Arsenal vs. Galatasaray: Key Issues That Will Shape Champions League Game
Arsenal need to get off the mark in the Champions League after being roundly defeated by Bayern Munich and suffering the emotional trauma of dropping two points in the north London derby last weekend.
Their opponent as they endeavor to do so will be Galatasaray at the Emirates Stadium—a team that the Gunners should beat but will provide a continuous physical challenge.
Much real and virtual ink will be spilled analyzing and previewing this fixture, but let's look at four key issues on which its outcome will really hinge.
Danny Welbeck's Eye for Goal
1 of 4
Danny Welbeck has been excellent with his back to goal, but he has not yet proven that he is a clinical lone striker.
Arsenal need him first and foremost to be a ball-holder. They need him to retain possession until other forwards and midfielders catch up, allowing him to distribute the ball to those in better positions.
In other words, Olivier Giroud's job.
However, Giroud lacks that clinical instinct in front of goal that first-rate strikers have, and it frequently hindered the Gunners' attack.
They will be much more dynamic against a dogged Galatasaray side if they can rely on their striker to carry some of the goalscoring burden.
Mathieu Flamini's Passing
2 of 4
On Monday, I wrote about the burden Mathieu Flamini must bear now that Mikel Arteta is injured.
This will be the Frenchman's first major test.
Galatasaray are bound to press high up the pitch to neutralize Arsenal's superior attacking threat and unnerve the Gunners in front of what is bound to be an anxious home crowd. That blueprint has worked many times in the past.
Flamini, in particular, will be put under a disproportionate amount of pressure because he will be forced to distribute the ball and build attacks from the back. Arteta is a master at being slippery and effective when under the gun, but Flamini slipped up in just that sort of situation last weekend, and Tottenham quickly scored their only goal of the game.
Arsenal need three points from this game and such blunders are intolerable.
Arsenal's Ability to Contain Wesley Sneijder
3 of 4
Wesley Sneijder is easily Galatasaray's most important attacking player, and his ability to find pockets of space will largely determine how successfully the Turkish side breaks down Arsenal's defense.
The task of harrying and pressuring him will largely fall to Flamini, but the entire team will have to collectively take responsibility for containing Sneijder's chance-making and goalscoring threat.
He is a dangerously dynamic player and even a foul right outside the box could easily become a goal due to the Dutchman's superb ability to strike a dead ball.
If Sneijder is frustrated, Galatasaray will see their chances begin to dry up.
How Well Galatasaray's Stars Perform
4 of 4
Like the rest of Turkey's elite teams, Galatasaray rely on a core of star players to carry the team while the rest of the side plays a comparatively supporting role.
That small group is composed of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, strikers Burak Yilmaz and Goran Pandev and midfielders Felipe Melo and Wesley Sneijder.
The list seems intimidating, but Arsenal just have to focus on containing those threats and force the rest of the team to step up and pick up their slack.
The Gunners cannot devote too much energy to a select few, of course, as the rest of Galatasaray's team is not mere mincemeat. However, there is a relatively uncomplicated blueprint for Arsenal that takes them some way to victory.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
