Here is something a little out of the norm, five things a United fan (yes a United fan) noticed about last nights game at the Emirates…enjoy
So the first leg of a potentially pulsating 2-legged knockout tie lived up to the hype and some, proof that maybe Tyldesley isn’t as bad as his Sky counterparts when it comes to over hyping games that inevitably result in drab affairs with barely a sniff of regular goal-scoring opportunities. That said after reflecting on the game, one can’t help but feel a little smug that Barcelona .. the prophets of football were brought down to earth by what many consider the false prophets, a brief playing out of the reformation if you like.. mighty infallible Catholics, found fallible by the Protestants who themselves were just as full of shit as their predecessors.
Anyway a brief recap of both sides tactical set up before we delve into the nitty gritty… Both sides were typical 4-3-3 with interchangeable forwards and scoring on the counter-attack after winning the ball high up the pitch was the name of the game. After a frantic opening exchange in which Arsenal briefly had the upper hand it soon settled into a rather predictable one sided rampage with Barcelona threatening to deflower the Gunners in a brutal manner reminiscent of last years showdown… thankfully for the Arse, they improved in the second half, displaying a hitherto not seen resolve and they took it to the superstars of Catalonia, grabbing two well-deserved goals, the latter which will live long in the memory. Without further ado, here are 5 Things I Noticed…
1. Predictable Walcott
After all the talk about how Barcelona feared the searing speed of ‘The One’, and were soiling their pants at the thought of how to shackle him, one would not have been blamed for thinking in the summer Arsenal would be more worried about losing Walcott to the Nou Camp Necromancers, rather than their much sought after Captain.
Despite a promising opening in which he showed pretty nifty close control, taking on a few defenders before laying it off to Fabregas who proceeded to lift it over the Barcelona back line locating Van Persie, who was then thwarted by Valdes, Walcott soon lost his lustre and was met with the usual tactic utilised by opponents intent on snuffing him out… sitting back and cutting off the space he can run in behind, and forcing him to be more cute and clever. Its the sort of tactic that has been employed by the likes of Patrice Evra, one which nearly always works and one that Theo has not really showed any signs of overcoming.
What Walcott lacks is quality footwork, more precisely a few tricks in his locker and furthermore he doesn’t utilise his weaker foot enough which renders him rather predictable and devoid of ideas when robbed of his usual tactic of kicking it past a defender and running fast into the space in behind. If Arsenal had Nani in their side last night on the right wing, the score could’ve been even more devastating in Arsenal’s favour.
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