Out Arsenal-ed

In recent years, this Arsenal team have been outplayed before; most notably by Barcelona at the Nou Camp a couple of times. However I can’t remember being completely outplayed by a newly promoted team. We weren’t just outplayed in terms of the score line, but we were outplayed at our own style of football.

Swansea deserved to win the game and must be given an immense amount of credit for the way they played, however from an Arsenal perspective, the defeat was seriously avoidable again. The team seemed incapable of keeping the ball for a sustained period of time to build pressure on the hosts, with some individuals frustrating a lot of fans.

Injuries have taken their toll, but Arsenal should still have had enough quality to get three points. We all know that when fit, our best starting XI is capable of beating anyone, but the hallmark of a great team is being able to pick up points when key players are missing. It seemed that some of the players on the pitch were about as useful as some of those who were absent from injury.

Like at Fulham, we started the match really well. Robin van Persie, unsurprisingly, scored. I thought his initial touch was too heavy, but I shouldn’t have doubted the captain.

Having scored so early, we should have won the match comfortably. What is most frustrating about the last few weeks is that the team have been in the same situation on three occasions, and not won any of the games. Against Wolves, Fulham and Swansea, we got the early goal but allowed the opposition back into the match. If it happened once, you’d mark it down as careless, but the lesson would have been learnt and dealt with. However there is a clear issue that hasn’t been addressed properly. To throw away three leads, two of them leading to defeats, is beyond careless. We’ve been in a situation since August where any dropped points where going to be felt more than usual because of our start, so to be in winning positions and throw them away is infuriating.

Whilst we didn’t properly kick on after the goal, we were unfortunate to concede the penalty. Whether it’s not getting a penalty awarded to us, or conceding soft penalties, I’m fed up of important decisions going against us. I can understand why referee Michael Oliver gave the penalty, however he was in a brilliant position and should have seen that Ramsey didn’t trip Nathan Dyer or attempt to bring him down. Dyer turned in the box and if anything he catches Ramsey. It isn’t an excuse for the larger problems in the team, but it would be nice to have an important decision be right and go in our favour. Sunday against Manchester United would be a good start for that, although our recent win record with Mike Dean officiating is terrible.

Having been pegged back at 1-1, we still couldn’t control the game. Swansea deservedly took the lead as we overplayed the ball out of defence. We had the chance to spray the ball out wide and move away from our goal, however we went back to where Swansea were able to pressure us into losing the ball and giving them the space to score. Swansea had played their way out of similar position impressively, whether we were trying to prove that we could do it as well I don’t know, but it would have made sense at that moment to be able to read the situation and be more direct to get the ball away with the game so finely poised.

Bringing the game back to 2-2 proved that Swansea were just as vulnerable at the back as we were, the final pass just had to be right. So often it wasn’t, yet it only took a simple through ball from Djourou to put Walcott in on goal. The simplicity of both of our goals made the fact we couldn’t carve out other clear chances very frustrating. Walcott’s finish was excellent, but he did nothing for the rest of the game.

The way we conceded straight from the kick off was ludicrous. The players weren’t focussed and we were deservedly punished. Even when the ball was played through to Danny Graham, we shouldn’t have conceded. Koscielny had enough pace to force Graham wide, but Szczesny was in no man’s land, giving Graham the chance to find the far corner. Had Szczesny stayed in goal, Swansea probably wouldn’t have scored. I think Wojciech Szczesny is good enough to be our long term number one, however he’s shown his inexperience and naivety in the last two league games, and it’s cost us points. There are no other fit or competent goalkeepers to replace or advise Szczesny if he goes through a bad run of form, so he could become complacent about his place in the team. There’s a lot of pressure on him to show maturity, but his age is getting the better of him at some key points in games.

As much as we were slightly open in defence, I don’t think that was the biggest problem at the weekend. Laurent Koscielny had another superb game, both in terms of quality and effort. Per Mertesacker hadn’t trained all week after being unwell so deserves credit for starting at all, plus he did make some key interceptions and clearances. We need full backs. Ignasi Miquel looked like an inexperienced centre back playing out of position, however he couldn’t be faulted for effort. Hopefully Thomas Vermaelen will return next week, otherwise the decision to not sign a full back looks increasingly baffling. There aren’t many good left backs available on the market for loan, but surely signing one of them on for a short term fix would have been a better option than putting pressure on a young centre back to play out of position.

The biggest problem on Sunday was the midfield. Aaron Ramsey ran his socks into the ground, but is clearly in need of a break. It’s the first time he’s played regularly for such a long period of time in the Premier League, and its showing. He also seemed slightly confused as to where in midfield he was playing against Swansea. With Benayoun there, it wasn’t clear whether Ramsey was the man meant to be getting close to Robin van Persie. We missed Mikel Arteta so badly. He would have given us the control in midfield that would have enabled us to keep the ball better. He’d also have allowed Song to express himself more with the ball and possibly create some chances, something he’s improved on this season.

Going forward, as mentioned, Walcott didn’t have a good game. Robin van Persie barely had anything to feed off and Andrey Arshavin picked up a good assist, but otherwise slowed our attacks down and lost the ball too often. Gervinho has his critics, but he runs with the ball well and injects pace into our game.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked a lot livelier than Arshavin when he came on, making me think it’s really time to unleash the Ox. With Gervinho at the African Cup of Nations, Oxlade-Chamberlain is the closest like-for-like replacement we’ve got. We could start Henry on the left wing, but I think that would be a waste of his finishing ability.

There was a lot of anger flying around from some Arsenal fans after the match, particularly on twitter, and a lot of it was understandable, but it shouldn’t be directed at players who clearly gave 100%. Some of the tweets sent to Aaron Ramsey were needless and hideous, and Ramsey was one of the players who didn’t stop running all game. He’s not in great form, but is giving everything for Arsenal Football Club. As fans, we can’t ask for anymore from those wearing the shirt. We can ask for reinforcements to be brought in, but we can’t fault players individually if they’ve given everything they’ve got.

As for the fan who reportedly confronted Thierry Henry, we don’t need in-fighting with supporters and probably the best player to wear the cannon. Things weren’t good on Sunday, but we saw at the end of last season how negativity amongst fans will only bring the team down. The last days of last season weren’t enjoyable for anyone, so let’s all get behind the team against Manchester United. We’re in January, there’s still time to make the top four plus we’re still in the Champions League and the FA Cup. There is still time to address the problems and get players back from injury, we just need that sooner rather than later, or else our top four hopes will fade.

We’re in a position now where we go into the Manchester United match with no expectations. Anything that isn’t a defeat will probably be considered a bonus. The pressure is off, so the players need to show the sort of confidence that Swansea did against us. Hopefully we’ll see the much needed returns of Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta, and possibly someone other than Andrey Arshavin on the wing. We always have a chance with Robin van Persie up front.

Trying to look positively, on the same weekend in January 2007, we welcomed Manchester United to the Emirates. We won 2-1 with an injury time winner from Thierry Henry. Can the script writer pick up his pen?

Source: Sam Limbert, ESPN Soccernet on 17 Jan 12

Robin van Persie unlikely to show blind loyalty to trophyless Arsenal

The Dutch striker may start to wonder if he would be better off at Barcelona if the Gunners cannot satisfy his ambition

It is an admission that cuts to the core of Robin van Persie's purist footballing principals but one that also provokes trepidation among the Arsenal support, which has lived on its nerves throughout the club's recent soap opera storylines. When the striker who scores when he wants settles down to watch what he wants, there is only one club that he follows. "I have to admit that Barcelona is the only team that I watch on the telly, apart from Arsenal," Van Persie says, with characteristic all-or-nothing candour.

There is encouragement to be located for the Arsenal faithful in the Dutchman's choice of viewing. He is not stimulated by Manchester City or Paris St-Germain or Anzhi Makhachkala, the nouveaux riches, who are prepared to offer him untold riches in the summer in exchange for his signature. Nor, for that matter, do Real Madrid quicken his pulse.

He once said that Real were not "something for me". "They are a great club," he added, "but it really goes fast with managers and players. You'll get a neck problem. You've won nothing? Go away … here, you have a couple of millions, on to the next signing. The way that Arsenal and Barcelona do it speaks more to me."

Van Persie has often given the impression that, rather like the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, he has little love for the clubs that lever themselves to the forefront via their spending power. Van Persie is a traditionalist, and a romantic one at that. In his interview with NUsport magazine, which was published last month, he spoke, for example, of his admiration for Vic and Paul Akers, the Arsenal father-and-son kit management team, who epitomise so many of the club's values.

"What's so special about Arsenal is the family atmosphere and the warmth," Van Persie said. "When you come in here, you're always welcomed like a brother. Mikel Arteta [the summer signing from Everton] played against us for years but he walks into the dressing-room and he's one of us.

"The kit men, Vic and Paul Akers, have worked at the club for years. They love the club and they do everything for us; outfits, shoes, balls but, also, when I want to go to Disney on Ice, they arrange it. They represent the true Arsenal feeling and we've got some more like these men."

Van Persie has bought deeply into the philosophies of the club, who took him from Feyenoord as a raw and slightly reckless youngster in 2004 and have helped to mould him into one of the continent's most complete players. He would like nothing more than to lead Arsenal to trophies and he continues to believe that attractive, attacking football is the best means to that end. Barcelona, after all, have proved as much.

There is, however, a stark reality that has begun to undercut Van Persie's ideals – a growing acceptance that winning in any fashion is preferable to not winning at all. He has pondered whether Barcelona and their beautiful triumphs might be the exception to his rule. Van Persie is not so blinded by the aesthetic as to lose sight of the sparkle of silverware and, at 28, and having won a single trophy with Arsenal – the 2005 FA Cup – he is yearning for glory as never before.

His contractual stand-off has cast long shadows over Arsenal's campaign. The captain has said that he does not wish to discuss fresh terms until the summer, when he will have not only 12 months to run on his existing deal but a clearer impression of where the club is going. If it is into the Europa League, Arsenal would appear hard pushed to retain their star, particularly if, as can be expected, he shines for Holland at Euro 2012.

Van Persie's angst, and that of everybody connected to the club, was deepened on Sunday night after the defeat at Swansea City, the team's seventh of the Premier League season, which has left them four points off the Champions League pace. There were several familiar sights – a goal for Van Persie (his 22nd of the season); defensive vulnerabilities; Wenger raging at the referee and Wojciech Szczesny manfully fronting up to the press afterwards. But it was the sinking feeling that held sway on the journey back to London.

Van Persie will be confronted, in the summer, by suitors and awkward questions. Could he yet be tempted by City and the notion that they might represent a better bet for honours? One thing is clear. He will not need his good friends Cesc Fábregas and Ibrahim Afellay to sell him the merits of Barcelona. His satellite TV dish relays them to him every week. If they were to come calling, Van Persie could not say no.

Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 16 Jan 12

Thierry Henry is not the egocentric striker who left Arsenal behind

When Henry left Arsenal in 2007 he was almost bigger than the club, but Barcelona and New York have changed him

Thierry Henry can not only show his medals to the Arsenal dressing room, he can show his statue. The striker welled up at the unveiling of his bronze likeness at Emirates Stadium this month and it seemed unkind to wonder whether he had been commemorated before his time. But the feeling will gather strength if and when the 34-year-old completes a startling return to the club, and pulls on the red-and-white jersey in the new year. Reports on Thursday night suggested it will happen in the next two days.

It is doubtful that Arsène Wenger had considered re-signing Henry on a short-term loan from the New York Red Bulls when the sculptors received their commission as part of Arsenal's 125-year anniversary celebrations. The manager, incidentally, came over all self-conscious when a bust of himself was sited at the players' entrance to the stadium. "I thought I was dead when I saw it," he said. Yet the curious prospect of the return of a legend who is not only alive but still kicking beckons.

It feels risky. When Henry left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007, after eight glorious seasons in north London, the joke was that he needed an additional business-class seat for his ego. He had almost transcended the club with his personality and status, and his departure was considered by some as necessary for the younger players to blossom. Henry had become such a focal point that his team-mates would feel compelled to seek the pass to him even when it was not on.

One story from his final season sticks in the memory. Arsenal had lost at Fulham at the end of November and Wenger had substituted Alex Song at half-time after the midfielder had endured a dreadful game. In front of the rest of the squad Henry castigated Song, which deeply upset Wenger. Henry was suffering from sciatica and Wenger told him that he was taking him out of the firing line, starting in the next game – the derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Henry left the training ground in a rage. Due to injury problems, he played only a further 10 times for the team.

Song, of course, remains at the club, together with a clutch of others who worked with Henry in the first-team squad – Manuel Almunia, Johan Djourou, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby, Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie. What impact Henry would have on the chemistry of the match-day dressing room is the greatest intangible, particularly as he would most likely be a mere squad member, fighting with Park Chu-young for the right to understudy Van Persie.

The notion of Henry as a cheerleader on the bench does not sit easily with the memories of him in his va-va-voom pomp, when he was arguably the finest player in the country, an explosive package of pace, skill and ruthlessness who celebrated by sliding on his knees after putting opponents on theirs. Henry scored 15 times in 29 games for the Red Bulls last season but he is obviously no longer the same player. Nobody, least of all himself, would want him to sully his Arsenal legacy.

A section of the club's dressing room would be caught in two minds were Henry to return on a permanent, longer-term contract. Privately, one or two of them wonder why Ian Wright was not selected for the statue and there is the media circus that may accompany Henry. But the prospect of a quick fix appears to suit, with the positives vying for prominence. Wenger needs temporary cover for Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho, who are bound for the Africa Cup of Nations, and Henry may also offer an emotional lift.

He has been training hard and impressively with the squad during the MLS close-season and, as importantly, he has clicked with the key characters. Henry is a different person to the one who left Arsenal, having become less egocentric, possibly as a result of him not being the main man at Barcelona. In New York he has faded from the European consciousness.

Wenger's Arsenal squad is also different. Players such as Song and Van Persie have matured into leaders, there are international captains aplenty and the transfer deadline day signings have brought further worldliness. It is not a dressing room to cower before Henry.

Wenger has gone back to the future in the second half of the past two campaigns, giving Sol Campbell a short-term deal in January 2010 and signing Jens Lehmann towards the end of last season. Wenger might remember how Campbell, despite some difficulties, played like the defensive titan of old in the derby at Tottenham and how Lehmann made vital saves in the victory at Blackpool. There is the recognition within the squad that increased fire-power is required and if Henry could make a couple of decisive contributions, then he would be feted once again.

Henry has been back to Arsenal since his departure. He appeared as a substitute for Barcelona in the Champions League in March of last year and this past summer he played for the Red Bulls against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup. There had been a plan for him to swap sides and play for his former team in the second half but, to his disgust, it was vetoed by the referee.

"They have some stupid rules," Henry said. "I'm sure the fans would have loved that and I would have loved that." His dream may yet come true.

Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 29 Dec 11

2011 Review: Arsenal’s 10 defining moments

Optimism abounds as Arsenal’s year draws to a close but there have been numerous peaks and troughs along the way. As 2012 edges closer we look back at some of the defining moments from an extraordinary 12 months for the Club.

DECEMBER 10 - THE CLUB'S 125 CELEBRATIONS
Arsenal celebrated their 125th anniversary by paying tribute to heroes past and present on an emotional day at the Emirates. After unveiling statues of Herbert Chapman, Thierry Henry and Tony Adams, the Club welcomed Everton for the commemorative game. A number of Arsenal legends were presented to a packed stadium, referee Howard Webb used a sixpence to decide the kick-off and the great grandchildren of Club founder David Danskin took out the match ball. To cap off a memorable occasion for everyone associated with the Gunners, Van Persie fired in a sublime volley to claim three points for Wenger’s side.

OCTOBER 29 - CHELSEA 3-5 ARSENAL
The Gunners’ revival had started to build momentum after four successive victories, but the acid test of how far they had progressed would come at Stamford Bridge. Despite trailing 2-1 at half time, a reinvigorated Arsenal stormed out after the break to take the lead through goals from Santos and Walcott, before Mata fired in a late equaliser. However, a Terry slip gifted Van Persie the chance to put Wenger’s men ahead again, and the Dutch striker completed a wonderful hat trick with a last-gasp strike. Arsenal truly were back.

SEPTEMBER 25 - ARSENAL LADIES COMPLETE THE TREBLE
Laura Harvey’s side secured an historic Treble with a 4-1 victory against Birmingham City in the Continental Cup after goals from Ellen White, Jayne Ludlow and a Rachel Yankey brace. In an incredible season, Arsenal beat Birmingham to the Super League title by three points and won the FA Women’s Cup too. “These are really exciting times - we have a batch of young players who have stepped up this season and they will get better and better,” Harvey said.

AUGUST 30/31 - WENGER'S LATE SUMMER SIGNINGS
With the clock ticking down to the transfer deadline, Wenger made a number of late moves. The signings of Santos, Mertesacker, Arteta, Benayoun and Park - all full internationals – immediately injected greater depth and experience to Arsenal’s squad and led to a major upturn in form as the team climbed the table.

AUGUST 28 - MANCHESTER UNITED 8-2 ARSENAL
An injury-hit, depleted Arsenal side suffered the worst defeat of Wenger’s reign at Old Trafford. Despite the painful nature of the result, the Gunners’ travelling fans were widely praised for their vociferous support. Afterwards, Wenger admitted his squad was short in key areas, prompting him to re-enter the transfer market.

AUGUST 15-24 - CESC FABREGAS AND SAMIR NASRI LEAVE
After long-term speculation over his future, Fabregas returned Barcelona just two days after the start of the new season. The Spaniard made 303 appearances for the Club after joining in 2003, scoring 57 goals, and is widely regarded as having developed into one of the world’s best midfielders under Wenger’s tutelage. A week later Nasri also left the Emirates, moving to Manchester City in a big-money deal.

APRIL ONWARDS - STAN KROENKE INCREASES MAJORITY SHAREHOLDING
An Arsenal director since September 2008, Mr Kroenke made an offer for the Club in April. He had increased his majority shareholding to 66.64 per cent by June and it now stands at 66.82 per cent. Mr Kroenke purchased the shares of Danny Fiszman, shortly before the long-serving director’s tragic death at the age of 66 in April.

FEBRUARY 27 - ARSENAL 1-2 BIRMINGHAM
Wenger’s side were heavy favourites to win their first trophy in six years against struggling Birmingham in the Carling Cup Final, but they went behind to Zigic’s 28th-minute strike. Van Persie restored parity on the stroke of half-time with a sublime volley, but much as Arsenal pressed in the second half, they could not break down the stubborn Blues. With the game seemingly destined for extra-time, a defensive mix-up gifted Martins a heartbreaking late winner. It proved to be a turning point, as the Gunners won just three times in their last 14 games.

FEBRUARY 16 - ARSENAL 2-1 BARCELONA
Coming just 11 days after the result at St James’ Park, few gave Arsenal much hope against the imperious Catalans in their Champions League last-16 first leg. David Villa fired Barcelona in front after 26 minutes but the resilient Gunners refused to buckle. With Jack Wilshere in dominant form, Wenger’s side stormed back to claim a famous victory with goals from Van Persie and Arshavin. The Gunners went on to lose the second leg at the Nou Camp but proved they could beat the cream of Europe.

FEBRUARY 5 - NEWCASTLE 4-4 ARSENAL
Arsène Wenger’s side raced into a four-goal lead after just 26 minutes following strikes from Walcott, Djourou and a Van Persie brace. But Djourou’s injury and Diaby’s sending off five minutes after the break changed the course of the game and Newcastle took advantage to complete a late comeback in a result that showed both the best and the worst of the Gunners.

Source: Rob Kelly, Arsenal.com on 30 Dec 11

Fabregas finally signs for Barcelona

Cesc Fabregas has ended one of the longest running transfer sagas in English football by completing a move from Arsenal to Barcelona.

Fabregas has signed a five-year deal with his hometown club with his buy-out clause set at €200 million.

Fabregas has never hidden his desire to return to Barcelona - the club from which Arsenal signed him as a 16-year-old - and, after six trophyless seasons at the Emirates, made it clear that the time to move on was now.

Despite assertions throughout the summer from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that Fabregas would be staying in London, the Gunners have finally relented and agreed a deal that does not reach their intended £40 million. Barca president Sandro Rosell said on Sunday night that the deal would be worth a guaranteed €29 million with a further €10 million to be paid depending on clauses being met.

After the clubs confirmed an agreement was in place on Sunday, Fabregas passed his medical on Monday morning and Barcelona's first-team doctor Ricard Pruna said: "All the tests taken have been satisfactory."

"I waited many days, months and years for this moment," Fabregas told the fans. "It is a very special day. I return home after eight years. I know I disappointed many of you when I left, but I'm back for the challenge of my life. I hope to leave good memories."

Fabregas has been handed the No. 4 shirt at Barca and he said: "To get the No. 4 shirt is very special. I know there has been a debate about whether Thiago [Alcantara] should have it but I'm very pleased to be able to wear the No. 4."

Fabregas reserved special praise for Wenger, who has been a father figure to the midfielder during his years in England.

"I'll never have enough words to thank him for all he's done for me," he said. "I'll never forget him. I don't think he has such a good image here - he has been portrayed as something he's not, in my opinion.

"If today I am here with you then it's greatly due to him. I can't express my admiration for him strongly enough. I owe it to him that I am here."

He added: "On Friday, I said goodbye to everyone at Arsenal. I was very emotional talking with Wenger. I had to send him a text message later because I couldn't express myself. Wenger will always be the best person I met in football. The Arsenal fans know I always gave everything, but it was time to leave."

Fabregas vowed to explain the move to the Arsenal fans in due course.

"I have time to talk about it and I'm sure I'll do an interview especially for them. I'm sorry I couldn't say anything in the last two and a half months - Arsenal wouldn't allow me to talk to anyone, even if I wanted to I couldn't.

"All I have are words of gratitude. I'll never forget what they have done for me, I gave absolutely everything to the club and I think they know that but it was the right time to come back here."

Wenger told a press conference that he believes Arsenal will bounce back from the loss of their captain.

"To get the best out of a player, he needs to be completely committed to where he is. Cesc wanted to go back to his home city," he said. "If you understand one thing, it is Cesc did not go for financial reasons, or that he did not love this club - Cesc went because he was desperate to play for his home town club, where he was educated. It is very difficult to resist that.

"Yes, we lost a world-class player and we are sad about it. We did fight to keep him, but in the end we have as well to respect the desire of the player. This club is 125 years old this season and many big players have left the club and the club went on.

"We want to show that we have the strengths and unity to fight as we ever did at this club."

Source: ESPN Soccernet on 15 Aug 11

Barcelona's Cesc Fábregas leaves Arsenal with tears and €1m a year

Cesc Fábregas completed his move to Barcelona but not before shedding a tear of gratitude to Arsène Wenger and Arsenal. Not only did the former captain admit he was unable to tell Wenger how he felt as emotion got the better of him when he bade farewell, he also departed with Arsenal being given first refusal should he ever leave Barcelona.

For all the recriminations that have surrounded this deal, bridges were not burned. Should Fábregas ever leave Barcelona Arsenal will have first refusal on their former captain. Fábregas departs calling Wenger the best man he has met in football and insisting that Jack Wilshere, whom he tipped as a future England captain, and Aaron Ramsey have the talent to take control of Arsenal's midfield.

The saga came to an end when Fábregas signed a five-year deal at Barcelona. The European champions will pay Arsenal two instalments of €14.5m (£12.8m) before the end of September, plus a further €5m in incentives, payable if they win the league twice or the Champions League once in the next three years. Arsenal will also receive €1m a year after Fábregas agreed to lower his salary from €4m to €3m to facilitate the deal. Wenger called it "an affair of the heart".

Fábregas described the move as a childhood dream but said there were "mixed emotions". He admitted the frustration of winning nothing in the past six years weighed heavily and that he had been unable to articulate his gratitude at his last meeting with Wenger without crying.

"I spoke to [Wenger] on Friday to say goodbye and got very emotional because he has been like a father figure," Fábregas said. "I couldn't even talk when I wanted to say how grateful I was for what he has done to me, so I had to send a message afterwards saying thanks for everything. If it was not for him I would not be here today to live my dream. I will never have enough words to say how grateful I am. I went from being a boy to a man and they gave me absolutely everything in football.

"At Arsenal, there were finals and semi-finals but we always lacked that little extra push to win something. That was hard to take. It was not that we didn't win titles, it was that we kept going through the same routine, the same things happening to us and us messing up. I gave everything for Arsenal but it didn't show in the [trophy] cabinet because I only won one FA Cup. That is the biggest regret I will have in my career – not to be able to lift a trophy as Arsenal captain."

Fábregas said he was sad at the way he left the Emirates. "I will have time to talk about [my departure]. I am sure I will do an interview especially for them [the Arsenal fans]," he said. "I am sorry I couldn't say anything for the last two and half months, Arsenal would not allow me to talk to them, I was disappointed and upset about that but it had to be like that. I was very, very sad to be leaving. I spent a third of my life there – eight years."

Despite those frustrations, he said of Wenger: "If Arsenal want to keep being the club they have been, they must always remain under his control because he is the best and everyone respects him. He will always be the best person I have met in football. [And] I am sure that they will be a strong team again – they are one of the biggest teams in the world. They will be OK without me as they were without Vieira, without Henry, without Bergkamp."

"There is not even a question [over whether or not Arsenal's midfield is in good hands]. I have seen them play for years, both Aaron and Jack. Jack will be the England captain in the next two or three years, there is no doubt. You don't have to be a magician to see that. He has the passing game and he will be an even better player in the future. There is not even a question in my mind about that. As for Aaron, his engine is unbelievable, his final ball will get better and he will be the next big star at Arsenal. They are winners and they will be amazing for the club for sure."

Wenger admitted he and Arsenal were always fighting a losing battle to keep Fábregas from Barcelona this summer, as he suggested that the European champions had got the midfielder at a "reduced fee". Arsenal value the deal at £40m, which factors in a £4m loyalty payment the player has waived. Also included in the package are performance and success-related add-ons while Arsenal have a 50% sell-on clause. Barcelona have waived any options or sell-on clauses in relation to Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin, the young players who moved from the Camp Nou to Arsenal earlier in the summer.

Source: Sid Lowe and David Hytner, The Guardian on 15 Aug 11

Barcelona's prodigal son, Cesc Fábregas, returns home at last

Pep Guardiola was telling the truth all those years ago when he told the midfielder he would one day wear Barcelona's No. 4 shirt

When Francesc Fábregas was growing up, there was one possession he treasured above all the others: a Barcelona shirt signed by Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona ballboy who became the club captain, a Catalan and the metronome that kept the Dream Team ticking over from the middle of midfield, Guardiola was everything that Fábregas wanted to be. No wonder he was so enamoured with that shirt. On it, Guardiola had written: "One day you will be Barcelona's No 4."

Now he is. There was a squeal as he emerged from the tunnel at the Camp Nou, then a huge roar from the fans who had turned out to see him – perhaps as many as 20,000. Although Barcelona had taken advantage of a bank holiday and it was a glorious day, it was not the best-attended presentation in history and could not compete with the 80,000 who packed the Santiago Bernabéu to see Cristiano Ronaldo make his way down a catwalk. But nor did it matter: this was different.

Eight long years later, the prodigal son returned. He recovered his original colours: blaugrana, blue and purple. A Barcelona kit with "Fabregas, 4" on the back. And although Fábregas sheepishly conceded that "it doesn't really matter", to him it does. At Barcelona, it is more than a number: it is an identity and Fábregas was grateful to Thiago Alcântara - "a star" – for ceding him the shirt. Here he was, a ball at his feet on the Camp Nou pitch wearing his shirt. "I was a bit nervous," he admitted. And when the fans chanted for him to kiss the Barcelona badge, he did.

Empty gesture? Hardly. Barcelona are conscious of the need to add depth to the squad and secure succession after Xavi. They are also deeply aware of the difficulties outsiders often have in adapting to Barcelona's style.

"Barça DNA" has become the cliche. But the emotional, almost political need to bring one of their own home - a Catalan and a Barcelona product, clearly locatable on that midfield continuum from Guardiola to De la Peña to Xavi to Iniesta and Thiago - does help to explain the zealousness of the pursuit.

Officially, Fábregas will pay Arsenal €1m a year, his salary dropping from €4m to €3m to facilitate the move. He refused to countenance offers from Manchester City and Real Madrid. Had it not been for Barcelona, he says he would have stayed where he was. The reason was simple: many players claim to play for their childhood club; Fábregas really will. There was a hint of sadness in departing Arsenal but this was what he wanted. Arsène Wenger said: "This was not about money, it was about him going home."

In the Paris room at Camp Nou, across the gangway from the stadium, tourists milling around below, two screens showed footage of Fábregas playing for Barcelona as a kid. There he was ploughing across gravel pitches to a soundtrack of Police's Every Breath You Take. A couple more familiar faces flickered across the screen: Gerard Piqué, Fábregas's best friend. Leo Messi, the kid they nicknamed "el mudo", the mute one, when they were kids in the days when Fábregas travelled by taxi from Arenys for training every day. "I have known and played with two of [the current squad] since I was thirteen," Fábregas said.

He had departed a 16-year-old, Arsenal taking advantage of a power vacuum to bring him to London with the promise of first-team football within two years. They were as good as their word and both Fábregas and Guardiola have been quick to credit Wenger with his development. Deep down Fábregas wondered if one day he would return home. He described it here as a train that he always aspired to catch; what he did not know is if he would be able to. When he renewed his Arsenal contract four years ago, he thought not. When the possibility emerged, Arsenal would not let him climb aboard.

On Monday he did. "I have come home," Fábregas said. "These have been weeks and months that have been very hard for me; I have suffered – I didn't know what would happen in the future. There were talks and talks and talks and I saw that it wasn't ending and I was unsure what would happen. I am so glad it has been resolved now." Almost as pleased as the president Sandro Rosell: he had succeeded where his predecessor and rival Joan Laporta had not.

But much of the normal cynicism did not appear to fit here. From the doorway to the club's offices, with its huge Barcelona badge, to the pitch where, up in the stands, his mother, tall and striking, applauded. Francesc senior stared silently at his son, the picture of a proud papa. Sister Carlota was there too. The whole family was.

Kick-ups done, everyone headed to the Paris room. They took their seats, shifting each other along, shooting inquisitive looks each others' way, giggling and joking, as they nudged each other along – you here, no here – like a family occupying pews at a wedding. Before them stood Fábregas, who left eight years ago, departing home at 16. He has been in London a third of his life. To his left sat the vice-president Josep María Bartomeu and alongside him the sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

In his hand, a Barcelona shirt. No4 on the back.

Source: Sid Lowe, The Guardian on 15 Aug 11

Arsenal agree terms with Barca for Fabregas

Arsenal announces today that they have reached an agreement in principle with Barcelona for Cesc Fabregas to move to Spain.

It signals the end of the midfielder's eight-year spell at Arsenal. Fabregas joined the Club from Barcelona as a 16-year-old in September 2003 and made 303 appearances, scoring 57 goals in all competitions.

He holds the records for the youngest Arsenal first team player (16 years and 177 days v Rotherham United (h), 28 October 2003) and the youngest Arsenal first team goalscorer (16 years and 212 days v Wolves (h), 2 December, 2003).

Named as Arsenal Captain in November 2008, Fabregas also became a regular in the Spain national team, making 58 appearances to date.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said: "We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success."

The transfer is subject to the completion of formal legal agreements and registration processes, together with Fabregas agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.

Source: Arsenal.com on 14 Aug 11

Arsenal can no longer take it for granted that Arsène Wenger knows

The turmoil surrounding Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri means the manager is potentially entering his most gruelling period

Arsène Wenger has lost more than a player. The sense of control that he once radiated effortlessly has been replaced by an embattled air. Cesc Fábregas's move to Barcelona was more a matter of destiny than likelihood, but Arsenal have had no say in even the timing. With many transfers already completed in this window, Wenger cannot have wished to go looking for a true replacement in mid-August. In practice, he may be obstinate and calm enough to wait, but supporters tend not to take it for granted any more that he is equipped with a higher knowledge.

The Fábregas issue cannot have come as a complete shock yet the club appears stricken. Talk of the midfielder moving to Barcelona has been so pervasive and tedious that it resembled muzak, but now there is just a hushed anxiety for Arsenal. The Fábregas issue will rankle with any fan at the Emirates. In view of the guaranteed sum of around £26m negotiated, this is no fire sale but the club would have anticipated more even in quite recent times.

Wenger has not been able to control the Samir Nasri matter either. The midfielder, against all common sense, has been allowed to enter the final season of his contract when the great majority of clubs would have made it a priority to try to force matters to a conclusion. A stoical manager is prepared to let him leave for nothing next summer, but the kind of bid that Manchester City can make is hard to reject, especially if the player himself wants to go immediately.

The very recent past had better not be a guide to the immediate future if Arsenal want to fend off anger in the stands. It is just as well that Udinese, with the Serie A programme yet to begin, may not be at their sharpest for the first leg of the Champions League play-off at the Emirates on Tuesday. Even if all goes smoothly in the tie, the disquiet will continue. Arsenal fans do not really conform to the stereotype of the aesthete who is honoured just to be in the presence of Wenger's team.

Anyone who lives in that part of London will often hear the frustration and rancour of supporters. This club needs their loyalty more than most. While the property development around the Emirates fundamentally makes sense, the state of the economy at large is a hindrance. The main grievance among fans does not lie in any resentment of the fact that the most glamorous footballers are at other clubs. Arsenal, after all, still have plenty of style and only the champions Manchester United outscored them in the Premier League last season, despite the fact that there were few goals from Fábregas.

The flourishes to their style have been a consolation and optimists could persuade themselves that everything would eventually fall into place. It was particularly disturbing, though, to see Arsenal doggedly work their way out of contention for the title in the closing phase of last season. No doubt it would have been better if Thomas Vermaelen had been present throughout the campaign, but the side had been coping without him until the critical stretch of the programme.

Arsenal continue to be a most unusual club. The rightful appreciation of Wenger's style and philosophy has not vanished entirely, but the perception of the side's prospects can only have been damaged in the goalless draw at St James' Park on Saturday. The manager might almost have been grateful for the red card shown to the £10.5m debutant Gervinho since it diverted attention from the poverty of the match itself. When Arsenal were held there last season, the verve of the display was at least indisputable in the creation of a 4-0 lead.

This could well turn into the most gruelling period of Wenger's tenure in London. Circumstances were already challenging enough, but the rise of Manchester City and Liverpool's determination to revitalise themselves could well mean that taking the anticipated place in the top four will be harder to accomplish, since the presence of United and Chelsea there is virtually certain.

In all of the talk about Wenger, his continued employment at the club is never in doubt. That is only right, considering the transformation apparent at Arsenal despite the lack of silverware, and the manager's standing has been so elevated that he could speak about leaving at a time of his choosing. He suggested this year that he would step down in 2014, with Dragan Stojkovic, who played for him at Nagoya Grampus and now manages the Japanese club, taking over at the Emirates.

That sort of cosiness is gone. For the time being, Wenger's sophistication cannot put him above the fray. Arsenal will need to scramble and struggle in the effort to retain their status.

Source; Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 15 Aug 11

To the attacker, the spoils

It's hard not to smile. The referee gave the game to Barcelona (again) and UEFA gets the team it wanted into the next round. If it weren't for Massimo Busacca, Arsenal would have gone through in a blaze of glory. Or a withering inferno of not attacking and committing penalties against Messi that weren't called.

So let's get this out of the way: Busacca had a bad night and got a lot quite wrong. If you're going to send van Persie off for being a second late, then you've got to send Abidal off for putting his hand on RvP's throat. But then you've also got to send off Koscielny for his miserable tackling, including the penalty on Pedro that was a clear second bookable offense. So, in the end, the refereeing was bad in both directions and the cookie crumbled in the direction of the team that actually tried to win. I can't really see much wrong with that final outcome, though I doubt it assuages Arsenal fans.

What a joy to watch, though. I didn't get to see it live with a crowd, but a friend and I avoided the score at work all day and watched when we got home, some 2 hours after the real final whistle. It meant that we couldn't talk about it to anyone or check stats or anything, so we just focused on the mesmerizing display of midfield passing. Messi's first goal was spectacular, amazing, and just plain goodness in a jar. To be able to do that is unfathomable to me, with my limit skills (all-time leading goal scorer in college--err, well, at least in the intramural league, err, well, at least on my team in the intramural league, err, well at least for that one year when the other striker couldn't play because of thesis obligations) and so I've watched and re-watched that goal enough to make mi mujer unplug the DVR.

It's the crowd exploding too, that makes me smile. And that brings up an interesting part of RvP's sending off (which was harsh, in case I hadn't explicitly mentioned that). In Barney Ronay's minute-by-minute report of the game on The Guardian, there are repeated emails and references to the point that the Camp Nou has a docile and quiet crowd, where you can hear a pin drop, where you can chew louder than the cheering. And then the inevitable "you can't hear the whistle above the din of 98,000 screaming fans" sounds like quite the excuse. You can have it either way you'd like, but you can't have it both ways.

And anyway, the match could have easily turned the other way, gone over to the Gunners had Mascherano not stolen in at the last second and thieved Bendtner of his scoring opportunity. Without that intervention, Arsenal, who had laid in wait all game, could have finally sprung their trap and made off with the goods, but it wasn't to be and 0 shots on goal gets recorded as the final tally.

We're on to the next round, though, and I'm going to enjoy the victory. It's too bad Arsenal is out because they're generally a fun team to watch and now the screams for trophies and against Wenger's model and tactics are going to get ever louder. That's a shame and I hope that they can win the Premier League.

Source: Isaiah Cambron, ESPN Soccernet on 10 Mar 11

Barca end Champions League dreams again

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by a better team. It's not often that Arsenal have to admit that but Wednesday night's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona was one such occasion.

There is far to much hyperbole and exaggeration in football coverage but when the current Catalan team are described as "one of the greatest club sides in the game’s history”, it is hard to disagree. Whatever you may think of the club itself, the way it is run and the disgraceful way it sometimes behaves in the transfer market, there is no doubt that the current crop of players representing it are up there with the best of all-time and they certainly are the benchmark by which all teams at the top of today’s game have to measure themselves.

Three weeks ago, Arsenal measured up very well indeed. Last night was a different story though as the Gunners tried to repel wave after wave of Barca attacking play in a match that was largely one-way traffic. The statistic that Arsene Wenger’s side couldn’t muster a single shot in the ninety minutes – either on or off target – really tells you all you need to know.

Despite conceding three goals, the Gunners actually defended well, particularly in the first half. Cesc Fabregas’s misplaced back-heel just before the break was an unnecessary error but it still took two sparkling pieces of football from Iniesta and Messi to ensure that full punishment was exacted. Some of the defending may have been desperate and last-ditch but it was clear that the Gunners were concentrating at a far higher level than we usually see from them.

The problem was that every time the ball was won, Barca almost immediately won it straight back mainly due to the intense chasing back they do when out of possession. Arsenal were simply unable to get a foothold in the game and could not get any sort of passing movement going.

Despite all that though, the sending off of Robin Van Persie whilst the score stood at 1-1 remains a major controversy and a big talking point. How much this impacted on the result and what might have happened had the Dutchman stayed on, we will never know. Wenger felt sure the Gunners would have snatched the tie if it had remained 11 vs 11. However, his bullishness was probably more about face-saving than anything else. Perhaps the fairest assessment was that his dismissal turned the chance of an improbable outcome into an impossible one.

What we can say about Van Persie’s sending off was that it was one of the most ridiculous refereeing decisions of the season. Neither of the yellow cards he received seemed particularly justified but, in particular, the second one for time-wasting was just baffling. He was already in motion to take a shot when the whistle was blown and the time between the whistle sounding and him kicking the ball was one second. That is a world away from cynically kicking the ball away to delay the re-start of play. In such a high profile match, you need officials who can exercise some common sense and who are able to see the bigger picture. Sadly, the Gunners were victims of an official that had the capacity for neither.

Over the past few years The Champions League has been littered with such refereeing performances. Chelsea also suffered against Barcelona in the home leg of their semi-final with the Spaniards in 2009. UEFA’s drive to be all-inclusive often means that referees from countries who don’t have the experience of officiating week-in and week-out at the highest level of the game get put in charge of matches way beyond their capabilities. Today, Arsene Wenger and Samir Nasri have been charged with improper conduct for comments they made to Massimo Busacca after the final whistle. Where, though, is the recourse for the clubs when referees turn in incompetent displays?

Still, nothing will change what happened now and the Gunners have to pick themselves up ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Manchester United. The fact that Arsenal are now out of the Champions League but United are yet to play their last-16 second leg match could have a big bearing on the teams that are selected. You would imagine that Alex Ferguson will be resting a few players ahead of their game with Marseille next Tuesday. Maybe Arsene Wenger will be tempted to take advantage and put out a stronger side than the one he might have fielded had last night ended more positively. We shall see.

It has been a disappointing couple of weeks. Though the Orient result was a fillip after the Carling Cup Final, last weekend’s display against Sunderland had Arsenal fans tearing their hair out again. It took a favour from Liverpool on Sunday to limit the damage of drawing a blank against the Black Cats. However, on the brighter side, the Gunners have their fate in the Premier League back in their own hands and the FA Cup still to play for. It is vital that the players put last night’s result behind them as quickly as possible and Old Trafford would be the ideal place to get things back on track.

Source: David Young, ESPN Soccernet on 10 Mar 11

Arsène Wenger must refocus to save another Arsenal season from failure

Champions League exit to Barcelona has upped the ante for Gunners' manager ahead of FA Cup test at Old Trafford

Miracles are rare at the best of times yet one has just passed by unnoticed. This concerns the eyesight of the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, who until recently suffered from an intermittent myopia that was apt to deprive him of the ability to bear witness to controversial incidents involving his players.

Now it seems Wenger's vision has been fully restored to the extent that he can confidently hold forth on any manner of perceived injustice that has been inflicted on his team. After Arsenal had been held at home by Sunderland in a goalless game last Saturday he said he was disgusted by a couple of decisions that gone against them and in the wake of Tuesday's 3-1 defeat in Barcelona, which ended his side's interest in the Champions League for another season, he rounded on the Swiss referee Massimo Busacca, for sending off Robin van Persie with the result that he has been charged by Uefa with improper conduct, which Wenger denies. Even so perhaps he should have followed the example of Sir Alex Ferguson and taken a vow of silence.

By now Wenger will have refocused his attention on a season that in the space of a week and a half has begun to dissolve before Arsenal's eyes. They went into the Carling Cup final against Birmingham City seeking four trophies but if Manchester United knock them out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford today they will be left to chase Ferguson's team down the back straight in the hope of pipping them for the Premier League title, which would be heavily dependent on United blowing it.

To make matters worse for Arsenal and their followers neighbouring Tottenham, making their first appearance in Europe's most prestigious tournament for nearly 50 years, have performed as if they never left it, that the momentous meetings with Bela Guttmann's Benfica in the 1962 European Cup semi-finals happened only last season. To beat Internazionale, the European champions, and now eliminate Milan, striding away at the top of the Italian league, is a considerable achievement, whatever comes next. All right, Serie A opposition is not always as daunting as it once was but when Harry Redknapp took over at White Hart Lane in October 2008 Tottenham were bottom of the table and gloomily pondering the prospect of regular encounters with Doncaster Rovers.

Spurs could still be undone by Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Nobody wants to meet Barça in their present mood although, as Arsenal demonstrated at the Emirates, Pep Guardiola's team can still be beaten by a combination of pace, inspiration, organisation and concentration, all of which deserted Wenger's players in the Camp Nou.

Seldom can an FA Cup tie between Manchester United and Arsenal have been approached amid such an atmosphere of anticlimax. Previous encounters involving these clubs have at times been accompanied by rows and ructions, brawls and bust-ups. Nobody wants a repetition, but with United in a similar trough of form and confidence, the occasion could struggle to arouse the usual passions.

For Arsenal another defeat would raise serious questions about where Wenger's latest creation is heading. This side is capable of emulating past triumphs, the first game against Barcelona showed that, but inconsistencies are creeping in. Big teams regularly match up to big moments and at the Camp Nou Arsenal's moment arrived when Jack Wilshere set up Nicklas Bendtner for a goal that could have won them the tie. Bendtner is not a bad striker but too often he has the first touch of a man playing in wellingtons. And so the moment was lost.

How many of Wenger's present team would have held places in some of his previous sides? Take the Arsenal who won the Premier League in 2003-04 without losing a game. Jens Lehmann was no David Seaman but would not seriously be challenged by the present stock of goalkeepers. Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and the rest of the defence would be safe. Cesc Fábregas would get into the midfield alongside Patrick Vieira and room could be found for Samir Nasri. But Van Persie would need Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp to be injured while Wilshere and Theo Walcott might have to wait a bit longer for their chance.

If the patriot felt sorry when Arsenal went out of the Champions League on Tuesday night, by Wednesday morning the football lover was equally glad to find Barcelona still there. In that sense Bendtner and his wellies did the competition a big favour.

Source: David Lacey, The Guardian on 12 Mar 11

Arsène Wenger's sense of injustice veils deep-lying Arsenal issues

The Arsenal manager must arrest the sudden disintegration of a side that until very recently looked like fulfilling the potential he has so insistently claimed on their behalf

Arsène Wenger's displeasure was easily understandable as he ended the match raging at the referee who had shown Robin van Persie a second yellow card, and the Frenchman continued his diatribe in his post-match interviews. But now he needs to lay aside that sense of injustice and give attention to some of the deep-lying issues exposed by Tuesday night's elimination from the second of the four competitions that were still in Arsenal's sights a mere week and a half ago.

On Saturday night Arsenal travel to Old Trafford, where they meet Manchester United in an FA Cup sixth-round tie which could reduce their list of targets to one or, if the evening goes well, and given that United lie only three points ahead of them in the Premier League table, renew the hopes that another Double, the third of the Wenger era, could be on the cards.

"This is when a manager earns his money," George Graham, a former Arsenal manager, remarked on Talksport, and it is hard to imagine his successor getting much sleep between now and the weekend as he plots to arrest the sudden disintegration of a side that until very recently looked like fulfilling all the potential he has so insistently claimed on their behalf.

Only three weeks ago we were acclaiming perhaps the greatest performance of Wenger's decade and a half in north London, when they took on the world's best club side and prevailed not just through speed and skill but courage and sheer will to win, the very qualities they had so often been accused of lacking. In truth, they were fortunate that Lionel Messi so untypically missed two clear chances to score and that the referee denied Barcelona a plausible penalty claim, but still there were signs that Wenger's constant reiteration of a belief in his side's "spirit" indeed had some substance.

On Tuesday, however, their virtues were blown away and only the flaws remained. They may have been within one decent Nicklas Bendtner finish of smuggling themselves through to the next round, but such an outcome would have been an offence against natural justice, whatever Wenger and Van Persie might say.

The surprise was in the way Arsenal approached the match. Wednesday morning's Spanish papers were withering in their condemnation of the English side's disinclination to attack, a derision compounded by Arsenal's failure to complete their mission. Spanish observers did not like it when José Mourinho ordered Internazionale to pack their defence in last year's semi-final, but at least Mourinho's success earned him a measure of respect.

The scornful cartoon in Mundo Deportivo had Wenger reading from the Mourinho coaching manual: "The fault for not having a shot on goal ... is the referee's, the referee's, the referee's, the referee's, the referee's." But when he reflects on Tuesday's events, he can hardly be proud that his side became the first since 2004 to fail to register a single shot in a Champions League match.

Dismay and perhaps even a measure of shame are the proper responses to such a lamentable feat. Barcelona are a wonderful team, but they were playing with two replacement centre-backs. Despite the freakishness of the possibility that Bendtner could have put his side through to the last eight, Arsenal did nothing to deserve any form of reward. The absence of Thomas Vermaelen, Alex Song and Theo Walcott played a part, and the marginal condition of Van Persie and Cesc Fábregas was clearly unhelpful. But the displays of Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby and Bendtner in particular cast doubt on Wenger's readiness to invest further deposits of faith in players who have spent most of their Arsenal careers underperforming.

Diaby, positioned alongside Jack Wilshere in front of the defence but with a relatively free commission, again highlighted the inability or unwillingness of Wenger to plug the gap left by the likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva. A strong, driving midfield player used to be an Arsenal characteristic, and Javier Mascherano showed how it should be done, even in a side fundamentally dedicated to attack. Argentina's captain, one imagines, is a player Wenger could have acquired a few years ago, although he might not have fancied doing business with Kia Joorabchian.

Rosicky and Samir Nasri were virtually absent from a game in which they were given enough scope to make an impact. Nasri, so stunningly effective in the first half of the season, seems to have forgotten that his best contributions come when, like Messi, he takes on opponents at close quarters in the penalty area. As for Bendtner, his heavy touch was as apparent as it had been in South Africa last summer, the point at which Wenger should have cut his losses on the Dane.

Eavesdropping on Arsenal supporters during the flight to Catalonia, it was interesting to hear one of them compare Wenger to L Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. "What Arsène's running isn't a football club – it's a cult," the fan said. Barely even half-joking, he was representing that large section of the support to whom Wenger's pursuit of his vision has been too single-minded, and that a more flexible and realistic attitude to investment and recruitment would have long ended the drought since the club's last trophy. What they want is for Arsenal to act like the other big clubs. To them, that means buying an Andy Carroll rather than a Marouane Chamakh, or splashing out on the established qualities of a Mascherano rather than hoping for a Song or a Diaby to mature.

To accept such criticisms, and to take the appropriate action, would require a radical change in Wenger's approach. It would mean admitting that for several seasons his squad has lacked a balance of skill and strength, of artistry and resilience, of fantasy and functionality. Given the strength of his convictions, that seems unlikely to happen – which means that Arsenal's fans, however much they admire his integrity, cannot seriously expect the future to live up to the past any time soon.

Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 10 Mar 11

Barcelona can be irresistible – but they are by no means invincible

While Barça's style is to be savoured for its intelligence and technique, the Arsenal tie confirmed they are not unassailable

Arsenal could not defeat Barcelona, but they indicated to others that the feat can be accomplished. It is a lesson that ought to have been absorbed already, since Internazionale knocked out the then Champions League holders in the semi-finals last year before going on to take the trophy for themselves. That, however, was a tie in which José Mourinho's side had all their thoughts on defence for the second leg, with the 1-0 loss sufficient for an aggregate win.

That approach is not consistent with Arsène Wenger's usual attitude, but his own methods almost succeeded on Tuesday even though the draconian dismissal of Robin van Persie had cut them to 10 men. At the very end, a better striker than Nicklas Bendtner would have scored from Jack Wilshere's pass instead of being so clumsy that the challenge from Javier Mascherano became feasible.

It must be stressed that Barcelona were a far superior side who deserve their place in the quarter-finals for following a 2-1 loss at the Emirates with the 3-1 victory at the Camp Nou. Indeed they were a great deal more wasteful on their own pitch than Arsenal's. There was almost nothing for Wenger's attackers to squander and the visitors did not contrive a shot on target, with their goal put into his own net by Sergio Busquets.

While Barcelona's style is to be savoured for its intelligence and technique, the tie with Arsenal confirmed, in a different way from the clash with Internazionale, that they are not unassailable. On occasion, they can be one-dimensional, even if it is the most chic of dimensions. The consciousness of that flaw was reflected in a supposedly incongruous acquisition.

In 2009, Barcelona paid £40m for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and also included Samuel Eto'o in the deal with Internazionale. The forward has about him the air of the traditional predator and the Spanish club will have felt they lacked that trait, even if Lionel Messi is proving that prolific scoring sits easily with technical virtuosity.

Last summer, a move on loan to Milan brought Ibrahimovic to his sixth club in 10 years. Any relationship with Pep Guardiola had foundered. All the same, the initial enthusiasm for the Swede showed an understanding within the Camp Nou that Barcelona must guard against the risk, on a bad day, of becoming a self-parody.

Glorious as the side's well-articulated moves can be, it is absurd to speak as if Guardiola's line-up were the culmination of the sport's evolution. The berth in the last eight of the Champions League is well merited, but they still came near to elimination despite the fact that Arsenal were down to 10 men. The referee, Massimo Busacca, evidently decided that Van Persie, in the bedlam of a ground with 95,486 spectators, had heard the whistle for offside and wilfully went on to try a shot. A second caution was administered.

Even that did not make Barcelona wholly unassailable. They are in the last eight by rights, but a more ruthless side than Arsenal would have had the audacity to score a late decider. It has to be borne in mind that the hosts were employing a makeshift central defence, even if the left-back Eric Abidal is an excellent deputy when he has to go into the middle.

The hindrances were more severe for Arsenal. Theo Walcott was one of those unfit to play, although Wenger would have craved his speed on the counterattack. In addition, it was obvious that Van Persie and Cesc Fábregas were not in peak condition even if they did happen to be on the field at kick-off. Much went wrong for the Premier League side, including the dislocated finger that forced the replacement of the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with Manuel Almunia.

Barcelona could not stifle Arsenal's hopes completely. The match was a reminder that neither Guardiola's side nor any other club is to be taken as the apotheosis of football. The sport has compelled for so long because of its very diversity. Barcelona might not plan to score with, say, thundering headers from old-fashioned centre-forwards after well-aimed crosses by wingers, yet that too is an authentic if now rare delight. For the sake of public interest and the variety of the sport, it is essential that games with Barcelona should not all be played on Guardiola's terms.

Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 9 Mar 11

Arsenal made to suffer at the hands of their nemesis Lionel Messi

For 135 minutes of this Champions League last-16 tie Lionel Messi's radar was off, but then the Barcelona man came alive and there was no way back for Arsenal

In the story of Arsenal's departure there was an Argentinian at both ends, as well as a hanging judge of a referee. First, Lionel Messi scored the first and third Barcelona goals to confirm his nemesis status, then Javier Mascherano – a player of a less artful disposition – slid in to stop Nicklas Bendtner scoring the late goal that would have put the Gunners through in defiance of all logic and statistics.

The dismissal of Robin van Persie for going through with his shot after the referee had blown for offside was a draconian act which produced much ribaldry among non-Arsenal supporters, who pointed out that the team's only attempt on goal had ended with a sending off. Nineteen shots to nil was Barcelona's boast, along with 724 passes to 119. But it would be wrong not to mention that Barça's wastefulness in both legs contrived to make this a closer, tenser tie than the stats can illustrate.

Messi was messy, at times, in London and here in Catalonia, but his talent will not be denied. Goaded by his own small miscalculations, he ladles out fresh pain. Sometimes he flicks his arms in self‑reproach. Or a mean look slides across his face. His radar was off for 135 minutes, home and away.

When it flicked back on, the ball was juggled into Arsenal's net, and delight took up its usual residence on his face.

Barcelona's current golden age reprises the Johan Cruyff dream teams of the early 1990s. At the heart of it all is a small elastic Argentinian who manages to combine a talent for improvisation with a demonic urge to win.

For almost 45 minutes Arsenal withstood the numbing rhythms of Barcelona's passing. They screened, hustled and blocked without presenting any kind of counter-attacking threat. But then their concentration frayed, possession was surrendered by Cesc Fábregas and Andrés Iniesta swooped, prodding the ball in the third minute of added time to Messi, who flicked it over Manuel Almunia and met it on the other side to apply what felt like the coup de grace.

Until then Barça's attacking play had been relentless but loose, imprecise. Moments before he nullified Arsenal's first-leg lead, Messi had slalomed through Arsène Wenger's defence, only to strike a tame shot at Almunia, who had replaced Wojciech Szczesny. A kaleidoscopic but sometimes sloppy Barcelona performance was raised to something grander by a moment of ingenuity.

Arsenal ran up against the Messi problem here last year when the star of Catalonia watched Bendtner open the scoring and decided an emphatic response was called for. After four strikes by Messi inside 67 minutes, the best Argentinian footballer since Diego Maradona sped down the road to a world player of the year award.

In altered circumstances here (this time Arsenal started with a 2-1 first-leg lead) Messi, Xavi, David Villa and Iniesta already had a provocation to respond to. In boxing they used to say it was a bad idea to hit the young Mike Tyson early in a fight because it just made him angry and hastened the moment of doom. Andrey Arshavin's winning goal in north London three weeks ago had a similarly counter-productive feel. What if it brought Guardiola's Barça past the tiny Camp Nou chapel and on to the pitch like Catalan dragons, looking for a Premier League side to burn?

While Mascherano provided defensive security in front of a back four missing Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué, the light fell on Messi to show that no team can cope with him when the mood grips him. His unplayability is what sets him apart. In his best form, a chasm opens between the game he is playing and the sport those around him are endeavouring to master.

This was the call to him, on a night of artistic friction. The mission was to blind Arsenal with skill, movement, finesse, audacity. In Theo Walcott's absence Arsenal lacked the spearing penetration of the first leg, when they twice broke free to overturn Barcelona's lead. Van Persie played like an old-school No9 but a revamped home defence seldom back‑pedalled. Instead their midfielders tried to thread passes beyond the oncoming Arsenal throng. Crosses were over-hit, dribbles carried on too long and shots mis-hit until Messi's feet regained their softness, their dexterity, and Barcelona headed for their dressing room in the ascendancy.

The props were in place for another Messi masterclass, and he began the second half in vibrant mood, angling his runs across and maintaining Velcro contact with the ball. But Barcelona were intent on scoring at both ends.

From a Samir Nasri corner, Sergio Busquets headed into his own net before Van Persie was ejected. The Arsenal man had exposed himself to risk with a stupid pull on Daniel Alves in the first half but to remove him for such a minor second offence after a marginal offside call was brutal. With 10 men Arsenal gathered to quell new pressure but Xavi restored parity across the two legs and then Messi stroked in a penalty after Laurent Koscielny had felled Pedro.

Amid the emotional chaos Messi's self-possession was unaffected. He is a gentle soul, always dispensing hurt.

Source: Paul Hayward, The Guardian on 9 Mar 11

Homecoming leaves Arsenal's Cesc Fábregas guilty and conflicted

A flawed flick by Arsenal's less than fit talisman opened the door for Barcelona and their magician, Lionel Messi

No matter how divided his heart, Cesc Fábregas could not have wanted it to be like this. Instead of pulling Arsenal's strings in this match, he was forced to wade into the muck and nettles and do whatever it might take to stop Barcelona exerting total control. And when, in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, the home side scored the goal they needed, the one that set them on the way to a deserved victory, it came from a moment of uncharacteristic imprecision by the exiled Catalan.

Impossible to imagine Fábregas merely hoofing the ball clear, of course. But something agricultural would have been a better option than the flick with which he gave Andrés Iniesta possession outside the Arsenal area. The lethal simplicity of Iniesta's pass and the delicious impudence of Lionel Messi's scoop-and-dab finish – like a man placing a cherry on the top of an ice-cream sundae – represented a sudden outburst of everyday Barcelona brilliance at the end of a prolonged overture filled with tense probing and countering.

Fábregas came into this match having missed three games with a hamstring injury, and would leave the fray with just over 10 minutes to go with a similar problem. He may have been at something much less than 100% fitness, and wound up paying a bitter price. Later he tweeted his regret: "I take full blame for the result. One of the worst moments of my life. I apologise."

He could hardly have been surprised by the way the match went. Probably no one outside Barcelona's camp has studied their football more closely in recent seasons, wondering where he might have fitted in.

In this match, almost eight years after he left the city, he returned to make his first appearance in a club match at the Camp Nou, hoping to show the blaugrana what they have been missing, and what he might still have to offer one day. Although he will not celebrate his 24th birthday until May, this match was Fábregas's 22nd in the knock‑out rounds of the Champions League, spread over seven seasons. He made his debut on 9 March 2005, when he came on as a 17-year-old substitute in a 1-0 win over the Bayern Munich of Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack and Bixente Lizarazu – yes, that long ago – at Highbury.

Six years less one day later, returning after missing three matches with a hamstring injury, he found himself scuffling furiously as Arsenal fought to prevent the goal that would not only erase their margin from the first leg but give Barcelona a potential winning advantage. Within the opening 25 minutes he turned up first at left‑back, dribbling the ball along his own byline to get away from the pestering Messi, and then at right-back, filling in for the roving Bacary Sagna.

This was not where Arsenal wanted him, but it was where he had to be if they were to stay in the tie. One side were enjoying virtually exclusive possession of the ball while the other struggled to disrupt their total dominance.

Big nights involving FC Barcelona have a way of making spectators feel like winners of a prize draw for a seat at the centre of the universe. That is how it was for an unforgettable 20 minutes at the Emirates Stadium in March of last year, and again a month later in their defeat over two legs to José Mournho's Internazionale. Early this season they subjected Mourinho's Real Madrid to a vengeful hurricane of goal-scoring, and on their return to north London last month they and Arsenal produced a delightful banquet of passing and movement.

This night, though, was very, very different. Less beauty, more struggle. All the artistry, all the positive virtues, were with one side, all the stress with the other. Sergio Busquets's own goal briefly gave Arsenal hope that they could cling on for a place in the last eight, and when Robin van Persie was given an absurd second yellow card for shooting after the whistle had gone for offside, defence became their only priority.

Sometimes 10 men can do the job of holding out better than 11, since their priorities are not in doubt. But a neat little goal from Xavi, constructed by his pal Iniesta, punctured that frail balloon of optimism, and Messi's penalty sucked out the last breath of hope.

But still one more Arsenal goal, without further punishment, and they would have gone through. Had Nicklas Bendtner capitalised on Jack Wilshere's fine pass three minutes from time this could have been the most bizarre result in the history of the competition, rendering statistics irrelevant. But the Dane's poor control did not allow him to deliver what would have been Arsenal's only shot on target.

The match had opened with 19 passes in the first 58 seconds between Barcelona players before their opponents were able to make their first intervention, a foul by Gaël Clichy on Xavi. It finished with another sequence, this time of 21 passes, with Wilshere's foul on Iniesta the final act of the game. Fábregas could only watch from the sidelines as another of the season's targets disappeared from Arsenal's sights.

Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 9 Mar 11

Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal: Key clashes

Arsenal's inability to win the individual battles and impose their game on Barcelona led to their downfall at the Camp Nou

Xavi v Jack Wilshere
This was a chance for the master to teach the pupil a lesson, although Pep Guardiola may now realise that he was doing Wilshere a disservice when he claimed beforehand that the teenager "plays for Arsenal because there is no pressure at his club to win titles". Although Xavi came out on top, Wilshere once again demonstrated why he belongs at this level as the stand out Arsenal performer. He never stopped running and used the ball intelligently on the few occasions Arsenal were in possession, not least when he played Nicklas Bendtner in on goal three minutes from time. Xavi, however, had already worked his magic by that point. The midfielder was predictably at the hub of all of Barcelona's best moves. He scored the second goal, after some splendid link-up play between Andrés Iniesta and David Villa, and executed the killer pass that led to Laurent Koscielny fouling Pedro for Lionel Messi's penalty.

Daniel Alves v Samir Nasri
An intriguing battle and one that made it feel like a trick of the imagination that Nasri was the attacking midfielder and Alves the full-back. Alves makes the fourth highest number of touches in the opposition half in La Liga, which seemed like a remarkable statistic before the game but easy to understand once the match got started. There was generally only one player doing the attacking in this clash and he was not wearing an Arsenal shirt. Alves played like the Barcelona right-flank belonged to him, racing forward to give Gaël Clichy, as well as Nasri, something to think about. Nasri worked to track him and he deserved credit for the part he played in the Arsenal goal, when he won and took the corner Sergio Busquets headed into his own goal.

Javier Mascherano v Cesc Fábregas
After hugging his Spanish team-mates before the game, Fábregas must have wished he could have got as close to them on the pitch. Desperate to make an impression on his homecoming, the Arsenal captain gifted Barcelona the lead in first half injury-time. It was a moment of madness that encapsulated a miserable evening for Fábregas, who looked like a player that was thinking with his heart and not his head when he declared himself fit. Only he knows why he thought it was a good idea to try to backheel the ball to Wilshere 10 yards outside his own penalty area. It was a measure of how little influence Fábregas had on the game that Mascherano was required to show little of his defensive qualities until he made a superbly timed tackle in the 87th minute to capitalise on Nicklas Bendtner's bad touch. Fábregas had already been subbed.

Sergio Busquets v Robin van Persie
This will go down as a night both players will want to forget, with Busquets heading into his own net to bring Arsenal back into a game that looked to be beyond them before Van Persie was dismissed in highly controversial circumstances. While the Dutchman was his own worst enemy in the first half, when he lost his composure and picked up an unnecessary yellow card after clashing with Daniel Alves, the second booking Van Persie picked up felt harsh. The Arsenal striker, who had cut a lonely figure up front and given Busquets few problems, claimed he had not heard Massimo Busacca, the Swiss referee, blow his whistle amid the din inside Camp Nou as he raced through and shot wide. It was easy to sympathise with him when it emerged there was only one second between the referee's whistle and Van Persie's boot making contact with the ball.

Pep Guardiola v Arsène Wenger
What should have been a fascinating tactical battle between two erudite managers turned into a game that ended up being mired in controversy after Robin van Persie was dismissed early in the second half in highly contentious circumstances. Wenger will understandably wonder what might have been had Arsenal played with 11 men throughout, although it was impossible to ignore Barcelona's dominance and their control of possession from start to finish. Arsenal opted to play a high defensive line and got away with that approach until Cesc Fábregas's faux pas at the end of the first half, yet it always seemed to be a matter of when and not if Barcelona would score. In hindsight it was a mistake to include Fábregas, who was a peripheral figure and unable to impose himself against what must be the best club side in the world. Guardiola's bad back must be feeling much better already.

Source: Stuart James, The Guardian on 8 Mar 11

Ten-man Arsenal unravel as Lionel Messi weaves his magic for Barcelona

The hurt may be greater than it was in the 4-1 trouncing here last season, because this was a tie that might have taken a different course. Arsène Wenger's side, with the score at 1-1, held a 3-2 aggregate lead when Robin van Persie was sent off in the 56th minute for a second booking. The referee Massimo Busacca was sure he had played on intentionally and had a rare shot at Barcelona's goal instead of simply failing to hear the whistle.

Patronising though the appraisal will sound, Arsenal were far closer to Barcelona. There is, despite that, an obligation to emphasise that they posed so little threat that there was not a single shot on target for Víctor Valdés to save. In the circumstances, Wenger has to settle for notable evidence that Arsenal do have a durability now that will be valuable in the bid for the Premier League title.

While prospects look appealing on that front, nothing came easily for the side in this fixture. The young goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny lasted 19 minutes and had to go off after a seemingly mild shot by Daniel Alves bent back a finger, later confirmed as dislocated. His replacement was Manuel Almunia. The Spaniard's presence took to six the number of Arsenal players on the pitch who had been in the starting line-up here last season.

Circumstances beyond the control of Wenger have made some of the changes inevitable, but Arsenal's unsettling search for a first trophy in six years also contributes to the restlessness. Some of his verdicts are being vindicated. The defensive midfielder Denílson has been downgraded to the Carling and FA Cups. He started at the Camp Nou last season but did not leave the bench in this match, even though the current defensive midfielder Alex Song was injured.

Abou Diaby took up some of those chores although he is not a specialist in that work. It was still a comparatively subdued first half, putting aside the fouls that led to four of the Arsenal line-up being cautioned. There was just a moment to spare for real distinction, then, as Messi struck in the third minute of stoppage time before the interval. Cesc Fábregas attempted a flick and gave possession to Andrés Iniesta. The through pass put Messi clear and he dinked the ball over Almunia, who was attempting to dive at his feet, before thumping it gleefully into the net.

For all that gusto, Barcelona were, by their own measure, judicious. Pep Guardiola, left with more regard for Wenger's squad after the 2-1 defeat in London, had rested some of his men in the weekend victory over Real Zaragoza. Energy was particularly significant against Arsenal, who had decided to hold a high line at the Camp Nou rather than back off and leave the opposition with simple possession.

It was Guardiola's men who looked better-equipped to set up a goal. If there is one area of reconstruction in which Wenger is starting to take a tentative pride it is in a defence that has a good record and the manager is entitled to note this achievement. Given the context, the relapse into folly for the opener must have been all the more distressing.

Arsenal, behind on the away goals rule, had no alternative but to revert to their true selves and take the game to the opposition. Barcelona would have felt at ease with that. Guardiola's team emerged from the interval with greater confidence but it was soon undermined in peculiar fashion.

Samir Nasri's persistence earned a corner on the left. The midfielder flighted it over and Diaby's run seemed to distract the defence so severely that Sergio Busquets, a midfielder employed at centre-half because of injury and suspension, headed into his own net. Arsenal, though, suffered, too, when the second booking followed for Van Persie, who claimed he did not hear the referee's whistle above the noise in the crowd.

Even so, Wenger's men, with their lead in the tie, were more at peace for a time than Barcelona. Guardiola's side and the home support all knew that a goal was essential to take the game to extra time. Almunia was outstanding in the face of an unfettered Barcelona, particularly with one save from Villa, but the resistance could not continue. Barcelona quickly scored twice to assume the lead on aggregate. After 69 minutes, Iniesta and Villa combined in a perfect move, before Xavi put the ball past Almunia. Two minutes later, Koscielny fouled Pedro and Messi converted the penalty.

Arsenal, a man down, still sought a late goal that would then have redeemed them. They were on the verge of it when Jack Wilshere's excellent low ball from the right picked out the substitute Nicklas Bendtner but the Dane's poor touch allowed Javier Mascherano to intervene.

This campaign has hurt Arsenal on other occasions as well and Wenger will have not have forgotten the defeats in the group phase that led to their facing this daunting fixture.

Even so, the rise of the team is not to be scorned. There are still outlandish days, as when a 4-0 lead after 26 minutes was relinquished in the draw at Newcastle United. The side persevere and ought to have faith in their Premier League prospects.

Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 8 Mar 11