Arsenal Seek To Beat Barcelona at Their Own Game

The Draw

With both teams emphasizing fluid, attacking play, the first leg of the Arsenal-Barcelona Champions League quarterfinal has the makings of a great match for neutral observers, and a trip to the cardiologist for those with rooting interests.

This will not be a war of attrition between two sides attempting to force vastly different tempi and rhythms on the match. The terms of the match will be set from the get-go; it will be a battle of wills and creative genius between two teams that simply play beautiful football. 

Ultimately the team that dominates midfield play and most succeeds at frustrating the other's midfield build-up will deserve to advance. Past success, injuries, and current form indicate that Barça are the more complete side.

However, there is no team remaining in the competition with a better chance of unseating the title holders than Arsenal.

Barcelona ran Manchester United into the ground in last year's final by harrying them at every turn. No United player was safe with the ball at his feet. Wayne Rooney was held without a shot on goal and Cristiano Ronaldo received his customary frustration yellow card.

Man U made the mistake of playing to contain the Barça attack and score on the counter, but suffered the consequences of conceding strategic domination of the middle of the field. Once they went down on Eto'o's strike in the 10th minute, they could not answer.

Arsene Wenger's boys will not make this mistake. Arsenal is designed to play aggressively and to dominate possession.

For two straight years, they have bowed out in the Champion's League semifinal to English clubs (United and Liverpool) that matched up well and forced them into a traditional English style of play.

This season in the Premiership, Chelsea twice victimized Arsenal by putting on clinics in counterattacking football at Stamford Bridge and--shamefully--at the Emirates.

While these losses point to characteristic flaws that must be addressed if Arsenal is to avoid embarrassment, they also indicate, ironically, the precise reason for which Arsenal stands the best chance of beating Barça. They play a similar style and stand a reasonable chance of outplaying los catalanes at their own game.

Offensive Keys to Success

To beat Barcelona, Arsenal must capitalize on the advantages they do have and limit the defensive inadequacies that have sometimes surfaced on less-than-inspired days.

Offensively, Arsenal must make full use of the width and length of the pitch. They have the advantages of superior speed and (relative) youth in key match-ups, especially on the outside.

Lionel Messi and Dani Alves will always be two of the fastest players any time they step onto the field, but Arsenal would fare better overall if the game were to turn into a track meet.

The Gunners have blistering speed on the wings and in the middle of the field, while the central midfield duo of Andrés Iniesta and Robert Downey Jr., I mean Xavi , are slow for Barcelona. Both are world class players because of their football intelligence and skill, but Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, and the productive right back options of Sagna and Eboue all give a decided advantage in team speed to Arsenal. 

The Gunners will have to show that, beyond simply possessing the ball in the offensive third, they can generate scoring chances and finish against a star-studded Barcelona defense.

Lacking a dependable target man since November, Arsenal have sometimes looked incapable of creating and capitalizing on scoring opportunities against strong defensive sides.

With Nicklas Bendtner recovering from injury and coming into a recent run of form, he would look to be the big target that his smaller teammates will look for inside the box and on the ends of crosses. It remains to be seen whether he will find a comfortable role and meet this challenge against the best Europe has to offer, or simply wilt in the face of a big match.

Regardless of how much of a factor Bendtner makes of himself, the creative instincts of Samir Nasri, Andrey Arshavin, and Cesc Fabregas will be severely challenged by monster midfielder Yaya Toure and the Barcelona back four.

Defensive Keys to Success

The combination of Arsenal's injury-riddled back four and a year-long propensity for lapses in defensive discipline have sometimes resulted in bad goals conceded to mediocre competition.

Particularly instructive was the first leg against Porto, where Denilson and the rest of the midfield were over-eager in moving forward, often leaving the flat back four at the mercy of multiple on-rushing counterattackers. Porto could have scored four goals if they had been better suited to make use of the opportunities Arsenal gave them.

Disciplined or not, Arsenal's depleted stable of centerbacks could prove fatal for the Gunners if Alex Song and Abou Diaby do not make themselves into massive stumbling blocks in the midfield.

Song has proven his worth as a holding midfielder, and impressed on the back line against West Ham after Sol Campbell's ejection. Diaby and Song, when in-form and on the field, make for a formidable and vastly underrated duo.

It’s tempting to imagine Song in the central defensive role alongside Thomas Vermaelen for a full match, given his success over the weekend. This would give Wenger more latitude for loading the midfield with smaller, faster, offensive-minded players.

A Champion’s League quarterfinal, however, doesn’t seem like the best time to embark on such an experiment, especially with other question marks at the back. Additionally, Song’s discipline, strength, and physical presence would be missed in the midfield.

Prediction

If they can balance a full match of disciplined defense with strong wing play and a determined effort to break up the Barcelona attack in the middle third, Arsenal will look their brilliant best. With Arshavin, Nasri, and a healthy Bendtner going forward ahead of Fabregas, Song, and Diaby, Arsenal should have the firepower and the speed to take the first leg and hold their own at the Camp Nou.

Come on, you Gunners!