Reaction to Barcelona
Mel Siew and Matt Nicholson
FEATURES
THE ARSENAL AGM - FULL WRITE UP
FIVE REASONS: ARSENAL COULD WIN IN BARCELONA
CARLTON AND ITV UPSET US AGAIN
JEKYLL AND HYDE PLAY THE NOU CAMP
Mel Siew (mwks2@cam.ac.uk)
Arsenal vs Barcelona - comments
A very astute piece on the game. I thought most of the same things on the train home. Neutral friends of mine have said it was the best game of the season so far; I've thought Seaman had lost it since Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool, when he spilled a Colly shot.
It was the same match when Fowler "dived" (why *do* we always get associated with controversial incidents?).
I thought Barcelona were so clinical, and that we absolutely missed Petit. I don't understand, if teams get so pumped up forWembley (and Barca's last visit was to win the damn thing in 1992), why we don't just play 2 holding midfielders, and tell the wide men and the front 2 to create something.
Sure the two in the middle can't David Batty it all night, but show extra caution than they would in the Premiership.
The noise was terrific on Tuesday, wasn't it? I always found it quite hard to understand how Turkish fans sacrificed goats at a football match, but after Bergy scored, we wanted blood! The tunnel end was so loud, I had to shout to my mate sitting next to me. We really didn't want halftime.
One thing I think you've got wrong though is the motive behind moving to Wembley. The financial gains are negligible, due to increased overheads.
Personally I think it's a brilliant move, but I always feel heartened to see 70,000 Gooners. Sitting on the East stand, as I have at all the 4 CL matches I've been to (didn't go to Solna, as I was in New York), the sight of the North main stand being all Arsenal is magnificent. And that's why I think we did it. To pack out Arsenal, to let as many people as possible experience a wonderful European night as Tuesday.
We're thinking about tomorrow's fans too. The fans who will fork out a bond when we finally move. Kids who went to that match are going to drool about it at school the next day. They'll say how loud it was, how exciting, and also how much better a match it was than Man Utd's.
But they'll also say that Wembley is falling down, that the transport links are inadequate, and that Barcelona played at a level or two above what they normally they do.
I feel frustrated with our European record at Wembley, which isn't all that bad. Last year's performances were bad, and I think the club realise that, hence the cards. But it also helps having glamour opposition. That's why I think Carlton's arguments are flawed.
No Arsenal fan in their right mind would say that Kiev, Panathinaikos or Lens were a match to last year's Group of Death. This year though, we are undoubtedly in a superior group, yet still ignored by Carlton.
Let's look at it game by game. We beat Panathinaikos, drew in the last minute with Kiev, and lost at home to Lens. Why? Because our world cup players didn't get into gear till the New Year, because the crowd didn't know how to cheer (boy, have we learnt quickly!), and because teams are pumped up.
This year? Beat Solna, lost to a supercharged Barcelona. On other days we could have beaten Kiev, and drawn with Lens.
The record then instead of being 2-1-2, becomes 3-2-1.
What disappoints me about Arsenal at Wembley, not so much this season, when I expected the team to lift the fans, is how players can fail to be inspired by playing in front of a packed out Wembley full of our own fans.
Overmars looked like he really want to go to Barcelona, and was the only one on Tuesday, but in other matches the whole team sometimes wishes it was somewhere else.
Petit et al continually harp on about us being fanatastic fans,
yet it seems us coming out in force just can't do the trick. I
can't understand
why our noise and numbers can't counteract the "Wembley effect"
that opposition teams experience.
Well next year it'll all be academic, as we return to Highbury. I just hope I can get a ticket ...
Cheers
Mel Siew
matt nicholson
uczvbag@ucl.ac.uk
Barca
Quite agree about Parlour - he's much better on the flank. I was a tad surprised to see him in midfield becuase he is so much less effcetive there.
AND, as you say, he dosen't have the defensive nous and positional sense to do the job that Petit has or even, dare I say it, the improving Grimandi (Grimandi seems to be more comfortable without the burden of being the last line on his shoulders).
I guess Wenger would have been far more concerned about the player to pick as Vieira's partner than anything else.
Makes one think, what HAS happened to Vivas this year to make him not even be in the picture
Nervertheless:
1) Barca are glorious to watch when they have the ball but if the score had been 3-3 they certainly could not have complained.
2) If the two meet later in the tournament (fingers crossed) then surely the Arse would have a chance as on Wednesday they had absolutely no luck what so ever. Perhaps it was all devoured in the first half at the Nou Camp. (I wish Man U fans would admit that they were lucky last year!)
3) The ref really was a waste of space. What about the outrageous foul on Kanu that he was completely oblivious to, even though he had a direct view from all of ten yards. Not to mention the Cocu dive - mind you if Van Gaal said he thought it was a penalty from the dugout I beleive him as I did I from behind the goal. Ginola eat your heart out!
Fingers Crossed for Fiorentina!
Matt Nicholson
Finsbury Park
PS Keep up the good work. Always the first footie web page I look at!
PPS Funny how the tabloids and broadsheets are suddenly talking about Winterburn when he's been pure class for so long.
I shook my head in wonder when he chased the ball down in to the wrong corner flag in the latter part of the game. How much commitment can one give!?
Needless to say the Arse have probably got the best two left backs in the country!
Why is it that, whoever he is, the England manager picks the defensively
hopeless Le Saux time after time?