Will Theo & Nasri Rise To The Occasion?

Go Gunners..

Last week, the footballing duel of the decade was witnessed by mortals around the globe, and a few of them were lucky enough to be at ground zero. I had to make-do with a view on the tube and boy was it a spectacle or what!? Wenger billed the game as a walk through an art gallery; for the first 70 minutes, it was a walk through a morgue per say. All that till one certain Theo-ry set afoot. Rest as they say, is history, with Arsenal trailblazing a way back to end the game at 2-2. 11G interludes..

Barca started the proceedings in a ruthless manner and if it was not for Almunia’s pyrotechnics, we would have been done and dusted right then. In the 1^st hour of the match it looked like Barca were miles ‘n ages ahead of Arsenal and Wenger’s dream of creating a world class team will never come outta paper. The character of this team was put to litmus test and it looked like failing dismally.

But then this team did something which makes me feel more ‘goonerish’ than ever before. Walcott was introduced and he did live up to the ‘super sub’ tag bestowed to him. The speed of this youngster provided that zip missing in the team. The team was trying nonetheless but the spark was provided by Walcott. It’s a slap in the face of people who question his footballing brain and consider him to be a sprinter who has lost his way to a football ground.

Experts were heard saying that there is indeed some flicker of hope, as we prepare to face the best team on the globe in their back yard without the services of our best players i.e. Arshavin, Fabregas, Gallas et al. But we never had Arshavin or Gallas in the 1^st leg as well and considering the circumstances, we did quite well. We will have Rosicky coming back to take Arshavin’s place and Fabregas’ role will be played by Nasri who relished in this role against Porto. We have Sol to take Gallas’ place and Diaby has still not shown what he is capable of. All in all we have a lot going for ourselves.

It is Barca who needs to worry about their absentees.  Puyol and Pique’ both are outta of the tie and they are the weakest link in the Barca squad. If their 1^st choice center backs are so poor then I bet that gunners are having wet dreams dreaming about their 2^nd choice center backs. Even Ibra, Barca’s lone goal-scorer the other night, is out with a calf injury. Seems that’s the flavor of the season! Go gunners.

Now should Walcott start or should he again come as a ‘super sub’, is what has divided opinions all week long. In my opinion he makes more of an impact as a substitute and should be used late on in the game to exploit those tired ‘n tardy Barca legs, like he effectively did in the first leg. But again, question is will Arsenal be still in the game by then? Whilst he has not shown much of a class starting games, his presence is undeniable in those final minutes. Wenger will have to back him instincts on this one.

Nasri is good enough as a playmaker and I expect fireworks from him at the Nou Camp. On a nut shell, we have a more than a chance to go through and I would expect nothing less.

Even if this side does not manage to go through, I would not be ashamed of this side. These lads have done enough to make us gooners proud and it is the way they responded to the challenge that mattered. It is not about losing or winning but it is about the way you play the game and the way you respond to a challenge. They have done well to fight back against the best team in the world and that performance has brought a lot of solace to every gooner’s heart.

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For now, forever, ‘Proud to be a Gooner’.

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PS: News has filtered in, there is no Song in the squad for the trip to Spain. Things are going from bad to worse for Arsenal it seems.

Campbell is sure to start now, with Denilson-Diaby-Nasri to shoulder the mid-field. Any of Bendtner/Rosicky/Theo/Eduardo/Eboue will feature in the attacking third.

Irony being the selection of Fran Merida, another ex-Catalan. Now that will raise a few eye-brows surely!

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