Some may say that Arsenal were mauled at the Camp Nou last night. Zero shots on goal and barely any meaningful possession would seem to back up this opinion, but in fact the game played out much differently to how the statistics, and football annuals, shall portray it.
Although Arsenal’s captain was prohibited from playing his natural game as a result of his injury, the rest of the team put in a performance that every supporter shall surely remember very fondly indeed. Much criticised Gael Clichy was absolutely outstanding in the game, and it is highly encouraging to see him returning to some kind of form. The rest of the back four performed to an extremely high level, and Jack Wilshere was arguably the man of the match across both sides. Everyone stood up to be counted, and the heart that the team showed was quite incredible.
However, Arsenal were adversely affected by one of the worst refereeing decisions ever seen on a football pitch. It might seem an extreme statement, but it’s a pure fact. Robin Van Persie will inevitably face a fine for his comments about the referee after the game, but it is difficult to blame him for his fury when one watches the tape back. To send him off for kicking the ball away in a game of such magnitude was a decision bordering on insanity. The debate about consistency once again comes to the fore; that kind of incident could happen this weekend in the Premier League, and nothing would ensue.
This changed the game – drawing in the Camp Nou with an hour played, the away side is favourite. Arsenal were just starting to find gaps as Barcelona surged forward, and this decision quite possibly cost them their Champions League dreams. This is the crux of why the performance should be taken as a positive though. Whilst Arsenal are not a side that often benefits from a defeat, this might well be the turning point for the North Londoners. The defeat was felt in such an unjust manner that Barcelona’s superiority shall not be deemed important mentally. This reverse should galvanise the team like no other loss has ever done before.
Therefore, this season is not dead. Yes, the injury to Wojciech Szczesny is of great concern, and Cesc Fabregas will probably miss a couple of weeks of action, but Arsenal still have a lot to play for. However, one thing is for certain, the Gunners have to look upon every game as an opportunity to defy the critics, not to confirm their barbed remarks about the team.
March has always been a tough month for Arsenal, but it is down to the squad to turn it around, preferably with some less card-happy officials.
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The ref was a joke, I can’t believe they got a ref like that to ref a high profile game. I absolutely agree with Van Persie comments. A ref like that has no place in football. I personally think if it was 11 against 11, the game would have been a lot closer.
I know they had all the possession but in the first half they didn’t do much with it, in fact if Fabregas didn’t make that mistake it would have been 0-0 at half time and they whole would have been different, but anyway it was 1-0 to Barca. Second half we scored to make it 1-1, but then the ref felt bored and wanted to get involved so he sent off Van Persie. That ref really annoyed me, I would slap him around the face if I saw him down the street.
Anyway good luck to Barca, I hope they win the whole thing, they play the best football