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Date: Wed 31 March 2010
Teams: Arsenal v Barcelona
Venue: Emirates

Arsenal: Almunia, Clichy, Vermaelen, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Song, Fabregas, Arshavin, Bendtner, Nasri

Barcelona: Valdes, Maxwell, Puyol, Pique, Alves, Xavi, Busquets, Keita, Pedro, Ibrahimovic, Messi

Match Review:
It was the draw that every neutral wanted to see and Wednesday evening was the first of the two legs of this potentially epic Champions League match-up. The subplots alone could fill a page- the return of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to the Emirates, Cesc playing against the club where he learned his trade before coming to Arsenal, a rematch of the 2006 Champions League final in Paris and a match-up between what most people consider to be the two most entertaining teams in terms of how they play the game, just to name a few of them. In addition to these subplots, much of the build-up to the match was dominated by question marks around the fitness of a few of the key players for each team. For Barcelona, influential playmaker Andres Iniesta, who Rooney described as the best player in the world after his performance in last year’s final, was forced off with a hamstring injury during Barcelona’s match on Saturday against Real Mallorca and therefore was unable to line-up against Arsenal.

As seems to have been the case during much of this season, Arsenal also came into the match with injury concerns of their own. Their primary concern centered around captain Cesc Fabregas, who suffered severe bruising to his knee and leg following a strong tackle from Craig Gardner on Saturday against Birmingham. To everyone’s relief Cesc was included in the starting line-up although it was evident in the warm-up that he didn’t look his best. While there were also concerns around Diaby, Arshavin and Nasri, all three managed to recover enough to start and Arsenal were also lifted by the return of William Gallas at the heart of defence.

It didn’t take long after the kick off for Barcelona to assert themselves and show the class which led them to European success last year. After a dancing run through the heart of the Arsenal midfield, Messi passed the ball to Ibrahimovic on the right who drove a low cross across the box but Vermaelen managed to just nip in front of Xavi to hit the ball out for a corner. From the corner, the ball was passed to Sergio Basquets who found himself unmarked at the edge of the 18 yard box but his side footed shot was well saved by Almunia. Moments later Xavi played the role of provider when he set Alves free down the right and the right back crossed to an unmarked Ibrahimovic who somehow managed to blaze over from just a few yards out, although the Swede was judged to have been in an offside position anyway. The big Swedish striker had another chance a few minutes later when Vermaelen’s gamble allowed Ibrahimovic to be set free from the halfway line but as he sprinted towards the Arsenal goal the striker slammed the ball into the side netting instead of squaring the Messi, which looked like the better option.

While Arsenal tried to settle down into their usual passing game it was all Barcelona and about midway through the half Arsenal players and supporters alike must have been wondering how it was still even, particularly following a thirty second period where Almunia first saved brilliantly from a Zlatan shot from the left and then produced his save of the night when he somehow kept out Xavi, who found himself unmarked and looking to pick his spot before a diving Almunia managed to stop the influential Barcelona midfielder. At this point, it was 9 shots for Barcelona to 0 for Arsenal. In what would have been a cruel twist of fate for Barcelona players, Arsenal were almost first on the score sheet when Nasri cut in from the left and curled in a well struck shot from about 18 yards out that had Valdes beat but just flew wide in the end.

Just as Arsene Wenger must have been praying for Arsenal to make it into half level, things got much worse. First Arshavin limped off to be replaced by Eboue and then Denilson was forced to come on for an injured Gallas, which pushed Song back into the centre of defence again. Just to add insult to injury, Arsenal’s night got even worse just before the halftime whistle when Cesc Fabregas was booked for a challenge of Busquets which meant that he would miss the return leg at the Nou Camp, even though replays clearly showed that he got the ball. You could see Cesc was gutted by the referee’s decision.

Within seconds of the restart, Barcelona finally managed to beat Almunia, and I don’t think there would be anyone that would say that they didn’t deserve the lead. After a curling run into space, Ibrahimovic received a long ball from Pique and on the bounce expertly lobbed the ball over Almunia into the Arsenal goal. There were question marks over Almunia’s positioning but it was a good finish by the Barcelona forward. Arsenal responded well and should have been level after a great cross by Clichy on the left found an unmarked Bendtner in the center of the box but the big Arsenal forward only managed to head the ball straight at Valdes. As is often the case after a missed chance, Barcelona then punished Arsenal and it was Ibrahimovic again who doubled Barcelona’s lead. It was a very similar run to the first goal but this time Almunia remained on his line and the Swede smashed the ball into the top corner.

I think most people thought the tie was over at this point and Wenger responded by trying to salvage something by bringing on Walcott for Sagna, his last substitute. Almost immediately after coming on, a great slide through pass from Bendtner set Walcott free and the England winger managed to side foot a shot past Valdes. It was a small lifeline for Arsenal. A few minutes later a late tackle by Pique on Fabregas resulted in yellow being shown to the Barcelona defender, which means that he will also miss the return leg.

With about fifteen minutes to go another one of the subplots came to the surface when Ibrahimovic was substituted and on came Henry to take his place. He was greeted with a rousing ovation from the Arsenal supporters. It was clear that Barcelona had lost some of their forward ambition and would be happy to take their 2-1 lead back to the Nou Camp, but things took a dramatic turn with about five minutes left to play. After a ball was lobbed into the box Bendtner realised that he wouldn’t be able to get enough power on a header goalwards so instead elected to head down to Cesc how was then bundled over by Carlos Puyol. The Barcelona skipper was sent off for the challenge and the Arsenal captain stepped up and hammered the penalty past Valdes. After putting everything into the penalty Cesc limped away and could barely walk for the rest of the match but Arsenal had already used all three of their substitutions.

The game ended 2-2 and it was a truly remarkable night at the Emirates and I think everyone is now eagerly awaiting the return at the Nou Camp.

46′ [0 - 1] Z. Ibrahimovic
59′ [0 - 2] Z. Ibrahimovic
69′ [1 - 2] T. Walcott
85′ [2 - 2] C. Fabregas (pen.)

Player Ratings:
Almunia – 8
After his big mistake against Birmingham, all eyes were on Almunia to step up with a big performance. Produced a series of first class saves in the first half and was single-handedly responsible for not only keeping us in the tie but also preventing a humiliating defeat. However, his erratic form continued as the charge from his line 30 minutes after the restart left Ibrahimovic with a straight forward lobbed finish. He’ll be incredibly frustrated with the error as it took the gloss off an otherwise excellent performance.

Sagna – 6
Solid enough as most of the attacks came down the other flank in the first half, but offered little offensively. Given the pattern of the match, he was just pinned back for the majority.

Vermaelen – 7
After being suspended for the match against Birmingham, I think everyone was incredibly relieved to see the return of Vermaelen against arguably one of the most potent offensive teams in the world. Decent performance, but not given his usual time on the ball at the back. Also out-muscled several times by the immensely powerful Ibrahimovic. Needs better communication with Song when the two are paired in the centre of defence – after surviving a first half barrage, the two goals could have been prevented with better defending.

Gallas – 6
Stood up reasonably well to the first half onslaught from Barcelona – this was the kind of performance that would have benefited from some leadership/organisation given his experience. Disappointing to see a recurrence of the injury given he had been training all week – he will be sorely missed in the second leg and run-in if, as most fear, the injury ends his season.

Clichy – 7.5
The task confronting Clichy tonight was not one that many defenders would have relished, find some way to slow down arguably the best player in the world right now, Messi. A decent performance considering a) how isolated he was and b) how excellently Alves played in the first half. Had some superb forward bursts, excellent crosses and showed the level of commitment other dazed members of the team in the first half failed to replicate.

Diaby – 6
It just didn’t happen for Diaby all evening. He was run ragged in the first half and looked totally exhausted and a yard slow in the second half. Several promising positions frustratingly broke down due to his wastefulness. To his credit his work rate was exceptional.

Song – 7
After spending a couple matches dropping back to support in the center of defence, Song was restored to his usual place in the heart of the Arsenal midfield this evening. Fought hard whilst he was in midfield and snuffed out several attacks with excellent last ditch tackles. Had a decent game at centre back apart from the two goals which, whilst harsh to blame him, he must take some responsibility for the defence being so flat and failing to track simple arc runs by Ibrahimovic.

Fabregas – 7.5
There were a lot of questions being asked before the match about whether Cesc would be fit to play in this match, but I think the Arsenal captain would have done just about anything to be able to play this evening. Although he passed a late fitness test, Cesc did not look to be moving freely all evening. He saw none of the ball early on so dropped back to try and influence proceedings, gradually breaking into the game. He looked heartbroken to get booked (harshly) which means he will miss the return to the Nou Camp which would have meant so much. Excellent movement to win the penalty and courage to score. The injury looked more serious than mere bruising meaning Cesc is unlikely to feature on Saturday.

Nasri – 7
With Barcelona clearly focusing on shutting down Cesc, a lot of the midfield creativity responsibilities fell on his shoulders this evening. Produced some of our brightest attacking moments of the first half with an excellent shot that just missed the far corner and several dangerous crosses down the right flank. Also guilty of going to sleep defensively several times as Barca players ghosted past him untracked.

Arshavin – 5
It was always going to be interesting to see how Arshavin performed this evening considering at one point he had publicly said that he wanted to go to Barcelona before ending up at Arsenal. Pulled up injured after a disastrous opening 10 minutes. Some questioned his desire to continue given how dominant Barca were in the early stages and its hard to blame them. He is one of the most senior players that the rest of the team look to on occasions such as these. In all honesty, I’m not sure we could afford to carry him anyway given his lack of defensive contribution. Hopefully he is fit for the second leg as his guile will be needed in Cesc’s absence.

Bendtner – 7
Held the ball up well on occasion but failed to compete other times. Should have scored the header on 53 minutes that was directed far too close to Valdes. It was a difficult evening at times given Nik was the lone striker chasing the ball as it zipped between Barca defenders. He did set-up both goals though and both were excellent passes.

Substitutes:
Eboue – 7.5
Came on for Arshavin. His defensive contribution in midfield was key but he also pushed forward into some dangerous positions in the second half, causing Barca problems in the final third. Arguably should be in the team ahead of Arshavin on current form.

Denilson – 8 (Man of the Match)
Came on for Gallas. Excellent performance – assertive in the tackle, strong on the ball and efficient with the ball. Also was a major reason that Messi was so quiet in the second half.

Walcott – 8
Came on for Sagna. Barca couldn’t handle his pace and he produced the classic impact sub performance. Well taken goal, aggressive dribbling and a huge reason we are still in this tie. Has a big role to play on the huge Nou Camp pitch.

Supporter’s Review:
Every Arsenal supporter had been looking forward to this evening’s match-up ever since the draw was made, and it was evident with the atmosphere inside the Emirates this evening. There was a real sense of nervousness as the match kicked-off and as Barcelona asserted their dominance and there was an all too familiar feeling that Arsenal supporters had seen this before in the shape of Manchester United in the Champions League last year. After the two Barcelona goals the Emirates was unsurprisingly flat but in fairness to the Arsenal supporters they remained positive and were fantastic in inspiring the Arsenal comeback. There was the much expected love for Henry both when he came on and following the match. There was a slightly odd feeling around the Emirates when the final whistle blew, which I guess I could only describe as a mix of shock, excitement and exhaustion. There was a real range of emotions this evening!

Manager’s Review:
When Arsene Wenger was asked a number of questions in his pre-match interviews around whether he thought this was a chance to banish some of the ghosts that he has admitted to haunting him since their loss to Barcelona in the finals in 2006, he said that he thought this time it would be different because tactics would play a more important role over two legs than in a one off match such as the Champions League final. Arsene’s first major decision was around which of his not fully fit players to start, with question marks around Cesc, Gallas, Nasri, Arshavin and Diaby before the match. Wenger’s first two substitutions were forced through injury but his third substitution really changed the dynamic of the match when he brought on Walcott for Sagna.

Following the match Wenger was quick to point out his side’s character but he was also full of praise for Barcelona, who were undeniably full of class this evening. “It is not easy, believe me, but you respect it more than when you are kicked. I respect what Barcelona did tonight and you have to say they are a great side. They won the European Cup, the Spanish championship, the Spanish Cup, and you can see why. I still believe that a part of their superiority was down to their inhibition at the start of the game. We gave them too much room in the first part of the game.”

Conclusion/Final Thoughts:
There was a lot of anticipation in the build-up to the match this evening from supporters of both of these clubs and neutrals alike and surprisingly this match lived up to all of it and probably exceed expectations in all honesty. It was a great game for the neutral and was a real illustration of how beauty football can be. While Barcelona always looked dangerous when they had the ball, when Arsenal managed to get the ball back, particularly in the second half, they showed signs that they could create problems for the back four of Barcelona as well.

There is no doubt that the Gunners face an uphill battle at the Nou Camp in a week’s time but they have put themselves in a position where they have a chance to get a result and both teams will be missing a few influential players now through suspension. I think the Arsenal players started to find some weaknesses to exploit in the second half and hopefully they can carry those over to the next match. I am gutted that Cesc won’t be able to play at the Nou Camp due to his suspension but we will also be waiting with crossed fingers for the results of the x-ray he had after the match. In his post match comments Fabregas feared the worst when he said “We have to wait for tomorrow, but I hope I can wear the Arsenal shirt again this season. I do not think it is going to be good news, but still I hope there will be.”

Arsenal now need to put this result to one side and focus again on the Premier League with Wolves up next at the Emirates.

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