By Myles Palmer
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Arsenal 0 Deportivo La Coruna 2
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Valeron 30, Naybet 40
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Arsenal were outclassed by Deportivo. Again.
Why? Three reasons.
One, Deportivo are the best team I’ve seen at Highbury – by far.
Two, Arsenal were tired.It was a tired performance.
Arsenal are a high-energy, high-tempo team who rely on speed, on pressing, on dominating their opponents for big chunks of a match.
If Deportivo had played an FA Cup tie at Newcastle last weekend, and Arsenal had rested eight players against Real Vallecano,this would have been a closer contest.
Three, injuries.
I was wrong to suggest that Arsenal were in great shape.
Arsenal’s SEQUENCE was in great shape. Their spirit seemed to be in great shape.
But they missed Ashley Cole’s zippy overlaps, Martin Keown’s big match experience,and Ray Parlour’s tempo-setting sprints.
When you play the best team in Spain, you need your first eleven.
Also, they missed Freddie Ljungberg’s perceptive off-the-ball runs.
Unlike Wiltord and Henry, Ljungberg knows how to make runs behind defences. He knows how to make runs for Bergkamp’s passes.
He won a penalty only seconds after coming on.He raced behind the defence to touch Bergkamp’s pass beyond Molina, who brought him down.
It’s a silly rule to have the keeper sent off for such incidents.Contact was minimal.Intent was negligible.
I did not get bent out of shape because Molina stayed on the field.For me, his infringement did not deserve a red card.
But it was a clear penalty – and that should be punishment enough.
Molina saved Del Piero’s penalty two weeks ago, so he was always likely to save Thierry Henry’s penalty here.
Henry allowed himself to be outpsyched, so he took a feeble, dismal penalty kick.
It needed somebody else to be big enough, strong enough, confident enough to say : Thierry, step aside. This is mine.
On arrival, I was amazed to find that Lee Dixon was not playing.
The right side always looks more solid when Dixon plays. I thought Lauren would be at left back, not Luzhny.
The first half was a fantastic football match in itself.
It had everything : a touch of Bergkamp improvisation as he dug his right foot under a ball, flipping it up, juggled it forward with his right foot again and then lashed a volley which clipped the top of the crossbar.
Another classy attack found Pires in a shooting position. His left foot strike was instant but lacked power and Molina palmed it away.
Sadly, that was as good as it got. After about 20 minutes Arsenal had run out of ideas, Deportivo had taken their measure, the crowd had become quiet and apprehensive.
THEN DEPOR SCORED TWO QUALITY GOALS.
Typically, Wiltord tried to dribble midway inside their half.
He took three touches, Mauro Silva read his turn, took one touch and then backheeled smartly to Fran, who took off and fed Romero’s overlap run to the touchline.
Romero cut the ball back away from the goal to Valeron.
Sol Campbell went to ground too soon,going for the block but selling himself cheaply,and Valeron stroked home his shot with a matador’s ease.
A deadly, elegant thrust from an artist who seemed to have all the time in the world .
Then Fran crossed, Tristan headed back, the unmarked Valeron shot again from eight yards – and Seaman made a superb save.
By then, after 35 minutes, I knew the game was over.
The second goal was not long coming and then EVERYBODY knew the game was over.
The second goal came after Vieira lost the ball to Victor upfield and didn’t chase back as a captain should.
Depor played six passes round and through the Arsenal defence as Vieira, back by now, missed a tackle and Campbell missed a tackle and Lauren and Stepanovs missed tackles before Naybet’s shot went in off Stepanovs.
That goal was NOT lucky, as Arsene suggested.
Deportivo destroyed the Arsenal defence in that move.
Toyed with them as no team has toyed with them, not even Barcelona, whose 4-2 win at Wembley was based on a cheating penalty dive by Cocu for the first goal.
Deportivo thrashed Arsenal at Highbury fair and square with 45 minutes of hypnotic, sophisticated teamwork. That’s what football is all about : teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.
Their habits, their craftsmanship, their intelligence, shone through this game and it was a privilege to see such a world class team playing such fabulous football.
The team showcased the individuals and made them look better than they were.
Deportivo read Arsenal’s passes before they had even decided to make the passes.
They spread the ball wide better,supported it better, worked it out of their own half better.
With two left-footed players, Fran and Romero, they had more balance.
Mauro Silva was absolutely immense in a team that is very well-equipped to defend a 2-0 lead.
Vieira was too passive, an anonymous captain. He looked tired, seemed to accept Depor’s superiority too soon, too easily.He rarely showed enough iniative in getting forward.
Tactically, Arsenal were ripped to bits.
They often had four at the back marking Tristan, so at times it was like watching Engerland.
After half time, Arsenal cranked up the tempo for a while. But it was a storm in a teacup. The game had finished long ago.
OK, the last half hour was a siege, Arsenal’s attack versus Deportivo’s defence.But they never really looked like scoring.
It was, at times, desperate stuff. Especially when sub Kanu backed into Molina and punched the ball into the net after a corner. Very sad to see Arsenal reduced to that.
Accept it : Seaman was Arsenal’s best player !
Lauren, despite some positional aberrations, was their second best player.
Bergkamp was the best of the rest.
Deportivo were different class – that’s the truth.
And the Arsenal crowd knew it because they gave them a standing ovation.
Two fans in wheelchairs were delighted to accept the shirts of Naybet and, I think, Pandiani.
Two years ago, before the UEFA Cup game, I said Deportivo were like a Latin Dynamo Kiev,a team whose automatic movement into spaces is so smooth that it takes a while to notice how much running they do.
Their running is so economical, so purposeful, so cleverly geared to their team pattern. They may not have the best players in Europe, but they have the best shape, and the best rhythm.Their collective skills save energy.
Playing like this, Deportivo would slice through boring Bayern, beat erratic Barcelona, and hammer predictable Man United – again.
They might even shade Roma, who still lack experience at this stratospheric level.
But Roma’s highly energetic midfield would make Depor work very, very hard.
However, it’s still all to play for.
Arsenal beat Juventus in December because Juve are a physical team, a team of warriors rather than craftsmen.
Davids is a warrior, Montero is a warrior, Zambrotta, Tacchinardi. Even Trezeguet has become a warrior.
Juventus play cut-and-thrust power football,a bit like Arsenal, but without their flair.
That is why Arsenal beat them 3-1. And that is why they can beat them again.
But it WILL be very, very weird next Wednesday night.
Knowing you can win and still go out. And knowing you can lose and go through.
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ARSENAL :(4-4-2): Seaman; Lauren , Stepanovs, Campbell,Luzhny; Wiltord (Kanu, 54), Grimandi (Ljungberg, 54), Vieira,Pires; Bergkamp, Henry.
DEPORTIVO: (4-2-3-1): Molina; Scaloni, Naybet,
Cesar, Romero; Mauro Silva, Sergio; Victor, Valeron (Duscher,80), Fran (Capdevla, 72); Tristan (Makaay, 85).
Referee: U Meier (Switzerland).
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13th March 2002.
PS
Any Gooners like comedy clubs?
If you’re in the West Hampstead-Willesden-Cricklewood area you might like the new Thursday scene at The Crown on Cricklewood Broadway. Three comedians do 20 minutes each, one newcomer does five minutes.
A spacious room upstairs, big armchairs, bar, good stage – and 3 of the 4 comedians were funny last week.
Opens at 8, show at 9, no admission after 10.
Tickets £7.