Hello again readers,
Well the time is almost upon us. Its the game that has constantly been playing on the back of all our minds since both names were drawn from the pot. The victory over these big headed tools at the Nou Camp was one of my greatest nights as an Arsenal fan ever. It was a monumental performance from the players but nobody else will remember it if we go on and get knocked out tomorrow night. It is a possibility. Its so hard to be confident going into a game against a side of the calibre of Barca. We have an incredibly strong side this season that when fit can beat anyone in the world if they are up for it. The thing with Barca though is that they can be crap for 89 minutes and then BANG....Messi pops up and steals the show.
On that note, we can't focus all of our attention on this guy. I know people will look back to last season and think that we should man mark him. We don't have to, we can work as a team to keep him quiet. You could tell one or two players to focus solely on Messi but then what about Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Pedro? The list goes on. We just need to do what we did at the Emirates. Let them play their little keep ball sessions in their own half of they want to but when they cross the half way line then press. Press press press! You've just got to. If you give these guys space in your own territory they'll punish you in a split second. We saw that last season, I hope to God we've learned from our mistakes. And the thing is, even if we have learned our lessons it dosen't necessarily mean we have Barca's number. Messi at times is just unplayable. Like Wenger said, you can't bank on him not turning up. Messi always turns up, he's the greatest player to grace the game for quite some time now. Our defence and midfield were brilliant against him at the Emirates last season but then it all went sour in Spain. Again this year at the Emirates we limited him to a handful of opportunities. Again it could be a different story at the Nou Camp. Bigger pitch = more space for players to run in to.
Of course this is also an advantage for us. We have some of the best attacking players in the world at the moment. For me it all comes down to who defends better on the night. The Djourou - Koscielny partnership has been brilliant for us since they were first paired together. Let's hope they can turn in another brilliant shift tomorrow night. The full-backs will also be key. Bacary Sagna has been one of our most consistant performers this season and dosen't get the praise he deserves. Clichy had an average start but has come good lately. These four men will have to be at their very best tomorrow night and will need all the support they can get from those ahead of them.
Now onto the sensational news that Robin Van Persie has been included in the squad. It just came out of nowhere. Wenger didn't even mention his name in the press conference this morning. A few days ago Arsene said he hoped to return against Blackburn on April 2nd I think? Now all of a sudden he's ready in a few days? It really is bizzare and we had a similar situation with Eboue a couple of months ago. I won't complain though, that is for sure. There is no guarantee that the Dutchman will start but his presence on the bench alone will no doubt give the other players a boost. We are so much more dangerous with him on the pitch, I'll be over the moon if I see his name on the team-sheet tomorrow evening.
The bad news is that Alex Song misses out with a knee injury. Its a pity but I think we can manage. I reckon Diaby will come in for him and Wilshere will assist him in trying to protect the defence. Neither will be unfamiliar to the role, they both did it on the opening day of the season at Anfield and did I fine job there I must say and more recently at St James Park up until Diaby got sent off and well we just won't go there. Barca are a whole different package though. From the first second to the last they will just go hunting for goals. They can be ruthless and can make the best of tacticians look very silly indeed, ask Jose Mourinho. Wenger says we may need to change our style which is common sense really going to a daunting place like the Nou Camp. We do possess the players to really hurt them on the break and with Puyol and Pique both absent who knows? We might just have a feast of goals on our hands.
Only God knows whats in store for us tomorrow. From the moment the eyes open tomorrow morning till full-time at the Nou Camp, the andrenaline will be flowing. At least I hope it is, last season watching the final twenty minutes was like watching a pre-season match where it was a case of damaged limitations. I'm confident that not only can we avoid a similar scenario but really take the game to these cunts in their own backyard. Just how sweet would it be for Cesc to score the winner? Anyway, I'll let you go and dare to dream people! This is not impossible, this team has something special, let's hope we see it tomorrow night.
Take care of yourselves and Come on Arsenal!
No comments:
Post a Comment