Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona: Four Questions Concerning Barcelona

Barcelona drew 2-2 with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League yesterday night. Goals for Barcelona came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic who made a double, while Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas were on the scoring sheet for Arsenal.

The Champions League title holders were leading 2-0 just after half-time, but the Gunners made a late come back to secure a home draw, (click for post-match article ).

After watching the match, there are five questions which could settle in the mind of a Barcelona fan.

1. Did Pep Guardiola really have a plan for his formation?

In the first minutes of the clash, Barcelona showed fierceness in attack, scaring the hosts with dangerous strikes and passes from Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But as minutes passed by, strategies seemed to be missing in the Spanish club’s formation.

Lionel Messi was shifted to the middle, while Pedro Rodriguez was pushed deep into the right-hand side of the field. Zlatan Ibrahimovic occasionally played the role of a striker and a winger at the same time, and Dani Alves’ attending on the right wing no longer appeared as a surprise.

At first, Arsenal looked confused by this lack of organization from Barcelona, but eventually, it became a benefice for them, and it rather turned into a predicament for the Blaugrana.

This caused what could be called the “fading” of Messi, while it reduced the chances of his team mates in the midfield to score.

2. Was Lionel Messi as keen to score as in his match against Valencia or against Stuttgart?

Messi has attracted many football lovers recently by scoring two hat-tricks in seven days, and two magnificent goals against Stuttgart in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.

Yet, yesterday against Arsenal, his scoring abilities were yet to be exhibited.

Messi forced saves from Almunia twice in the game. His first attempt on goal was in the first 45 minutes when he made a low bullet strike goalwards after some individual efforts, and the second attempt came in the second half when he saw his low shot get parried away by the keeper from a tight angle.

Apart from these two occasions, the Argentine never seemed close to scoring, and he didn’t even try to create space for himself. Perhaps, this is what we call a “team player”, but on the hand, a stronger contribution from Messi could have rescued the visitors.

It even looked as if the FIFA Player of the Year had prematurely chosen the option of playing a passing game, instead of trying to break down the Arsenal defense in every possible way.

3. Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic be crowned as the Most Impressive Player of Barcelona?

Ibra did get two goals to put the Catalans in front with a 2-0 lead which was cancelled later on, but one should not omit the fact that he also failed to destroy the psychology of Arsenal in the early stages of the game.

Ibrahimovic was set up on several occasions in the first 15 minutes of the match, but sloppiness from the Swedish man, as well as ineffectiveness did not allow Barcelona to feel comfortable in the first period.

Ibrahimovic even missed to put the ball at the back of the net from close range, but fortunately for him, he was capable of finding the back of the net twice impressively in the second half.

In the end, was Zlatan Ibrahimovic really good yesterday night, or was he simply the man lucky enough to score the goals for Barcelona?

Does he deserve to be crowned as the Most Impressive Player on the part of Barca?

4. A draw in London…another draw in Spain?

Last season, Barcelona drew twice against London side Chelsea, and they could repeat history against Arsenal this season too, despite not having the same number of goals.

Barcelona face Arsenal again at the Camp Nou, and as the London Gunners were able to stop the Catalans in their home, they could also invade the Camp Nou unexpectedly.

Perchance, Barcelona could accept a 0-0 draw or a 1-1 draw to go through the next stage in the Champions League, but a draw bigger than 2-2 would see them out of Europe’s toughest competition.

In the long run, going for a straight victory would be a preferred option for the Catalans; however, their fans can only hope that their game against Real Madrid next weekend will not distract them ahead of their second-leg match against Arsenal.

For the review, pictures and videos of the Champions League match Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona, just click on FC Barcelona to go my Barca blog .