THE NOISES from Barcelona have been far too cocky in the last two weeks.
Cruyff, Laporta and the local media are talking as if Barca just have to turn up to win the European Cup.There is not much respect for Arsenal, the underdogs, or even a pretence of respect.Sometimes they say : Yeah, Henry is a great player but he will sign for us.
That arrogance is deeply misguided. They should know better.
ON SATURDAY NIGHT I watched Barca reserves lose 3-2 at Seville after big Frank rested eight players..
In the last two weeks I’ve been wondering about what Rijkaard will be thinking. How will he approach it? Will he make his midfield solid? Will he protect his right flank? Will he play the attacking Brazilian Belletti at right back or the defensive Oleguer ?
I watch Barca on TV all the time, almost every weekend for the last two years.And I study their Champions League games.
I reckon Rijkaard should play Oleguer at right back because he has positional discipline, is quite quick on the turn, and thinks like a defender
On Saturday Oleguer played at left centreback and was taken off at half time and Iniesta ( ! ) came on.That substitution only made sense if the manager wanted to give both of them half a game to tune them up for Paris.
If Rijkaard was worried about Arsenal dominating midfield, he might play a midfield of Deco-Edmilson-Motta. The trouble with that is that Motta, a tall, left-footed Brazilian, isn’t a good player.
Iniesta is a very zippy player, as we saw against AC Milan in the semi : energetic, inventive and fast, a thrustful dribbler who can open up defences.
I’m starting to feel my way into the game with a few preliminary thoughts, ideas which are starting points from which I will try to tune into the event.
Gio van Bronckhorst is a weak defender, less dynamic than Silvinho.Gio always plays in the Champions League games.He was a mediocre player at Arsenal and Barca’s left flank is vulnerable. Hleb and Eboue can demolish Gio, definitely.
Eto’o is off form, trying too hard, missing chances.
Barcelona fade badly in many games.They are a great team, but they are a 60-minute team.
If Rijkaard plays Belletti ahead of Oleguer, he is asking for trouble.And I heard last night that he will go with Belletti.
He will make a similar boob in attack : Larsson would worry Arsenal more than Giuly, but Giuly will start.
WILL FRANK RIJKAARD really play the same eleven that drew 0-0 with AC Milan in the Nou Camp second leg ?
1-Victor Valdes; 2-Juliano Belletti, 4-Rafael Marquez, 5-Carles Puyol (captain) , 12-Giovanni van Bronckhorst; 24-Andres Iniesta, 15-Edmilson, 20-Deco; 8-Ludovic Giuly, 9-Samuel Eto’o, 10-Ronaldinho
Paris will be a very tight final till 70 minutes, then Gilberto or Kolo or Freddie will score the goal.
What else? Well, Senderos is fit, Flamini is fit, Clichy is fit.
Ashley Cole will be sold to Real Madrid to replace Roberto Carlos, a nightclubber who drinks beer out of tea cups in public.
I’ll write a further previews on Tuesday.
Then on Wednesday I’ll give you Arsenal’s game-plan and why it will work,
SATURDAY’S FA Cup Final, a 3-3 draw, provided two hours of cabaret before the big one in Paris.
Dean Ashton showed Sven what a blunder he made by not including him in the England squad for Germany. Stevie G scored two and made two, although one of the goals he made, for Peter Crouch, was wrongly disallowed, as replays proved. Crouch was onside.
If any striker in England can set up Gerrard for shots, it’s the crafty Ashton, whose guile is very unusual in a big man. He is unconventional, sometimes playing the ball with the outside of his boot, as few do, reading moves, playing in Harewood beautifully to set up the cross for the Carragher og, then poaching the rebound off Reina.
Tord Grip used to find the Dean Ashtons and get Sven to pick them. Clearly, Tord has lost his grip.He used to realise that players like Darius Vassell could be of use to England
After a 3-3 draw in which keeper Reina was at fault for all three of West Ham’s goals, Reina saved three rubbish penalties in the shoot-out to win the FA Cup. He admitted he played” very badly”, that he was lucky.
His candour was more impressive than his goalkeeping.