Arsene Wenger recently revealed, before their Champions League game against Marseille, that Arsenal enjoy playing in Europe more than the Premier League because it gives them more freedom to express themselves.
He pointed out that they play with more freedom away from home and hence there is far less pressure on them in Europe compared to playing in the league.
Wenger said:
‘We play with a bit more freedom away from home in Europe and there is a bit less pressure.’
‘But in Udinese we also played with massive pressure because that was the game of the season for us. Not to win that game would have been a disaster.’
Arsenal have definitely performed better in Europe than in the domestic league this season and are currently top of Group F after a 1-0 win over Marseille last night. But I completely disagree with Wenger’s claims that Arsenal are under lesser pressure in Europe.
There is no difference in the amount of pressure Arsenal are under in the Champions League than in the Premier League. But the English clubs have generally been more efficient than their continental counterparts in stopping Arsenal by disrupting their passing game. The league clubs are ready to park the bus and frustrate Arsenal, while our Champions League opponents have given us more space to work in. That has really helped us in playing with a bit more freedom going forward and hence the better results. We don’t face any aerial bombardment in Europe and that suits our style of play as well.
I think Arsenal’s good performances in the Champions League are also due to the sheer magnitude of the tournament. The Champions League is the biggest club tournament in the world and it’s natural for performances to go up a few notches. Another reason is that Arsenal have been playing very conservatively in Europe. In the five matches so far, Arsenal have absorbed lots of pressure and defended regularly as a unit. This is indicated by the fact that we have conceded only three goals in those five matches.
Attributing our good form in Europe to lesser pressure would be a bit unfair on the players. I feel they have been under immense pressure in the Champions League and you’ve got to give them credit for playing with more responsibility and delivering the goods.
With qualification from the group stages looking closer now more than ever, it is now up to us to reproduce that form in the Premier League in order to bring the club back into the top four.
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The difference between Europe and the league is simply that in the CL, most of the teams are a top club that thinks they can win on the day. They’re either champions of their own league or i the top echelon so they have the feeling they can compete. When Arsenal play the other top four clubs in the league it’s mostly an open affair and both teams allow one another to play. That is how it is in the CL. Teams allow Arsenal to play because they themselves want to be allowed to play their game. That’s how top clubs respect one another.
In the league however there is an implied hierarchy. Teams know where they stand and for most it’s about either staying up or being in their mid-table comfort. Unless you;re in the top 5-6 clubs you know you’re not winning the league so you do what you need to do to ensure top flight status. Mid to lower table clubs would rather play for a draw and get a point than lose to the bigger ones, this is why many are more defensive and which is why Arsenal can have difficulty breaking down the 10-man behind the ball tactic.
There’s more freedom in Europe which makes Arsenal seem to play better because they can play their game more instead of trying to break the brick wall 10 man defense in the league.