Two tidy, technical teams will meet at the ArenA on Saturday night
Ajax have superior defensive discipline, Arsenal have more flair.
Ajax play 4-3-3, Arsenal just play.
Ajax have the power-shooting of Wesley Sneijder, Arsenal have the power-shooting of Robin van Persie.
Ajax have a six foot six goalkeeper in Stekelenberg, Arsenal have a six foot four keeper in Lehmann.
Ajax have Huntelaar, who is becoming an all-round centre forward, not just a poacher, while Arsenal have Eduardo, a five foot eight inch box artist.
I’ve been waiting nine years for Arsene to sign a striker who can head the ball. Anelka could but rarely did, Henry didn’t want to, Kanu couldn’t till he went to Portsmouth, which suggests that Arsenal don’t practice crossing the ball. Adebayor, for all his size, can’t really head the ball.
On Thursday morning Arsene attended the work permit hearing at the FA in Soho Square, to plead Eduardo’s case, and the manager flew back to Amsterdam by private jet, probably Danny Fiszman’s.When he got back he heard that the work permit had been granted.
Eduardo needs service on the deck and in the air and his team will soon learn to put the ball where he wants to be two seconds from now, rather than where he is.
Arsene spends most of his training time rehearsing attacking moves with quick passing. And that’s good for Eduardo, a very nimble, bouncy sharp-shooter who makes clever runs all day long.
He is great in the air, REALLY great in the air, but he needs quality crosses. If he gets accurate crosses he can easily score 10 headers a season.
Rosicky’s corner was a case in point in yesterday 2-1 win over Lazio. That was a terrific corner, an inswinger from the left which swooped over two Lazio defenders and arced down to Eduardo, who headed in from six yards without jumping.
Arsene always takes pressure off his players and never puts it on them, so he is never going to say, as I’ve done, that Eduardo will score hat-tricks for Arsenal.
What the manager did say was this : “Eduardo is a good footballer and we have seen that today. I’m happy for him that it did not take long before he scored his first goal and he could have had two or three, like in the last game , but he had a good performance.
“When he played against us for Zagreb our defenders said he gave them a lot of work. He looked a good player then. He is a player who is very mobile and our game is based on mobility. He has integrated well into the team.”
Eduardo is a rapier, not a broadsword. A reflex player, a touch player, a deadly finisher who operates by stealth, concentration, anticipation, quickness and timing, a Brazilian Henrik Larsson, a natural predator who has worked hard on his game.
At 24, this lad is the real deal, as Croatia boss Slaven Bilic keeps telling us. He just needs time to get used to his new teammates. With his work permit issued, and his future confirmed, Eduardo da Silva will blossom.
The difficulty Eduardo will have is that he will be partnered by the individualistic Robin van Persie.
On recent evidence, Bendtner and van Persie are not on the same page, but if Eduardo and van Persie can read each other and combine, Arsenal can beat anybody.
The marvellous Berbatov, a master of his trade, scored 12 Premiership goals last season with intermittent service from a patchy team. Rooney scored 14, Benni McCarthy 18, Drogba 20. I’m wondering how many Eduardo will score. Berbatov settled in quickly and showed his class and Eduardo looks set to do the same
Against Lazio, Nicklas Bendtner scored the first goal, after a shot by Fabregas deflected to him. But the manager admitted he’s not quite ready yet : “At the moment he is a raw talent and not completely ready to start in the Premier League. There has been a lot of interest in him from clubs all around Europe but I want to give him games to see what he can do. He’s an intelligent boy but needs to adapt to the faster pace.”
Ajax v Arsenal is unlikely to be an exciting game, as both teams are so good at keeping possession.
The first goal was a far post header by Ajax’s Gabri on 46 minutes and the second was a scorching dipper from thunderboots Sneijder. Gabri, tiring in the 89th minute, retaliated against Simao by elbowing him in the mouth, and was sent off, so he will not play against Arsenal.
If you want to check back on ANR around noon, I’ll put up today’s draw for the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round.
Have a good day and a rocking weekend !