And Then There Were Two – Arsenal Chase Double

UEFA Champions League, Round of 16, 2nd Leg
Barcelona 3 – 1 Arsenal
(Barcelona win 4-3 on aggregate)

1 – 0 Messi (45)
1 – 1 Busquets (53 og)
2 – 1 Xavi (68)
3 – 1 Messi (71)

van Persie sent off (57)

U2 proclaimed that it takes a second to goodbye; Massimo Busacca proved that it takes that long to decide that a player should be booked for timewasting, one second the time that elapsed from the Swiss official’s whistle blowing to the ball snatched wide by Robin van Persie. By the time, the Dutchman had turned around, he was heading for an early bath.

At that point in time, Arsenal were heading into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the wind taken from Catalan sails as a powerful header into his own net by Busquets had levelled the scores on the night and put Arsenal into the lead on aggregate.

Arsenal had been treading a disciplinary tightrope for most of the game. Koscielny and Sagna were booked early in the match; Barcelona were whining, writhing and crying like babies from the kick-off. Injuries were suffered to parts of their bodies which had not been touched. It was deceit; it as cheating.

Quite simply, they were a side that lacked any scruples. With the quality of player that they have it unnecessary but indicative that they were knew that the referee was weak and easily swayed.

Bias is often used as an excuse to disguise indistinguished performance, to explain away a defeat which was deserved. Generally, refereeing bias is a fabrication to suit our circumstances. There are genuine cases of it and last night emphasised that it does exist.

Busacca has much not to answer for not least if Uefa take disciplinary action against Abidal and Alves for throttling van Persie and Nasri respectively. Both cases were in direct line of sight of the officials yet neither Barcelona player was dismissed. Both were straight red cards. On such fine lines do fates hang.

Whilst the referee was a (the?) major reason for defeat, events were moving against Arsenal from early in the match. Beforehand Ars ène expected Barcelona to have 60% of the possession; they began early on to rack up those numbers. The defence was braced for an onslaught and was pierced on a number of occasions. The defence held out, magnificient tackling technique on display for the most part.

Pedro was halted in his tracks by Koscielny, Messi seized on slack play by Djourou only for the Frenchman to snuff out the danger. Alves’ free kick caused the most consternation, Szczesny dislocating a finger in the save, Manuel Almunia entering the fray. The Spaniard was not a popular substitute, his performance was better than expected and might have brought himself a move this summer.

Messi was prompting at this point; with thirty minutes gone he had his first clear sight of goal, leaving Djourou, Koscielny and Clichy tackling air as he danced the ball toward the net. Johan Djourou dug deep into his resources and cleared as it seemed the deadlock would be broken. If the defence was creaking, it was held together by the glue of belief, a belief that was as rattled as the woodwork when Adriano struck from the dead ball line.

Yet that glue had held until the interval.

Much of the media focus had been on Cesc Fàbregas before the match; during it he was relatively non-existent, unable to influence proceedings as he usually does. Was it down to injury? Certainly he seemed to be less mobile than normal. Certainly he was more careless than normal.

Midway through the half he had ceded possession cheaply, the chance quelled by Djourou. With the whistle almost at Busacca’s lips for half time, Cesc backheeled the ball carelessly, needlessly, Iniesta seized on the ball and sent Messi clear. The Argentine international flicked the ball around Almunia before burying the chance. Heartbreak for the captain and club.

The second half found Barcelona chomping at the bit to increase their advantage. And undone by their arrogance. Nasri was surrounded and forced a corner. van Persie swung over a decent delivery, Diaby was in the vicinity and Busquets was on target. The tie was out of Barcelona’s hands; two more goals required to win through and heads were going down.

Until Busacca intervened.

Thereafter a tough job became almost Mission Impossible. Barcelona pegged Arsenal back. Ten minutes after van Persie’s dismissal and Alves, Messi and Villa had all gone close to restoring the Catalan’s lead on the night. Within three minutes, they would be in the quarter finals.

Iniesta slid a perfect pass into the path of Xavi, his shot beat Almunia and the aggregate scores were level; Arsenal had to score or run the gauntlet of penalties to get through. The latter option swiftly disappeared. Having been denied a clear penalty in the first half, Messi made no mistake from the spot following Koscielny’s trip on Pedro.

After that Afellay and Messi were denied by profligacy and Almunia. Alves should have replicated the scoreline from last season but missed. Bendtner had a sniff of a chance, created by the outstanding Jack Wilshere, smothered by the under-employed Valdes.

Arsenal were out.

With hindsight it is easy to criticise the team selection but in two instances Arsène might reflect that things could have been different.

Rosicky was a surprise inclusion, his defensive workrate presumably swung the decision in his favour. However, it left van Persie isolated and Arshavin could have been more supportive in attack, an outlet with space to scamper. Or at the very least, make the full backs think twice before pushing forward.

The second was the inclusion of Diaby. The Frenchman offers more than Denilson in terms of supporting the attack, perhaps deemed more combative in midfield than the Brazilian. Yet it was the sort of fixture where possession is all; Denilson is one of the best at the club in not wasting passes. They may be short, they are accurate and they offer respite.

Whatever, the result stands and Arsenal kick on from here in the two remaining competitions to be won. Injustice can be a useful weapon psychologically; Arsène needs to use it to motivate the team forwards.

’til Tomorrow.

Barcelona Preview: Time To Give The Team Your Backing

Barcelona visit The Emirates this evening, European football’s current most successful club come to the home of the club which they aspire to be. Many commentators believe that the quality of the Premier League has fallen; the same can be said of the Champions League. A quick glance at the remaining sixteen teams suggest it is not too fanciful to believe that the winners of this tie will probably go on to win the tournament itself.

Much has been written in awe of tonight’s opponents and there is no getting away from the fact that Barcelona are the exceptional team of their time. Like Milan, Madrid and Liverpool before them, they must be aware of the cyclical nature of that time though. It will not last forever nor may not last as long as they thought.

Much is made of the ‘homegrown’ nature of their side and the numbers who have emerged from their youth system is a testimony to the hard work that they have put in. Frequently held up as the way football should go, Barcelona encompass that which is good and bad in football. The excesses of their leaders is highlighted in the fact that Alves and Villa combined were more expensive to buy than the expected Arsenal starting line-up, almost double that if Nasri is on the bench.

And Barcelona are not invincible either. Respect for their efforts on the pitch is due and to win, Arsenal will have to be at their best. It is no more or less than should be expected in this competition. We know already that a disinterested Arsenal is capable of losing in Donetsk and Braga. The same squad is equally capable of destroying teams at home.

There has been much talk of revenge for last season but this more fuelled by the sense of injustice over Paris, a match Arsenal were the better side in despite being reduced to ten men. Yet revenge in the context of this tie is irrelevant. Tonight is all about being more aggressive in keeping the ball and retrieving it when possession is lost; more clinical in front of goal; more solid in defence; more than Barcelona in every department.

And a full strength Arsenal side is more than capable of being that. Martin Keown gives a quick tactical guide here but there are more ways than this to skin the Catalan cat. All of Arsenal’s game is built on speed but not just physical, mental as well. Anticipating the moves of their opponent to stifle danger and turn defence into attack.

The media like to portray the back four of Arsenal as the weakness, particularly in the centre. This is to ignore the solidity of Szczesny and Djourou / Koscielny together. Recent Premier League form identifies the fallacy of the supposed weakness; just three goals conceded since Old Trafford with the trio in situ.

The defence is weakened over the two ties though. Bacary Sagna’s suspension means Emmanuel Eboué will play at right back. No disrespect to Eboué but Sagna is the better defender; the Ivorian will need to play to his highest level to compensate for the Frenchman’s absence. In 2006 his buccaneering style was a highlight and judicious use of the same attacking flair will push Barcelona onto the back foot without leaving gaps at the back to be exploited.

Whilst the headline grabbers in midfield and attack are those in Barcelona colours, their weaknesses are more than capable of being exploited by Arsenal’s sextet. Man-mark Fàbregas all that you want,  Wilshere, Song, Nasri and Walcott are more than capable of creating chances for van Persie whilst chipping in with their share of goals.

The pace of Walcott has pre-occupied tonight’s opposition which is to Arsenal’s advantage on the pitch. Either the Catalans have to utilise more resources to stop him or their full backs cannot push on as much as they would like to. Both scenarios are favourable for the hosts.

The line-up I expect Arsène to go with this evening is:

Szczesny; Eboué, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Fàbregas, Song, Wilshere; Walcott, van Persie, Nasri

The only change to that would be Arshavin starting instead of Nasri which might be a more sensible approach given the recent hamstring problems of the latter.

There is one more element for tonight; us. Big European nights have seen Arsenal two down before anyone has known what was happening. Tonight is for us to get behind the team from before the kick-off, to create a vibrant atmosphere for the players to respond to.

One aspect is letting the Catalans know exactly what their poverty is denying them, supporting the campaign from the gentlemen of Le Grove and their ‘Hands Off Cesc’ idea. Each one of us there tonight needs to get The Emirates rocking and rolling; encourage, persuade, cajole and bully those who won’t because they might spill their prawn sandwiches.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

Arsenal Say No, Will Cesc? And No Cole Deal

The official offer from Barcelona was contemptuous in its submission, resoundingly swatted away. £27.3m, £29m, £31m in England or €35m in Spain. Not the €40m suggested. Not the €45m they are willing to go to. Far removed from the £80m Arsenal reportedly wanted. Certainly nowhere near the players true value. Cesc, you may love Barcelona but they do not love you enough. Or as much. Yet.

Of course, it was an opening gambit with an improved bid likely to include Dmytro Chygrynskiy. Even so several things can be read into the derisory offer.

Firstly, stories of stung pride receive validation. Whether or not it is an urban legend, the tale that on taking office Joan Laporta found a note attached to Fabregas’ file suggesting that ‘you will have to explain how this one got away‘, lovingly left by his predecessor gains traction in the root of the soon-to-be former Barcelona President’s obsession.

And it has been an obsession. Certainly in the last four years, barely a summer has passed without mention of the ‘Golden Boy’ returning to the Camp Nou. Quite whether various coaches have shared that view has yet to be publicly acknowledged.

Secondly, they sought some crumb of comfort or opening to exploit. Much grandstanding has gone on in the media from the Catalans, a day has not passed when they have failed to have someone proclaim that the King of Catalonia is coming home, it is only a matter of time. Big words which were short on action.

Lastly, for Barcelona to get their man, they have to move up several notches on price, Arsenal descend equally. That seems an unlikely scenario. So, Cesc has to ask for a transfer to leave, forsaking his bonuses, etc. Is that likely to happen? No.

I suspect that the next tack taken by Team Fabregas will be the homesick and unhappy player route, trying to publicly coerce Arsenal into a sale. Fabregas Snr will be the one to watch; whatever he comes out with next is the official line of Junior.

Arsenal has stated its position unequivocally: The player is under contract to 2015 and will remain at the club. There was no room for manoeuvre in their words. They are, in essence, setting Barcelona up for a Fifa enquiry for tapping up. especially as they have not encouraged the Catalans. I suspect the club has proof of this, using the media clippings to emphasise the point.

The Spanish media report that Barcelona have read the statement and decided that it means they have to improve their offer and try again. AS hints that the timing of the offer had nothing to do with the opening of the transfer window – something that Laporta’s cronies have been emphasising in recent days, as if they are acting properly by waiting until June 1st to make their official approach – but more to do with influencing the outcome of the Presidential elections.

Sandro Rosell, not Laporta’s preferred successor, has collected more signatures supporting his candidacy than his three rivals could muster between them. Certainly the logic applied by the Catalans does not fit with the two unofficial approaches where they were told politely to stop pestering Gazidis and then threatened with being reported to BT as a nuisance caller.

El Mundo Deportivo reckons, without any substantiation, that the player is going to put pressure on Arsenal, hurt that his wishes have not been obeyed and absolutely furious that Wenger has not helped him leave the club. They also claim that the offer had two bonuses attached to it, increasing the price should Barcelona win trophies but again they decline the opportunity to elaborate on this. Had it been known by them, we would as well simply to make the rejection more sensationalist.

The English media seem, for once, largely supportive of Arsenal’s stance albeit using quotes attributed to Barcelona ne’er do wells from a few days ago rather than last night.

Where does this leave Fabregas? Well, aside from being missing off the club’s official membership letter. There is a limbo in which he is operating. He can telephone Wenger for another long conversation but given that he has apparently or wilfully misinterpreted the initial chat, it seems pointless. He has to force the issue if he wants to leave.

Either that or start to build the bridges which although not entirely turned to cinders, are substantially charred. His only public statement as ‘Arsenal will decide my future‘ even though the remainder of his words made it clear he wants to leave. That is counter-productive, signifying a malcontent who would rather not be here.

The public pronouncements of love for Wenger and the club have washed into the seas of hollow words. Kissing the badge now seems more out of concern for removing the mud on his shirt than any profession of loyalty. That is not to say he has to leave, simply that the relationship with us has changed. His motives are now questioned and questionable if he stays. We expect him to give his all, 100% in every performance if Arsenal stands fast.

And he will receive our support because he is an Arsenal player, albeit diminished. I doubt he would ever be subjected to catcalls, he is simply too good a player to allow his pride to be stung by putting in a performance of such poverty. He will find his every move scrutinised, his play analysed to the nth degree, signs sought to support the view he would rather not be at The Emirates.

The trust is gone. The trust he built so assiduously, even though we knew one day he would be gone, has evaporated as his departure was not expected this summer.It is going to be a long summer for Arsenal supporters on this one unless Rosell wins, staying true to the view that Barcelona simply cannot afford to buy Fabregas.

Elsewhere, Mark Schwarzer won’t go away, Fulham apparently looking at David James to replace the Australian so that he can join Arsenal whilst reports of a deal being done with Joe Cole seem premature, the Chelsea player wanting to concentrate on the World Cup. Maybe the Arsenal negotiating team will be flying out to see him which would make the plane a ‘Cole Shuttle’.

’til Tomorrow.

Hleb Resolved, Bacary and Vela Talk Sense Whilst Others Toodle Off Or Drop In

The interminable saga of Alexander Hleb’s departure seems to be moving closer to its ponderous resolution with Marca reporting that Barcelona believe the player will reject the overtures of Bayern Munich for life in the Catalan capital. The deal will be for an initial €15m, rising to €18m, provided they do not screw everything up as has been their wont in recent seasons.

Bacary Sagna is reported to have an ‘exodus fear‘ in The Sun but reading a translation of what he said to L’Equipe but it turns out to be little of the sort. Talking of the possible departure of Emmanuel Adebayor and that of Flamini, he said,

It is a shame that Flamini left because he was an important part of our midfield. And it will be a big loss to us if Emmanuel goes, even though we have not yet arrived at that stage for certain. These things happen in football. But the uncertainty is all part of the game so I am not too worried

It is a pity that others cannot be so phelgmatic about the summer so far. The comments have been sensationalised on television to highlight a crisis that does not exist. Indeed, Sagna is optimistic about the squad,

Samir Nasri is due to join us soon and there are a lot of good youngsters coming through who could be thrown in at the deep end

It is good to see that he has confidence in the rest of the squad but more tellingly, indicative that the players do not know who Arsene is looking to sign. Sagna is realistic about the future,

The fact that I have just extended my agreement is not especially important. Most of the players who move clubs are under contract

This is being construed as him considering his future when it is nothing of the sort. It is a recognition that on both sides – clubs and players – contracts mean very little. Indeed when the FIFA President believes that the contracts footballers sign are the equivalent of ‘modern slavery‘, perhaps it is right to question their existence at all, letting the players play for one club this week, another next, bringing the prophecy of ‘Jon Stark, Football Mercenary‘ true.

Back to Arsenal. Sagna does not want to set targets, to put the team under more pressure and expectation that follows any public pronouncements about the title,

There is no point in planning ahead for next March because we cannot be certain that we will still be in the hunt for the title by then. Obviously we all have regrets about last season and are hoping to improve on third place. But we need to learn those lessons and that is why I don’t think it is a good idea to set ourselves a definite target for the new season

There should be no interpretation that he does not believe the title is attainable. It seems to me that he wants to avoid hype and the ensuing expectation. If that is the way he thinks, then so be it and it is sensible from that perspective. He should be under no illusion though that most supporters believe the title is achievable given the opening six or seven months of last term.
Carlos Vela meanwhile is displaying the ‘can do’ attitude that signals his intent to succeed,

I’ve always considered the best leagues in the world are the Spanish and the English ones,” Vela told Marca. “Having been able to play in Spain has been a very good experience, I learnt a lot. The truth is that I know very little English. Only a few words, but not a lot. I’ll need to learn there. When you need something you learn it pretty quickly

I suppose some may question why he has not learnt more already but then you and he might have a different definition of the phrase ‘not a lot‘. The important thing is he adapts to English football quickly for an unnecessarily high weight of expectation is building around him.

It seems that Gilberto is off to Panathinaikos with his representatives travelling to Athens to sort out the personal terms. Apparently it is with Arsene’s blessing for the player’s loyalty. Personally, I would be sad to see him leave in that he brings experience to the squad in midfield, a rare commodity in the defensive role. However, Flamini stepped up to the plate last season with minimal fuss and not much more than two full seasons worth of games under his belt so perhaps the next incumbent can do the same successfully. Incoming now for £8m is Colombian Radamel Falcao who apparently has scored 38 times in 58 games for River Plate in Argentina.

’til Tomorrow.

Players Need To Bring Agents To Heel And Other Gossip

A quiet weekend without internet access so what has changed? Not much really although there was strenuous exercise undertaken by Stephane Courbis, Emmanuel Adebayor’s agent, as he sought to dig himself out of the hole he has quickly put himself into. Arsenal have rebuffed Milan’s advances so Mr 20% has to switch faces and deal with the Arsenal Board and Arsene now to renegotiate his contract, having tried to extricate his client from the club.

It is a similar situation for Alex Hleb as reports emerge that Barcelona are becoming frustrated at Arsenal’s intransigence over the transfer fee, reputed to be £15m. It is a simple situation for the prospective buyers to resolve; most transfers these days involve incentives and bonuses – ensure that the base value of the fee is more than Arsenal paid and then add in a couple of million as structured. It is pleasing to be reading of the Board taking a hardline with the Catalans if true, a stance that they have not always taken in the past.

As with these matters, the players are getting some flack despite Adebayor protesting his loyalty and his desire to remain in London. Hleb meanwhile has let it be known that he is unhappy in the capital and despite the sensible solution for him to move out of the city to suburbia, he appears to want out of the country.

The pressure exerted via clubs to unsettle players comes predominantly through media outlets. There will be carefully chosen words in a journalists microphone combined with misquoted interviews from the player themselves, translations so loose that if they were trousers, the wearer would be arrested for indecent exposure as said clothing ended up around their ankles.

That it is agents who will in the main be the ones to speak of such a move is little surprise. They are wheeler-dealers looking for a sizeable commission on any transfer so fluidity of the workforce is in their best interests. The sums of money that are talked of in signing-on fees turns heads as does image rights which earn commissions also, more readily than salaries.

It also gives the players what Hollywood likes to call ‘plausible deniability’ in its movie parlance. They can, if they so choose, distance themselves from such utterances either directly (Adebayor) or with statements of indecision (Hleb). The latter is fraught with dangers as a route of denial for other interviews tend to catch them out. Even so, the loyalty route is not an easy path for in the minds of some, the agent / player are one in the same in these situations. Opinions are easily formed with cheap words and hard to change.

And yet the players do not keep their representatives in check. Had Adebayor told his agent not to make any more public utterances, the credibility of the story diminishes but apparently this has not happened in either of the examples cited above.

The 2008-09 fixtures were released yesterday and will be unrecognisable once the various TV companies have got their grubby mits over them. With the clashes against teams believed to be the closest rivals pegged at the end of the both halves of the season, there is plenty of time to build up a winning momentum going into those matches. The flip side of that is the lack of opportunities to rectify bad results in the top four clashes. Perhaps Tomas Rosicky might be fit for those matches in May 2009 because he does not seem to think that he will be fit for the visit of West Bromwich Albion to The Emirates in August.

Rumours abound that Robin van Persie is Internazionale-bound although The Telegraph contradicts itself inside two paragraphs as per normal which undermines the little credibility that the story has. Equally rumours of a £15m bid for Daniel Parejo whom Arsene expressed an interest in last summer stretch credulity. Arsene is also reportedly after Raul Albiol of Valencia – amazing what an hour on the pitch at Euro 2008 does for a players desireability.

The winners of the Kenny Sansom books will be announced later this week.

’til Tomorrow.