Last year’s Paris finalists are quite similar.
Two flair teams who play attacking football, but not too organised in defence.
Arsenal lost 1-0 to PSV in Eindhoven on Tuesday.
And champions Barcelona lost 2-1 to Liverpool in the Nou Camp.
So both the 2006 finalists could be knocked out in the Round of 16 in 2007. Has that ever happened before?
Rosicky was Arsenal’s best player in Holland, Senderos their next best. And after those two, everyone else under-performed.
Henry gave the ball away far too much, Fabregas has looked tired in his last four games, Gilberto had a poor night, Hleb isn’t really back into the rhythm yet, Gallas is far from match fit, as he hasn’t played any reserve games or behind-closed-doors games, as far as we know.
So Arsenal were teamless, really. They were busking it. And Adebayor is raw, naive, didn’t know where to run in a tactical game like that. At one moment he ran towards Rosicky in midfield and almost bodychecked him, and the Czech waved his left arm, as if to say : get up the field, so I can pass to you ! At that moment, Arsenal were a shambles and I knew they could not win.
Thousands of Gooners now wonder : When will Henry put in a performance? When will he score again? Why is he captain? Can we sell him? Who would pay £20 million this summer for a 30-year old ?
As I watched on Tuesday night, I gradually became convinced that Arsene has rotated the team out of its fluency. Partnerships are broken up all the time as players come in and out, and the team gets less compact, losing rhythm, movement, accuracy, tidyness.
Yes, he has to rotate because of injuries, a thin squad, a young squad, different competitions.
But Arsenal’s style is based on speed, sharpness and fluency. If you rest players because they’re not sharp enough, then bring them back, they may be fresher but they’ve lost fluency. If six players lose 5% in the fluency of their pass-and-move, the team is 30% weaker than it would otherwise be.
Even the keeper, Lehmann. Arsene plays him, rests him, plays him, rests him, and Lehmann loses a bit of sharpness. Matches are not like training and Lehmann has only played in five of Arsenal’s 12 games this year.
And the German was never going to be as awesome this season because the World Cup isn’t being played in Germany this summer. He was a bit slow across his six yard box at times.
Jens Lehmann knows he’s leaving and he knows he’s not quite as ferociously concentrated as he was.
Was he late going for that Mendez shot ? I have watched it again and again, after seeing that Lehmann himself questioned whether he could have done better.
Arsene’s record in signing goalkeepers is not a good one. Arsenal need a proper keeper next year and Almunia is not up to the job. Akinfeev of CSKA Moscow is fantastic and Arsenal must make sure they sign him
And if Arsene did flog Henry for £20 million or £15 million, would he buy two proper strikers? Is he sure that Adebayor is the real deal? Or does he just play him to do Henry’s running? Is Aliadiere good enough at 23 to be a reliable fourth striker for Arsenal? Will he flog off Bendtner or bring him back from Birmingham and turn him into Mark Hateley with skill? A warrior centreforward who feeds on crosses and knocks people over ?
Looking at Arsenal’s next seven games, as they stand now, matches five, six and seven are consecutive away games in the Premiership : Aston Villa , Everton and Liverpool.Three hard games!
The next four are Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, Blackburn at Ewood in the replay, Reading at the Emirates, then the PSV second leg.
That schedule could send Arsenal’s season into meltdown. In-form Reading, so energetic and committed, are the last team you want to face on the Saturday before a Champions League knock-out game which you are starting 1-0 down.
Seven hard games coming up. Where will the goals come from? Who will provide the leadership in the next six days of February ? Who will provide leadership in the testing 31 days of March?
Myself, I’d rest Fabregas for Chelsea in Cardiff and the Blackburn replay. Bring him back for Reading and PSV
BARCELONA started well against Liverpool and when Zambrotta crossed beautifully, Deco measured a header down inside the far post from ten yards.
That was 1-0 after 14 minutes. A brilliant goal by a great player.
But Liverpool fought back, with Sissoko a powerhouse tackler and presser, and Kuyt tapped in when keeper Valdes carried a Bellamy header over the line and was forced to spill the ball. The linesman flagged a Bellamy goal and he claimed it. A shocking boob by Valdes, who is not well protected in an attacking team that takes huge risks at the back. What a gift ! In a game as big as this, what a gift !
When Valdes idiotically picked up a backpass by Giuly, conceding a free-kick, Gerrard took it and when the second ball came over, Kuyt missed badly.
In 74, Bellamy gave Riise a square pass and he blasted in the winner with his right foot.
Andy Gray pointed out that the Xavi-Ronaldinho-Messi style depends a lot on Samuel Eto’os runs beyond the defence. Eto’o is a fireball and without his fast movement and drive it’s not the same team. It can’t be the same team. The fast, aggressive, deadly Eto’o makes their style work and his goals won two titles.
Like Arsenal, Barca have one style and no Plan B. And while Arsenal’s performance was disappointing, Barcelona’s was worse. Ronaldinho was crowded out on a night when his club team became as inept as his national team were in the World Cup.
VALENCIA came back twice to draw 2-2 at Inter, watched by only 22,000 in the San Siro.
In Porto, Chelsea lost John Terry with a sprained ankle in seven minutes.While Chelsea had ten men, Raul Mereiles scored with a shot that deflected off Lampard in 12 minutes. Shevchenko, who is beginning to look like the player he was in Milan, rifled in a left foot shot four minutes later and it finished 1-1.Essien will play centreback against Arsenal on Sunday because they have no-one else.
So it’s half-time in the Round of 16.
Arselona and Barcelona are a goal down, Man United are a goal up, Chelsea are losing players every week but should still be too strong for Porto at Stamford Bridge. As always, it’s about away goals and Chelsea have one, Manchester United have one, and Liverpool have two.
Arsenal need to beat PSV 2-0 at the Emirates, so the goal-shy Gunners need to score twice without making any mistakes at the back. A tall order, most would say
Valencia will beat Inter in their second leg and Lyon will probably dispose of Totti’s Roma. That first leg finished 0-0 in Rome with English ref Mike Riley taking eleven names, a record for the Champions League.Totti and Juninho took turns to hit free-kicks from distance.
Verdict on two nights of European action ?
A first leg is a first leg is a first leg.These are 180-minute matches.