By Myles Palmer
Tonight’s game is a moment of truth for Arsene Wenger and his team.
Arsenal did not play well in Athens against three centrebacks and Arsene rarely changes his style.
His comments yesterday suggested the usual approach to this vital game.
His most revealing line, for all of us armchair tacticians, was when he talked about sharp passing at high speed.
He said, “Panathinaikos are a very good side and that is one of the reasons we were beaten. But I know that if we perform well we can beat them at Highbury.
“We just have to focus on what we are good at,which is playing with sharp passing and movement at high pace.”
SO THE $64,000 QUESTION at 7.45 tonight is : will speedy runs and passes linking Ljungberg, Wiltord and Henry split the Panathinaikos defence often enough to win the game?
Discussion of this very specifically choreographed style of play was one of the main themes of The Professor, where I explained that the style is fantastic when it works, but it became predictable, and there was no Plan B till Kanu was signed.
This looks like a tense, frustrating game in which the Greeks will sit back and play for a draw.
They will know that Arsenal’s fast style is ineffective against a massed defence. The Gunners don’t work the ball wide very much, they don’t threaten on crosses or corners very much,and they don’t score from long-range shots.
Arsenal’s style is very attractive, even beautiful, and ultra- penetrating when the team is playing with good rhythm and touch.
But the style can be precarious because it is so precise,so surgical,so dependent on rhythm and accuracy and timing.
The speed of Arsenal’s play makes it fragile, and causes mistakes in control, mistakes in shooting, mistakes in running too soon and passing too late, mistakes by the linesmen who often flag an onside run.
DO I THNK ARSENAL WILL WIN?
Yes but the pace of Vlaovic and the canny brain of Karagounis could make it hairy at times.
Nikopolidis is a brave, agile and commanding keeper, a very strong character who will not mind being busy and will probably thrive on it.
If the game develops as I expect(and few games do) I will be looking for a 25-yarder into the top corner from Van Bronckhorst or a booming header from Sol Campbell, or even from Matthew Upson, if he comes on as a sub.
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Teams(probable)
ARSENAL: Wright; Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole; Ljungberg, Vieira, Van Bronckhorst, Pires; Wiltord, Henry.
PANATHINAIKOS: Nikopolidis; Vokolos, Henriksen, Kirgiakos, Fissas; Michaelsen, Paulo Sousa, Basinas; Karagounis; Vlaovic, Konstantinou.
Referee: U Meier (Switzerland).
16th October 2001.