CL: Last 16 - Arsenal v Barcelona - 14/12/15

[Coolin]

I hope Cech's up for this. I get the feeling they'll create a good few clear cut-chances, while we'll create our fair share of half chances. It'll be up to him to keep us in it long enough for us to take one.

 

[Sea_of_Frost]

Do you guys really think that countering Barcelona is the only way to approach the game?

Barcelona, unlike the last few years have done well against parked buses trying to counter us.

The times we have majorly struggled is against teams that can press well.

It's factor of two things.As i see, spanish teams can't defend very well and they don't have some good game plan to play against Barca and Real.They try to play always the same way.I think that english teams can defend better than teams from La liga.Another factor is the power of Barca and Real.They can score a lot of goals for a short period.Overall it's mix of average defending and power offence in Barca and Real.

How many Spanish teams do you watch? The league isn't as physical as EPL, but is much more technical. La Liga averages less dribbles per game compared to most major leagues for a reason, as they don't conventionally offer the space that you'd get in the other leagues.

English teams on average won't defend better, but the top teams like Arsenal should be able to defend better than the average La Liga team, you're in the CL for a reason ffs.

 

[GunnerShy]

I think in this instance its an advantage playing at home first.

Going to Camp Nou first they'd probably put 3+ past us, then carve us up on the break back at home.

At least playing at the Emirates, we can hope for a bit of luck, and a positive result.

Maybe then we can set up to counter attack them at Camp Nou.

Maybe a front 3 of Welbeck, Sanchez and Walcott (assuming they're kicking straight).

By then we should have Cazorla and Coq paired back up in the middle.

Hard to see how we could outscore them across 180 minutes with the embarassing quality they have up front, but if we get a result at home one can hope. If we lose, send out the under 21s team.

 

[samshere]

Do you guys really think that countering Barcelona is the only way to approach the game?

Barcelona, unlike the last few years have done well against parked buses trying to counter us.

The times we have majorly struggled is against teams that can press well.



How many Spanish teams do you watch? The league isn't as physical as EPL, but is much more technical. La Liga averages less dribbles per game compared to most major leagues for a reason, as they don't conventionally offer the space that you'd get in the other leagues.

English teams on average won't defend better, but the top teams like Arsenal should be able to defend better than the average La Liga team, you're in the CL for a reason ffs.

But we don't press well. The choice we have is to sit back and defend for our lives, something which we've done on occasion, or learn a new way of football in 5 days.

 

[bojed]

When is this?

 

[bojed]

Do you guys really think that countering Barcelona is the only way to approach the game?

Well, Wenger and I prefer to push Messi down the stairs for a start but we aren't sure if Theo is up for it this time around.

 

[Trilly]

I miss the days when we could actually look forward to this competition.

How on earth were we better in the CL with much less resources? It's gotten to the point where the round of 16 is now called the round of Arsenal in some circles.

Tired of being a European joke, although you could argue that this year we were always doomed to finish second in our group.

 

[TheArsenalis]

Do you guys really think that countering Barcelona is the only way to approach the game?

Barcelona, unlike the last few years have done well against parked buses trying to counter us.

The times we have majorly struggled is against teams that can press well.



How many Spanish teams do you watch? The league isn't as physical as EPL, but is much more technical. La Liga averages less dribbles per game compared to most major leagues for a reason, as they don't conventionally offer the space that you'd get in the other leagues.

English teams on average won't defend better, but the top teams like Arsenal should be able to defend better than the average La Liga team, you're in the CL for a reason ffs.

Nope it's not the only way, but it is definitely the best tactic we can employ and i consider it playing to our strength. We can have some sloppy passers in midfield at times so playing short passes to pin them back propably backfire on us.

 

[Penn_]

We should do what Milan did to their pitch a few years back It's weird that they're are sanctions for not putting out your strongest team but the pitch can be of Sunday League standards.

Hopefully we'll see Ox get a couple of runs against them like he did against Bayern. Not sure how scared they'll be of Walcott this time, their fullbacks are quite pacey as opposed to Maxwell.

 

[Gegen Pressing]

Been disapointed too many times - if we do well and look like winning, the ref will either screw us or one of our players will - at least it wont be Woj or Ospina this time.

Maybe Giroud will headbutt Messi - I would kind of like to see that though

Giroud will headbutt the ref , I can feel it

 

[sexpanther]

Lol,you can't stand Suarez ? I can't stand whole Barca team.So many dirty and repulsive players.Alves,Suarez,Busquets,Pique,Neymar,Alba.Shame that such a good team has a lot of dirty players.

Agree 100% with this, don't get what all this respect towards them is about (not talking specifically from this forum, but just in general). I don't care how well they play, so many cheats have played at that club, past and present, hated them since the 06 final, hated them even more when they bought Henry from us. F*** em!! Hope Sanchez scores the goal to knock them out and celebrates in their faces.

 

[Gegen Pressing]

Who else thinks we don't need a midfield for this?
vs barca there is no point having a midfield as they all become defenders anyway.

Just 4 defenders 3 DM's and 3 strikers.
Great so let's do this:

DatGuy-Giroud-Walcott
Elneny-Coq-Flamini
Nacho-Chambers-Merte-Hector

and then it's long diagonals to walcott or long balls to giroud .

 

[The_Playmaker]

I'd like to see our full backs actually force Messi and Neymar down the line to be honest. Bellerin has the pace to keep up with Neymar down the line and that would basically nullify Jordi Alba. Showing players inside creates space for their full backs to get to the by line. Also with Walcott motivated off of a goal, starting him on the right would probably lead to us exploiting that space also. As long as he tracks back, he also has the pace to keep up with Alba.

 

[General]

"Simply run behind and latch to it" is literally 90% of all goals scored in every league. I'm not saying Celta don't make any defensive errors but you're setting the standard for them high while not taking into account the amount of mistakes made in England.

Take our win vs Leicester, Welbeck latched completely unmarked onto a ball that was put into the most obvious area to cross it into, if he hadn't gotten a touch Chambers and behind him Giroud would have; that's three players that could have scored against the league leaders in the very last second of the match. You wouldn't call Leicester "Aston Villa level" because of that either because that **** happens in football.

You are comparing a dead ball situation (against a team that was reduced to ten men and had defended heroically for a majority of the second half) to a goal than came from the ball being in play early in the second half when numbers were even. You can forget the goal, the 15minutes prior to Barca scoring their second was school boy stuff and it was a measure of how poor Celta were that they were hoofing the ball anywhere . It's normally the stuff you see towards the end of games when the small team is hanging on for their dear lives yet Celta were doing this straight after halftime and Barca were hardly haemorrhaging them. Please watch it again. Messi literally lifted the ball over the entire Celta defence and Suarez is suddenly one on one with the keeper with time to pick his spot. If this represents 90% of goals scored in every league, you are watching a different game.

There is absolutely no comparison between the quality of defending in La Liga and the PL. I think a lot of people see Barca cricket scoring these teams and ignore the quality of defending at hand. All our games between them have been close encounters until a refereeing decision influenced matters and whiles I don't dispute that they have the upper hand it would be naive to think that they'll walk over us like they regularly do in their league.

 

[General]

Who else thinks we don't need a midfield for this?
vs barca there is no point having a midfield as they all become defenders anyway.

Just 4 defenders 3 DM's and 3 strikers.
Great so let's do this:

DatGuy-Giroud-Walcott
Elneny-Coq-Flamini
Nacho-Chambers-Merte-Hector

and then it's long diagonals to walcott or long balls to giroud .

No Flamini please.

 

[jones]

...

What value has "heroic defending" when you can't defend a ball into the box on the literal last kick of the game, a set piece to boot? You know yourself you'd absolutely slaughter Celta or any other Spanish team for conceding the same goal.

You're entitled to your opinion. As a neutral follower to both leagues since I'm neither English nor Spanish I reckon the defending in La Liga is a lot better than in England. I wonder how one gets their opinion when they acknowledge themselves that they don't follow the league but feel free to disagree, this clearly won't lead anywhere so I'll leave it at that.

 

[David Smith]

Barcelona will be immensely difficult. There is no doubt that for most of the match we will be chasing shadows. But with a little luck I believe we can win.

 

[sammyvine]

I don't think football has ever seen a better front three than Messi, Neymar and Suarez...

You an argue that those are the top 3 players in football right now. They all complement each other really well as well...

 

[Jasard]

I really just don't care about these game... So desperate to win the league. I hope the players give it a go but not let it get to them if we get battered, just doesn't matter right now. Worry about it next year after winning the league, natural next step.

 

[General]

What value has "heroic defending" when you can't defend a ball into the box on the literal last kick of the game, a set piece to boot? You know yourself you'd absolutely slaughter Celta or any other Spanish team for conceding the same goal.

You're entitled to your opinion. As a neutral follower to both leagues since I'm neither English nor Spanish I reckon the defending in La Liga is a lot better than in England. I wonder how one gets their opinion when they acknowledge themselves that they don't follow the league but feel free to disagree, this clearly won't lead anywhere so I'll leave it at that.

I am not sure why you are trying to draw parallels with two completely different situations in footballing terms. One was a set piece and the other was ball in regular play. Even if you disagree on the quality of defending, surely you can see that both situations are incomparable.

I said I'm not a regular watcher of the league, it doesn't mean I don't follow. It's a league I've followed sparingly for over a decade and a half when it was actually an exciting league and the small teams were not scared of competing. I'm talking about the original Denilson and Ronaldo eras and I vividly remember the rembrandt Denilson posters we had in England around the 1998 World Cup. You'd be hard pressed to find many people to support your view that defending is a lot better in Spain than in England. Most La Liga defenders who have made the transition to England have found it tough and needed a lot of time to acclimatise. Historically the best and most expensive defenders have come from the PL or Italy and La Liga has always been behind these two. Pique couldn't get a game at United and Real had to resort to Jonathan Woodgate. Also think of where Nacho Monreal was when we signed him to where he is now. Go on and compare the quality of keepers in the respective leagues and the point is magically clear.
Let me ask -?Who in Barca's back 5 would get into ours?