Robin Bags Another Award And Parked Buses Can Be Handy

First things first – Robin van Persie won another accolade yesterday as he was voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association to add to the PFA award he won a couple of days ago. Enough has been said about Robin already – well done skipper, thoroughly deserved, is all I can add.

The other big news this morning is that Chelsea are through to the finals of the Champions League after a disciplined defensive performance (read parked bus) at the Nou Camp. Ramires’ cool finish on a counter at the end of the first half gave the chavs a precious away goal and they suitably frustrated Barca for the entire second half. Messi missed a penalty and hit the post as Barca conspired to lose the game by not taking the few chances they had.

Since Roberto Di Matteo’s promotion to interim manager, Chelsea has settled down to play with a more defensive strategy. This has focused the efforts of the players. But the most important thing RDM has brought with him is luck. Most of the results since he took over have been achieved with good lumps of fortune thrown in.

Which is why I totally expect Chelsea to put on a sterling performance in the final and win the Champions League. That’s how football goes. Anything can happen in a one-off match and now Chelsea have a 50% chance of winning the European title – that’s about 10 times more than the chance anyone gave them of beating the Catalans.

This of course is very relevant to Arsenal because third place is not a luxury anymore, it is a requirement. We must focus and get the result at Stoke at the weekend – and then against Norwich – and then at West Brom. The players will be aware of this, and hopefully this will bring out the determination in our performance, not the nervousness.

Arsenal have been accused of being a one-man team for a large part of this season. But how toothless are Barcelona when Messi is not on song? A couple of weeks of the Argentine not being in top form and the Catalans are out of the league and out of Europe. Cesc Fabregas’ ambition to win big trophies will have to wait at least another year.

Last night’s result is as much a warning for Arsenal to have an alternate strategy, as it is for Barcelona to revisit theirs. While many teams come to the Emirates to defend and steal a point, Wigan and Chelsea have shown recently that more than a draw is possible. I fully expect many visiting sides (and a few home teams as well) to adopt these ultra-defensive tactics next season and try to catch us high up the pitch on the counter.

Our attacks through the middle lose steam as the game wears on, and just like Barca in the past week, we seem to run out of ideas when confronted with a wall in front of us. Yesterday’s post dealt with having a Plan B, I hope it is seriously considered for next season and we add a different dimension to our attacking play to combat these tactics.

The abrasive Stuart Pearce wants to include Jack Wilshere in Team GB, regardless of Arsene Wenger’s concern over the English midfielder’s rehabilitation. It is an ongoing problem between Arsene and England’s U-21 and interim manager, Pearce enforcing his sanctioned authority on club managers. Wilshere’s involvement in the Olympics is not good news for Arsenal, we would rather have him on the pre-season with the team and keep an eye on his progress than to hand him over to the Psycho.

There is also some hope that Theo Walcott will be available for the Euros, and may even play Arsenal’s final game of the season at West Brom. We need a strong finish and Walcott’s presence will definitely boost our chances of securing third.

All for today, have a nice day.

Random Thoughts And Biblical References On Cesc’s London Return

Before I get into today’s post, I would recommend two reviews of the Wigan game. DesiGunner’s always original thoughts here and Gilbertosilver’s appreciation of Wigan’s tactics here.

The disappointment from that game continues to linger among Arsenal fans. After gaining command of that all-important third place, the latest reversal now heaps pressure on us once again. Any slip-up in the London derby at the weekend has the potential to completely derail the excellent work of the previous two months.

Our rivals in that derby take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge tonight. While everyone expects Barca to knock the Blues senseless, Chelski have provided a stiff test to the Catalans in recent seasons. Of course, those results were in the Mourinho days and the Blues look a lot more open and vulnerable defensively than they ever did when the Portugueser was in charge. Still, it is something the Blues will probably take heart from.

From an Arsenal perspective,  a heavy beating by Barca would be helpful to our cause on Saturday. On the other hand, a good performance by Chelski in a draw or even a defeat, will give them a massive lift especially after the 5-1 drubbing of Spuds at Wembley a few days ago.

Birthday boy Woijiech Szczesny thinks the Blues might sneak in draw at home tonight but will be comprehensively beaten by the Catalans at the Nou Camp. His words show just how difficult players perceive a trip to the Catalan stadium, a fortress if there every was one.

The Champions Legue semis hail the temporary reappearance in London of Barcelona’s  prodigal son who returned home last summer. Cesc Fabregas invites metamorphic comparison to the biblical character who squandered all his wealth on wild living,  before realising the error of his ways and returned home to beg forgiveness from his father.

Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.
                                                              – Luke 15:29-30, World English Bible

So Cesc came to London when he was 16 and squandered his talents playing for Arsenal, running all over the pitch and doing what he liked. Then he begged forgiveness and a transfer from Papa Guardiola and his father took him back into his fold for a pittance of what he was actually worth and Cesc was ever grateful for that, having learned and grown as a person.

Cesc actually spoke thus yesterday:

I’ve learned a lot, especially tactically. At Arsenal I was free to do whatever I wanted and tactically I wasn’t good at all.

Here I have to work much more for the team and be married to my position – I can’t just go wherever I want to. I have to think tactically, and that’s the thing I feel I have improved on. I feel more mature as a player.

It makes me sick. More so because I know it is true. Cesc has definitely learned to be more tactically aware and looks to be developing into a much more well-round player.

The main reason for this of course, is because unlike at Arsenal, the Barca team is not built around him. The Catalans have their own wanderer in Lionel Messi and Fabregas has to be content with being disciplined in the role assigned to him.

There is also the news of Robin van Persie’s visit to the Barca hotel in London, right after the Wigan loss. The media are questioning if this is the start of the end for Van Persie’s Arsenal career. Of course, there is a far simpler explanation for this. Robin was visiting Dutch teammate and good friend Ibrahim Afellay, besides maybe saying hello to Cesc Fabregas as well. But why let facts get in the way of selling newspapers.

It is a warning for Arsenal though, to wrap up the Van Persie contract issue as early in the summer as possible. The longer it takes to reach an agreement (or otherwise), the more pressure the media will heap on the club by reading between the lines – even if the paper is totally blank.

Back tomorrow with more thoughts on the Arsenal. Cheer up.