Barcelona Show the Clinical Edge That Arsenal Are Lacking

It was a strange sensation for Arsenal fans on Wednesday morning. They had been comprehensively beaten in a match in which they played rather well. Although they pushed Barcelona hard for long spells, the Gunners were simply not as clinical as their opponent.

That’s the real genius of Barcelona’s front line. They only need a sniff of a chance to capitalise.

Look at their first goal at the Emirates Stadium—it was arguably the first time Arsenal had been caught over-committing, with Per Mertesacker high in his opponent's half. When Barca won the ball back, they exploited the space superbly.

As for Lionel Messi’s finish, it was inspired. So many players would have hit the ball first time—instead, he used his first touch to dummy brilliantly before sweeping the ball home into an empty net.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

It’s exactly that sort of composure that was missing from Arsenal’s game. The Gunners had a superb opportunity to take the lead in the first half, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shot low and straight at the stranded goalkeeper when anything off the ground would surely have seen him score. The same player dribbled straight into Javier Mascherano when presented with a great opportunity to hurt Barcelona on the counter. 

He wasn’t alone in being profligate. Olivier Giroud had a header saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, then bizarrely chose to pass into space when well-placed for a shot inside the area.

Speaking about that missed header, the Frenchman told Arsenal Player, “It’s possibly the turning point. I had a duel with the defender and I think that I headed the ball well but the keeper did very well.”

Aaron Ramsey was another player who spurned a decent chance to score, and he admitted to Arsenal.com that the Gunners needed to be more efficient in front of goal: "We created a couple of opportunities, especially in the first half and against a side like that you have to take them."

Ramsey is right. For Arsene Wenger, it’s galling. Had Arsenal managed to take the lead in the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg, who knows how the match might have panned out?

Instead of fading in the game’s latter stages, Arsenal might have been galvanised by their advantage and head on until full-time.

A clearly frustrated Wenger told Arsenal.com: "We had an unbelievable chance in the first half. The way we finished our chances today is a problem because I felt that we missed something in the final third."

The likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey will take most of the blame, but Arsenal might feel they could have got more from their marquee players.

Neither Alexis Sanchez nor Mesut Ozil shone as you might expect on such a stage. In games like these, you need your star players to step up. Barcelona’s did; Arsenal’s did not. 

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The Gunners have now drawn blanks against Stoke City, Chelsea, Southampton, Hull City and Barcelona since the middle of January. It’s clear they’ve lost that incisive edge to their attacking game that made them such a threat back in the autumn. 

After losing the first leg 2-0 to Barcelona, their hopes of qualification for the next round of the Champions League are all but gone. If they want to keep alive their hope of success on the domestic front, they will need to quickly rediscover their goalscoring touch.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.