Football stopped being effortless for Barcelona. The effect may be temporary and before Pep Guardiola's side created such expectations for themselves that a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates would have been seen as a reasonable start to the business of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The bookies, implacable in the face of excitement, are still convinced that Arsenal will be eliminated at the Camp Nou on 8 March. It is a common calculation, yet there is an assumption that Barcelona's football must go on soaring above all others.
They were a trudging, earth-bound side when conceding both goals in the last dozen minutes at the Emirates. It was enough to make you believe that Guardiola is, after all, working with mere human beings. Weariness got the better of them as Arsenal's tempo and talent took their toll. Barcelona have been so good that they make everyone forget what a grind glory can be.
Half a dozen of the men who started for triumphant Spain in the World Cup final on 11 July last year were on the field for them at kick-off on Wednesday. The number would have been greater still but for the knee injury to their captain, Carles Puyol. The Barcelona approach to the game puts a smile on people's faces, but the players themselves must grimace. There was a grinding of teeth at Gijón last Saturday before an equaliser 10 minutes from the close limited the damage slightly.
The following day, Real Madrid had their goalkeeper Iker Casillas sent off at Espanyol in the second minute, but won 1-0 with little fuss. While José Mourinho's side were swamped at the Camp Nou and still lie five points adrift in La Liga, the next encounter with Guardiola's men could see them make the most of home advantage on 17 April. It is assumed that Barcelona will come through most tests, but they could not have expected such a night in London when the Champions League is merely in its first knockout round.
Beforehand it was Arsenal who seemed to have been penalised, for finishing behind Shakhtar Donetsk. The probability is that they will still rue their underachievement while trooping away from the Camp Nou. For the time being, however, it is Barcelona who are exasperated. They could, for instance, have had an even earlier lead when Lionel Messi flipped a finish towards the far corner of the net and sent the ball wide. His chosen method looked arrogant, although it most likely seemed the sensible way for someone of his virtuosity to score.
Arsenal, all the same, would not allow the evening to rest on the quirks and qualities of Barcelona. Fragility was exposed as Arsène Wenger's football reached ever higher levels. The drama of the winner by the substitute Andrey Arshavin ought not to distract anyone from the finesse with which it was constructed, starting with Jack Wilshere's pass from deep midfield and continuing with sharp work by Cesc Fábregas. The Russian's conversion from Samir Nasri's service was plain and perfect.
It was informative before that to see Wenger take off Alex Song. The decision could have been called a gamble, but the closest person Arsenal have to a defensive midfielder now that Denílson no longer starts in the important fixtures had not been of great relevance. The traditional and much-feted figure of the holding player, with Claude Makelele as its epitome, looks obsolete.
There was not much prospect of anyone landing the sort of tackle on a Barcelona midfielder that dispossessed him cleanly. Even so, the bewitching movement did have its price for Guardiola's side. It is extremely hard work to sustain the constant fluency and, for that matter, to keep on changing positions to create the correct angle and so maintain a flow intended to sweep Arsenal out of the tie. The beauty of Barcelona depends on a lot of industry.
Wenger's side were to outlast them after the opener from David Villa and, unusually, drew on a critical moment of opportunism to equalise. Robin van Persie is an excellent striker of the ball but he was even more impressive in noticing that the goalkeeper Víctor Valdés had stepped a little too far from his near post and left the gap that the Dutchman exploited.
This was another stride in Arsenal's progress. The team are four points from the head of the Premier League table and they alone can hope to prevent Manchester United from regaining the title, with Sir Alex Ferguson's team coming to the Emirates, provisionally on 30 April. It was an indication of Arsenal's cohesion that spectators could take time off from grumbling about the inability to locate a new centre-half in the January transfer window. The side were far from impenetrable, but their difficulties were no more severe than any other side pitted against Barcelona.
Arsenal went down 4-1 at the Camp Nou last year. The general view still is that they will again be eliminated by Guardiola's line-up, but by a tighter margin. Even if that is the outcome, the side will take some benefit from this tie. With Barcelona defeated at the Emirates, Arsenal ought to be flooded with confidence that they can thrive in a Premier League whose remaining fixture list is crammed with matches they should win.
Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 17 Feb 11
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