Arsenal Vs. Barcelona Part II: A Short Preview In The Eyes of a Loyal Gooner

This is it once again: Arsenal F.C. vs. F.C. Barcelona, 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, a clash between arguably two of the best clubs in their respective leagues, if not in the whole European football scene. On Mar. 8, 2011, we will see how these two teams cope with their player losses, the pressure of qualifying, and the state of their confidence after the 1st leg. As we all know, the Gunners took their home game, lording over the Spanish champions 2-1 in their home turf. Gooners all over the world (including me) rejoiced at the knowledge that it was possible to beat the seemingly invincible Catalans; that it was possible for Arsenal to knock them out of this competition. As a Madridista myself, it would delight me to have Barcelona knocked out of the Champions League in any way possible. Having said that, this post would reflect a Gooner’s perspective on the possibilities that might occur during the upcoming match.

I remember vividly how Robin Van Persie completely outsmarted Victor Valdes, slotting in that angled shot to give us the equalizer during the second half. After David Villa’s early goal, it seemed like Barca had the game already, what with their disciplined (and effective) triangular passing, and how they dominated the possession. That first half, Arsenal was a mess. Although they did manage to stop most attacks, their attacking form was not at par with their average best. In my eyes, it was frustrating but we were facing Barca so it would be understandable, to be fair. That goal sparked a fantastic performance from the Gunners, and before we knew it, they were the ones attacking. Jack Wilshere was amazing. He wasn’t scared and he handled the midfield like a boss. Truly a wonderful display from the youngster who clearly possesses Arsenal DNA (if Xavi loves to use that phrase on OUR El Capitan, then I think it’s fair for me to act like a closet biologist too). I give kudos to our defense too. Wojciech Szczesny was phenomenal, while Laurent Koscielny simply impressed everyone by pacifying Lionel Messi. And then that fateful winning goal came from my personal bet, Andrey Arshavin. Everything was brilliant. Wonderful night for the Gooners. Gerard Pique will miss the 2nd leg, and that would mean no one will pester the Van Man from shooting goals.

But entering this second half, the Gunners will clearly have a harder time than during the first leg. Yes, Pique, Carles Puyol, and Victor Valdes would all miss this clash but recently, Van Persie and Theo Walcott have been ruled out by Le Prof due to injuries. Cesc Fabregas is still a big question mark, although news about him is leaning more on the positive side and he may well be available for the clash. Let’s not even begin on how the Carling Cup loss to Birmingham City would affect the boys’ psychological state (and the Gooners’ psychological state as well). Everything was so hard to swallow and a Gooner could only hope for a rainbow after the storm. I’m still hopeful, and I know Arsenal could win this all over again.

In my own amateur opinion, I would make Marouane Chamakh as the main striker in the absence of Van Persie, and then have Nicklas Bendtner and Andrey Arshavin on the wings. He may not be scoring but Bendtner has contributed quite a lot of goalscoring assists. If Fabregas won’t be played immediately, I’ll have Samir Nasri take his place, with Wilshere and Song working the midfield. For the defenders, the Koscielny-Djourou partnership has proved to be effective against Barcelona, along with Sagna and Clichy. The goalkeeper would be Woj, of course. At least if I was playing FIFA 11 with the given circumstances, I would deploy this squad.