WE’VE HEARD how Jose Reyes loves Patrick, who helped him a lot when he first came to Arsenal.
We know that Bergkamp has said Arsene sold Vieira too soon, and we can see how that didn’t help Bergkamp in his final season, ending a productive nine-year partnership with the big man.
And we know that Pires respects the warrior who won the ball and led them in battle. We also know that in 2005 Henry talked Vieira out of joining Real Madrid when he was within 24 hours of leaving. We are sure that Clichy and Cygan will be also be delighted to see Pat again.Gilberto, more than anyone, knows the value of the powerfully efficient Patrick in the spine of the Arsenal team. And big-hearted Kolo Toure will welcome Pat with open arms.
So Tuesday is a special night for all of them.
Off the field, before the game, it will be an emotional occasion. By the time he gets onto that pitch, Vieira will be covered in love-bites.
IN GENERAL TERMS, the tie contrasts two club-building methods. Arsenal sign young talent, Juventus sign experienced talent.
Juve are very strong at home. They are very, very strong at home. They have won 14 of their last 16 Champions League games at home.
But they were lucky to beat Werder Bremen in the Last 16 after a late blunder by keeper Tim Weise gifted a goal to Emerson
Early on midfielder Johann Micoud had shown how their defence can be beaten. It was shocking play by Emerson, who failed to track Micoud’s run into the box (13). One pass beat four sefenders. (Luis Garcia gave them big problems making the same kind of runs last year.)
That put Werder 4-2 up on aggregate.
Werder Bremen are a team who score plenty of goals and they led the tie by 4-2 from 13 minutes to 65 minutes. Then goals by Trezeguet and Emerson (88) made it 4 -4 on aggregate and Juve went through on away goals. So jammy !!!
My theory : when a team wins luckily, as AC Milan did in their semi against PSV, it takes something out of them.
SINCE I’M IN A HISTORICAL RIFF, some facts :
When Arsenal beat Juventus 3-1 in December 2001 the teams were :
ARSENAL : Taylor, Lauren, Campbell, Upson, Cole, Ljungberg, Parlour, Vieira, Pires, Henry, Kanu.
Subs: Stack, Keown, Bergkamp,van Bronckhorst,Edu, Grimandi, Inamoto.
JUVENTUS : Buffon, Birindelli, Thuram, Montero, Pessotto, Zambrotta, Tudor, Tacchinardi, Nedved, Del Piero, Trezeguet.
Subs: Rampulla, Ferrara, Paramatti, Iuliano, Zenoni, Davids, Amoruso.
So Arsenal now have 2 of their 2001 players while Juventus have 7.
WHEN LIVERPOOL beat Juventus 2-1 in the quarter-final first leg last season at Anfield , the goals were scored by Hyypia (10), Luis Garcia (25) and Cannavaro(63).
The Juventus team was Buffon; Zebina (Montero 81) Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Blasi (Pessotto 46) Nedved ; Del Piero (Trezeguet 61), Ibrahimovic.
What the most significant thing in that game? The fact that Liverpool scored twice in the first half hour, as Arsenal had done in 2001.The longer you go without scoring, the more time they have to measure you up and nullify what you are doing.
Second leg was 0-0 and Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi with the goal that never was, then turned over Milan in Istanbul.
So Juventus can be beaten. Last year, after Capello and Emerson went there, I backed them to win it at 12-1. This year I did not back Juventus, or anybody else.
FABIO CAPELLO has said he will stay another year. So that gives him one more season to win the big one for Juventus.Therefore this game isn’t now or never for Capello’s Juve. Win or lose, they will have another crack at winning the Cup with Big Ears.
Myself, I think this Juventus team is very compact and well-structured, but too old. And they will be without Nedved and del Piero. They are a lot better than Real Madrid and Ibrahimovic is an unpredictable Yugoslav from Sweden who is six foot four against Kolo Toure’s five foot ten.
Juventus have led Serie A for the last 65 games, which is an amazing stat. (Thanks, Amy ! )
Have they peaked? I suspect they have peaked.We will probably see two low-scoring games. So the question I ask is : Are Juventus good enough to win the European Cup on the way down ?