The question will be how much Wenger has to spend. Trying to get to the truth is rather like solving a Sherlock Holmes mystery before he does; bloody hard. Kroenke has moved to buy more shares, exceptionally close to the threshold for an automatic takeover. The suspicion must be that this is coming and may well arrive in the summer. The question then becomes whether there will be additional funds available for Wenger before any new owner starts removing dividends from the club. A quiet close season this will not be.

Back to football though. Ahead of the plethora of Spanish media stories which purport to be the truth about his future, Cesc has said that he is staying, according to the Daily Star Sunday:

I don’t understand all the rumours about me. I’ve always said that I’m happy at Arsenal. I can say a thousand times that I won’t go to a Spanish club but nobody believes me. Arsenal is my home and I don’t have any plans to leave.

Conspiracy theorists will no doubt tell us to read between the lines. ‘I have no plans to leave‘ probably has words cut at the end, ‘at this moment in time‘. ‘I won’t go to a Spanish club‘ omits the fact that Barcelona seem themselves as Catalan, not Spanish. It’s all good stuff and designed to drive you insane during the World Cup and more immediately, the next ten days as well as possibly distracting the player. Which may all be a waste of time as he and Abou Diaby both picked up knocks at Birmingham. Despite this, it would be a surprise if either missed the match.

’til Tomorrow.

Phillips Turns Screw In Title Race

Birmingham City 1 – 1 Arsenal

0 – 1 Nasri (81)
1 – 1 Phillips (90)

Had Aston Villa not capitulated at Stamford Bridge, conceding seven without showing any semblance of pride in their performance, I wonder if the reaction to this draw might be more muted. It was as if every journalists prayer had been answered. As was the case two years ago, a late Birmingham City equaliser has dented Arsenal’s title challenge. Whether ’tis but a flesh wound or a fatal blow remains to be seen. Every point is sacred [Thwack! That's enough plagiarising Monty Python - Ed].

Samir Nasri’s goal nine minutes before time looked to have been enough to take the required three points but a freak equaliser from Kevin Phillips during time added on left Arsene showing the strain. Commenting on Mancini v Moyes – The Italian Job III – during the week, Wenger proferred the view that such emotions show managers care. A four-letter outburst is atypical of Wenger but identifies the disappointment he felt about the result as much as his opinion on the tackle inflicted. In that instance, I am not convinced that the challenge was that bad, the reaction a sign that journalists are getting on his nerves.

Too many have been quick to blame Almunia for the goal; their prejudices against the Spaniard shine through as a beacon for those unwillingly to accept it was a fluke. Perhaps the Spaniard should have done more in keeping the ball out but in attempting to get sufficient height to help the ball over the bar, he forsook distance. Those chastising him mercilessly show the fickleness of football, forgetting last week’s penalty save or saves earlier in the match when the scores were level. Such is the lot of a goalkeeper.

The outcome could have been a lot worse yet it should have been better. Birmingham struck the woodwork when Johnson’s effort looped over Almunia to the far post, Dann under pressure skied the rebound over the bar from a yard. I’m being kind to Dann; even under pressure he should have scored quite comfortably. Almunia produced a good stop from Jerome as the interval beckoned. One other save in the first half was the sum of his contribution to the afternoon before Phillips equaliser, identifying how much pressure Arsenal exerted.

Almost from the kick-off, Arsenal went at their hosts. Diaby’s effort was deflected wide by Bowyer following an incisive run by Rosicky early on. Just past the quarter hour mark, Walcott brushed aside Ridgewell only to see his effort parried by the onrushing Hart. The remainder of the half contained a lot of toil with little or no end product. Few efforts were on target; even fewer troubled either goalkeeper.

In the second half, Arsenal took charge but initially failed to put any meaningful efforts on target. Rosicky once more troubled the defence, Diaby shot straight at Hart. The introduction of Nasri and Arshavin – surprisingly leaving Fabregas on the pitch – gave more urgency. The Russian teed up his captain but once more the effort produced a comfortable save. Diaby provided a shoulder charge that Tommy Lawton would have been proud of, burying the shot but Howard Webb had already halted play, deeming Diaby’s challenge a foul.

The breakthrough came with Nasri picking the ball up on the right, cutting inside before striking low and hard into the corner of the net. It was a cracking finish, worthy of winning a match. That should have been the match sewn up; Arshavin’s finish was woeful with a clear opportunity after that and Hart made a decent save from Fabregas’ freekick. Opportunities spurned to costly effect.

Defensively, Arsenal coped comfortably with Birmingham. Sagna and Clichy got forward well although the delivery from the right was more consistent than Clichy managed. Campbell marshalled the back four well, Song provided decent cover when pace outdid his defensive partner. In midfield, Denilson went about his work quietly and became more assertive as the game went on. Fabregas, even before injury restricted him, was to some extent a peripheral figure. Perhaps if he had the choice again, Wenger would have withdrawn his captain to allow Nasri into the middle of the park at an earlier stage, or even moved Rosicky to accommodate Eboue on the flank.

There were performances which showed toil but little reward. Walcott, after initial promise, faded and was largely anonymous before being substituted whilst Bendtner simply worked hard to pressurise the home defence. He had few clear opportunities on goal, a sign perhaps that McLeish was aware that the Dane is a striker on form. He was shackled well for a lot of the time, forced out of the area to link midfield and attack, which he did effectively.

Overall, this is an opportunity lost. To take the lead late on should have been the signal to close out for a win. This was a game earmarked as tough – don’t forget Birmingham has not been beaten by any of the top six at St Andews this season. Others have tough games to come and it looks as if a draw or Chelsea win is the preferable outcome when they visit Old Trafford next weekend, since they have the harder run-in.

’til Tomorrow.

Birmingham City (A) Preview – A Win Required

Whenever Brum is mentioned, the first thing that springs to mind is the TV programme, the adventures of a toy yellow vintage car. Sort of The Plank for kids without the humour. This afternoon will be anything but child’s play. Birmingham City has outperformed expectations this season, on course for a top ten finish, carried there by good home form. So far this season, they have taken points from all of the other top five teams who have visited St Andrews, all through draws. An indication that they will be obdurate opponents.

But Arsenal has to win, to keep the pressure on Chelsea and Manchester United, ready to capitalise on any slips which may arise, the prime motivation at this stage of the season. Arsène is acutely aware of this, focussing the team on the matter in hand rather than preparing for the Barcelona encounter by giving key players a rest.

Wenger has kept it simple: Barcelona does not matter until 5pm this evening. Winning at Birmingham is all that counts. Much of the media build-up is dominated by the corresponding fixture in 2008. I am not sure that it will play on the collective minds of the squad although Eduardo may well feel some trepidation. According to some headlines, Alex McLeish refused to be drawn on the matter which is a fine attitude for the squad to have but not so good if you are a cartoonist. 2008 is in the past and there it should remain; lessons have been learned, hurdles overcome since then.

Whilst the plight of Eduardo has been the focus of attention similarities abound with 2007/08. Then it was Robin van Persie and Matthieu Flamini whose contracts garnered column inches, Wenger ultimately putting those negotiations on hold until after the title race was won (or in that instance, lost). This time it is William Gallas although Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell are free to talk in similar circumstances. Gallas may have more monetarily advantageous offers on the table. If that is the case, he is being creditably discreet about his intentions. I hope he does remain at Arsenal, his form this season proving many of us wrong, recovering standing that was lost in the debacle at St Andrews and autobiography.

Eduardo is not the only one who has bad memories of that day in 2008. The last minute penalty conceded by Clichy was overshadowed by Gallas’ tantrum. The left back has put it behind him and is finding consistency in his performances. Well, he has had that for a while but now it is being acknowledged by some who were slating him on his return from injury.

A fixture at St Andrews may cause Arsène to cast a prayer to the Heavens as King Ungus did in the 8th Century. Central defence is his obvious concern with Thomas Vermaelen’s suspension coming a week too early for the recall of William Gallas. The Frenchman will return to training this weekend, presumably looking at a run-out against Wolves to gain fitness ahead of the Champions League second leg in the Camp Nou. Wenger has made it clear that Campbell will play today.

Who partners him should be simple; Alex Song. His form in central midfield has been outstanding, acknowledged recently by Wenger and Arshavin. To place Mikael Silvestre alongside Campbell is risky, the ageing duo would not be the quickest pairing in Premier League history. This would present Denilson with another opportunity to be battered with criticism, sorry, prove that he is a better player than he is given credit for, forming a midfield triumvirate with Diaby and Cesc.

Up front Nicklas Bendtner appears to have solved his fitness problems which leaves Wenger with options in attack; Rosicky, Eduardo or Arshavin on the left, Eboue with Nasri or Walcott on the right. Rosicky will probably get the nod ahead of the other two, both being on the bench. Theo is due a start, one which I suspect will happen this afternoon. He has the pace to worry the Birmingham defence as well as allowing Nasri a rest before the Champions League clash. Eboue, I think, will deputise for Sagna at right back, a rotation that Arsene seems to have been carrying out for a while now. I recall vaguely that Sagna was carrying a knock a few weeks back, the consistent resting indicates that he is being nursed through it rather than fully rested.

Those changes would mean a line-up of:

Almunia; Eboue, Campbell, Song, Clichy; Denilson, Fabregas, Diaby; Rosicky, Bendtner, Walcott

With a bench of:

Fabianski, Silvestre, Sagna, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo, Vela

Looking at United and Chelsea’s fixtures today, it is hard to see either dropping points. Bolton are frankly not good enough to take points off United, even if the defending Champions are not as strong as they have been in the past. Villa are inconsistent and whilst they won at Old Trafford, their recent form does not suggest that they will win at Stamford Bridge. Mind you, Chelsea are equally inconsistent so perhaps a draw there.

Arsenal has seven Cup Finals; seven must-win matches. Apply any cliché you so desire. No-one will care for it is better to be in a position to have to use those stale phrases than not. Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it.

’til Tomorrow.

Stone Cold Friday: The Ghosts Of Seasons Past

He put the Rama into Lama, the Ding into Dong, the shoo into bop and a whole host of other things that may yet see his rap sheet grow. Here’s Darius…

It will be just over 25 months to the day since Arsenal’s last trip to St. Andrews ended with a horror show. So many things went wrong on that day, not least the assault on Eduardo.

Wenger surmises that the events of that fateful visit to Birmingham weren’t exclusively responsible for the capitulation of the title challenge in 2008. I don’t entirely agree with the manager’s assertion about why things went pear shaped, as the performances following that game spoke for themselves.

Two years on and what can we learn from what this team has been through?

My sense is that firstly, we shouldn’t underestimate the psychological impact of the team going to St. Andrews. Tomorrow is perhaps a more difficult game than it needs to be because Arsenal still need to exorcise the demons from that day.

The Signs so far this season have been good, and the case in point is the response at the Britannia stadium on Feb 27th this year. Despite another assault on an Arsenal player, the team rallied themselves and showed great strength of character to complete the job that they went to do.

Eduardo did come on as a substitute after Ramsey’s injury in that game against Stoke, but it was obvious that the events 2 years ago were still on his mind. The Crozilian opted to play safe and not commit fully to a shot on goal because of an impending tackle, and no one can blame him for that.

Birmingham City is a different proposition this time round. McLeish has had the time to build a squad that has exceeded expectations this season. What hasn’t changed is the crass mentality of the Birmingham collective, if the reverse fixture is anything to go by.

For this reason, Arsenal is facing at least 3 hurdles.

Firstly, a resilient Birmingham team that has fought hard to have a formidable home record this season. Only Bolton has come away from St. Andrews with 3 points and that was back in September last year.

Secondly, you have a team that relishes the opportunity to unleash an uncouth and insalubrious brand of football to counter Wengerball that they can’t cope with. They’ll of course call it good old fashioned grit and steel that illustrates their grafting capability.

Lastly, the timing of this match is critical as it comes during the business end of a season which Arsenal has as good a chance as any to come out top. In what I call the cup final series, this game has taken more significance than it would normally have.

What’s becoming obvious is that Wenger’s signing of former Arsenal vice-captain and defensive stalwart Sol Campbell is a stroke of genius. Eyebrows were raised at the thought of Wenger even contemplating such a move, but it’s turning out to be a master stroke.

In my view, the key to tomorrow’s game and the rest of the cup final series is the veteran defender. He was built for games like Birmingham, and to cope with the attitudes they bring on the pitch.

Campbell’s legs may have gone, but he starts his first mile upstairs and his intelligent reading of the game is first class. Moreover, he has shown how adept he is at organizing the defence and getting other players around him to do the running for him.

This will be the key to holding Birmingham at bay, and being patient in our play. The team has shown time and time again that they have become efficient at wearing down teams that park the bus before licking them to submission in the last 15 minutes of games.

This defensive stability, patience and calmness with the ball will be critical during such difficult games. We have previously given away poor goals this season, and we have little or no room for errors at this point in time.

Our collective defensive challenges have been used as a stick to beat the team with time and time again, despite the clear evidence that the team is doing much better and is currently the in-form team in the league.

A few weeks ago, I made an attempt to compare the defensive philosophies of this current team and of the Arsenal double winning teams of yester-year that had the likes of Dixon, Keown, Adams and Winterburn.

Flint, one of my ardent readers, quickly sought to put the record straight by blowing to pieces the myth that Wenger’s latter day defences haven’t performed as well as previous Arsenal defences that were seen as fortresses. It was a classic example of misguided truths and inconvenient lies that unchecked, easily become facts and urban myths.

Flint pointed out that under Graham; Arsenal conceded 0.898 goals per game with a goal difference average of 24 goals per season. Under Wenger, Arsenal has conceded an average of 0.885 goals per game with a goal difference average of 37.3 per season.

Wenger has evolved the team to one with an attacking mindset, but at this point in the season, discipline has more currency than beauty. The team has worked too hard and been through too much adversity for them to throw in the towel.

Tomorrow’s game at St. Andrews presents another opportunity to cement the belief and resolve that has developed over time. Man for man, we have a squad that is technically more superior to Birmingham, and tomorrow’s battle is all in the mind.

Birmingham are reeling from their indifferent form in the last few games, and following their defeat to Blackburn a few days ago, McLeish has publicly vowed to stop Arsenal leaving Birmingham with the points.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to consider McLeish’s comments as code for ”you know what to do about Arsenal boys”, and in my view, that makes them a very dangerous proposition.

We just have to scare the living daylights out of them to make sure they’re not in doubt about Arsenal’s resolve to win the title this season.

’til Tomorrow.

Vermaelen on the Defensive Unit

Ahead of the visit to St Andrews this weekend, it seems that Nicklas Bendtner may not be fit and Eduardo will lead the line. No doubt this will lead to some hilarious chants from the Birmingham fans about Martin Taylor’s infamous tackle. Bendtner is not confident in recovering in time from a twisted ankle which necessitated his withdrawal against West Ham. The Dane believes he should be back in training today or tomorrow which makes him ready in my book.

Defence is likely to see the biggest changes, Thomas Vermaelen’s absence means that Arsene is faced with Sol Campbell or Mikael Silvestre partnering Alex Song. The Cameroonian received support from Andrey Arshavin for his performances this season:

…he has done a good job for us this season. I hope, as we saw last game, that Alex [Song] will replace him and we will not have a big problem in defence.

It seems highly unlikely that the ageing duo would be the partnership that Arsene goes with. Birmingham has a decent home record this season and despite recent indifferent form, will not roll over and let Arsenal walk away with the points. Additionally, he has cover in midfield for Song to drop back into defence.

His biggest issue is whether or not Campbell can face two games in four days; the get-out clause is with Wolves being the immediate opponents after Barcelona, Song could quite comfortably drop back into defence, allowing Campbell to rest before the second leg. Vermaelen has respect for the old-timer, noting:

He speaks a lot on the pitch and for young players and a young team it is important to have somebody with a lot of experience who talks a lot on the pitch.

But then he had nothing but good things to say about William Gallas:

He is a great player for the team and for me. If he plays next to me it makes it easier for me.

A pity that Gallas is not playing this weekend as it would be good to lay the ghosts of 2008 totally to rest. His recovery is subject to conjecture, with Arsene rating him at 20% chance of playing whilst his doctor believes that Gallas is further down the road to playing than the manager. That said, I would trust Wenger more than any doctor, especially since the KNVB medical staff opined that van Persie would be available for the last round of international friendlies.

Vermaelen and Gallas were outstanding as a partnership and the Belgian’s contribution has been recognised outside of the club. I forget whether it was Paul Hayward or Patrick Barclay but last weekend they offered the opinion that Vermaelen ought to be Player of the Year and would be a sure thing for that award were it not for the fact that the media are blinded to everyone but Wayne Rooney this season.

The club’s internal award will be an interesting vote. Before his injury, I would have said van Persie would vie with Vermaelen and Cesc for that honour but now it is seemingly a straight two-horse race.

Anyway, match day is soon to be upon us, the fixtures coming thick and fast although the visit to White Hart Lane has been pushed back to April 14th which aids recuperation for those who need it and rest for those who are fit.

’til Tomorrow.