Arsenal ‘Never Say Die’ In Night Of Irony & Media Hypocrisy
By DariusIf there’s two things this Arsenal team are guilty of, it’s the fact that this season, they don’t know how to lie down and die; and secondly, they have perfected the art of inducing heart attacks amongst the supporters.
I don’t think there’s a script at London Colney that encourages the team to do anything the easy way, and it has to be said, it ain’t good for the heart. I wouldn’t have it any other way though – it’s beautiful.
Last night was one of the most entertaining matches I’ve ever watched. Don’t get me wrong, as an Arsenal fan, it was bloody uncomfortable at least in the first half, but Barcelona came to play, and play they did.
The Catalans produced a master class in possession football that totally starved the Arsenal, a situation that I honestly don’t remember us ever being in.
I guess we were all feeling the same way other teams feel when we run riot all over the Premiership with our possession football. Nothing wrong with occasionally getting a dose of your own medicine.
Once Arsenal had jolted themselves out of the self inflicted stage fright, I was reminded about why I love this team so much. This season, we’ve risen from the dead more times than Lazarus or any phoenix, and the fighting spirit, courage, tenacity and character of the team makes me so proud.
Even so, the match last night was filled with irony from every corner.
The irony that Almunia is the only reason Arsenal are still in with a chance to upset the apple cart, yet a few days ago, he was the Anti-Christ if you believed what you read on the internet.
The irony that Barcelona were guilty of everything Arsenal have been accused of for years – playing pretty and majestic football yet failing to kill off teams that are screaming to be executed and buried. How many times have we been told that the only statistic that counts is the one on the scoreboard?
The irony that despite being kept under unimaginable pressure, Arsenal knuckled down, fought like mad and took their chances. How many times have we been hit hard by teams who are ruthlessly efficient despite our dominance in possession?
The irony that Arsenal’s ’scapegoats du jour’ – Denilson, Walcott and Bendtner – played out of their skins and were the players who totally changed the game for Arsenal. How many times have these characters been bashed beyond recognition and charged with the crime of being unfit to wear the Arsenal shirt?
The irony that despite risking Fabregas, the Arsenal captain has already done enough to leave his mark by opening the door for his team-mates to finish a job at the Camp Nou. How many inspirational leaders on the pitch give you an equalizer, and takes out two key players (Pique and Puyol) from the next tie?
I can just picture Cesc cursing “If I ain’t playing next week then these 2 bastards ain’t playing either”. Getting two players suspended and burying a penalty for good measure is a job well done for the captain.
The irony that Leonel Messi (was he really playing last night?) was sacrificed when they went down to 10 men to give him a breather after spending most of the game in Denilson’s pocket.
The irony that Barcelona are shit scared of Theo Walcott (who totally made Maxwell his bitch), yet they refused to give Arsenal the ball and bullied us all over the park in the first half.
In truth, we started the game really badly and froze, but the spirited return and strong finish will do our confidence the world of good. It was evident that the key to Barca’s game is working harder without the ball than they do with the ball.
They showed they can’t sustain that tempo for the whole game, and Arsenal’s propensity to be anal with fitness and our ’never say die’ spirit became their worst nightmare.
The match wouldn’t be the match without the roller coaster reactions all over the web and all over news columns and air waves. Reading some of the comments on the Arsenal boards during the game, I must say that I thought I was in a psychiatric ward with schizophrenics running the show.
There is the mother of all ironies there when you see Arsenal fans spew so much garbage and show their total lack of belief in this Arsenal team, and their total lack of fighting spirit as Arsenal fans.
How is it that Arsenal supporters expect their team to fight to the death (and believe me – this team has fought admirably to the death all season), yet at the small experience of adversity, these same so called fans whimper away and hide behind the sofa.
Get a frigging spine I say to all those who still have the audacity to question the resolve and determination of this team. Yes, you may question tactics and individual or collective team performances, but it’s unacceptable to question this teams resolve.
If you want to understand what type of fans I’m talking about, check out our definitive anatomy of an Arsenal doom and gloom merchant.
Also, if you think Arsenal fans were pissed off, try checking out how Barca fans feel for throwing the game away.
And of course, the equation wouldn’t be complete without the hypocrisy of the media. I found it painful to listen to the ITV commentary, even when we had the comeback on and were giving Barca grief in the last half an hour.
I switched over to Radio 5 live only to find Alan Green reading out Arsenal’s obituary.
If Manchester United had fought back the way we did and clawed back an impossible 2 nil deficit – they would be waxing lyrical about Man United. Nobody remembered that United were totally bitch-slapped by Bayern Munich for 88 minutes in May 1999 before they smuggled the European cup from the Camp Nou to the horror of the Bavarians.
If Liverpool had fought back the way we did and got the 2 goals back, the media will be waxing lyrical about the invincibility of Gerrard and Torez. Nobody remembered that Liverpool were totally bitch-slapped by AC Milan in Istanbul in May 2005 before they too smuggled the European cup from under the jaws of the Italians.
When is it that this Arsenal team will get the respect its due – instead of the snide and contemptuous remarks about Arsenal getting away with murder?
The media didn’t give us a chance in hell to even make it to the 4th place champions league spot, let alone challenge for both the EPL and Champions League titles. What hypocrisy the show for applying selective amnesia to the mental strength of the teams they favour, yet the evidence is all there that Arsenal have time and time shown that despite adversity, they have formidable mental strength.
They point out that we can’t do it in 5 days time because – wait for this, we have key players out with injury.
So what’s new? Arsenal is still here and we refuse to go away.
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
Well said. One of the best blogs consistently. Keep it up. I look forward to your next article.
Eloquent as usual Darius. I see the positives, but I think our players were too much in awe of their opponents in the first half. Barcelona did play a pressing game better than we did – we seemed to back away from making any sort of challenges. We werent making our possession count much either.
I think we need the defensive nous of Sol Campbell and Rosicky in the next round. I suspect Iniesta will be back and will be significantly better than Busquets. We would need to play like we did in the last 20 minutes for the whole 90.
“How is it that Arsenal supporters expect their team to fight to the death (and believe me – this team has fought admirably to the death all season), yet at the small experience of adversity, these same so called fans whimper away and hide behind the sofa.”
Well said that man! The fact that the arsenal fans cheered Henry like a hero but continued to get on the back of the current players was a disgrace.
agree 100%…had enough of this plastic fans….i know it was hard watching at times but last time I checked a football match was 90 minutes and over that we scored 2 and barca scored 2…now second legs they will worry about walcot…also if we can start off solid and hold them away from goal for 60-70 min then it really could be ours. The following weekend Barca play RM and they can be caught in 2 minds in the last 20-30 minutes and we should be able to exploit it as long as we are in the game. Whatever happens this season from now onwards am happy with the team and optimistic about the future
First, credit where it is due: If, eventually, we secure passage to the semi-finals, Manuel Almunia, in my view, will have been the prime contributor. We could have been butchered and buried in the first quarter hour of last night’s game; he kept us in it with save after save in the face of a Barcelona blitzkrieg. I’m compelled to wonder if with better coaching he might not yet be a top goalkeeper.
Second, no team that refuses to roll over and die at 0-2 down to the champions can ever be written off. We can complain about a lot of shortcomings that beset this Arsenal side, but spirit is clearly something they possess in abundance. They may, or may not, progress through to the semis, but they deserve respect for keeping to the task to the very end. This clearly wasn’t a flash in the pan either; time and again, after the mauling at the hands of United and Chelsea, this team has won games on the back of sheer grit. Finished article they aren’t by any means, but this is one reason, above all else, why I believe we at the Arsenal are home to a Champion squad. I think this team is marked for greatness in years to come, and I hold myself lucky to have been part of their painful progression from kids to champions.
That brings me to the one thing that may yet nip this wonderful story in the bud: inadequate defensive nous.
I have worried before on this blog, both in my write-ups and comments, that our defensive coaching is inadequate. Ibrahimovic’s goals fuel my angst even more: Getting caught out once by the long pass is bad enough; twice is criminal. In the second instance you can literally see Vermaelen pointing furiously at Ibramihovic, presumably alerting Song in the build-up to their second goal. Too late alas. It is particularly painful to concede two goals not to opposition brilliance but to personal inadequacy.
Now, given that I favoured Song-Vermaelen more than Sol-Vermaelen, I probably have no right to complain. But makeshift as Song was, our injury worries I’m sure alerted management to the possibility of Song’s requirement in defence sooner or later. Didn’t they make him work at it as insurance? On both ocassions he was guilty of the same error: allowing Ibrahimovic too much space. That counts as an elementary error; something we can scarcely afford at these levels of the game. I’m heartened Wenger brought it up in his comments after the game. I hope he’ll hire a defence coach first thing next season. So too with a better goal keeping coach.
As for the second leg, we’ll be without Gallas and Fabregas it seems. Well, it is what it is. We have kept ourselves alive against the odds at home. We, therefore, go to the Camp Nou with the slate wiped clean, and don’t have any reason for inhibition. If we can go out there and put our best foot forward we might yet find ourselves in the semi-finals.
To that, I think we all can drink.
Great article, I completely agree with your comments, Most of the media and ex players were supporting Barcelona, apparently we were dead and buried after going 2 goals down !! The fact we fought back and scored 2 goals has made all these people look complete fools. If any other british team had achieved this, we would not hear the end of it,we are realistic we will have a very difficult game in Barcelona, but anything is possible, it is The Arsenal after all !! Come on you Gunners.
I have just stumbled across your blog for the first time and was on the same rollercoaster ride as you but at 530am sydney time.. Your article embodies everything I witnessed and felt.. I want to commend you on the raw truth behind your words.. I don’t have the luxury of being at the emirates let alone in the uk to watch An amazing team develop.. I accept that I have to watch the games at 2am in the morning and I wouldn’t have it any other way .. I just want to say never say never.. Anything can happen in football.. Joga bonito..play beautiful.. That’s the arsenal way.. Great post [=
lol, mugs, totally outplayed, looked like a pub team, u will get heavily dicked in return leg, first 20 minutes was pure comedy,
Top notch as per, Darius. I do wish all these doomers would just pack up their bags and f*ck right off.
Brilliant. You’ve summed up the game brilliantly!
The biggest thing for me wasn’t coming back from a 2-0 deficit or the magnificent display of football but rather the sheer spirit and the heart that this Arsenal team showed. Having been a gunners fan for almost 10 years, I don’t remember the last time we played with such passion and determination on a stage this big.
Kudos to the Arsenal! They’ve made us proud and more importantly, for once, they’ve given us home not based on their abilities but rather on their will. Its a novel feeling albiet one that I will relish for years to come.
Bring on Camp Nou! We are the Arsenal and we are gonna fight till the end!
It’s nice – and sadly apparently rare too – to read such sensible and sane comments on the game.
No-one can deny the quality of Barcelona’s football, particularly in the first half, but hardly anyone seems to have looked carefully at the reasons they dominated and had so much possession:
1. They pressurised Arsenal all over the pitch and thereby forced errors which allowed them more of the ball.
2. Arsenal, by contrast, did not defend aggressively and because they stood off, Barcelona found it easy to retain possession and create chances.
3. Arshavin went absent, as he has done so often lately.
4. Diaby was an embarrassment, giving the ball away on numerous occasions and contributing almost nothing defensively. There is very little more infuriating than watching Diaby surrender possession and the lope back with a vacant expression on his face when he should be sprinting.
5 Gallas was clearly not fully fit and his early departure was inevitable.
In these circumstances, reaching half-time at 0-0 was in itself a remarkable achievement, but what was more remarkable was the reaction to conceding two bad goals after the interval. Far from capitulating, Arsenal forced their way back into the game and might have won it if Bendtner’s header had been more accurate.
It must be acknowledged that in stark contrast to the anonymous performances of Arshavin and Diaby, there were some real heroes out there. Almunia in the first half. The indomitable spirit of Fabregas, despite the fact that he was far from fit. A solid performance from Vermaelen. The industry of Bendtner, Eboue and Denilson. And above all, the brilliance of Nasri and Clichy, who were outstanding.
The absence of Fabregas and Gallas in the second leg will be counterbalanced by the fact that Barcelona have lost the services of two experienced centre backs, so all is not lost. But no doubt the lunatic fringe will still find much to complain about.
Good article Darius.
I agree with most of what you’ve said, particularly about the hypocrisy of the iZombies at Fleet Street & their broadcasting counterparts at ITV, BBC & Sky.
They simply don’t deserve to have watched football of the kind that was served up last night…instead, they should be condemned to watch endless re-runs of the anti-football that their favourites…Blackburn, Stoke, etc…dish up every week in the English Premier League.
I don’t think it was so much a case of Arsenal starting the game badly…it was more that Barca kept the ball so well during the opening 20 minutes that we simply couldn’t get it back off of them for any meaningful spells of possession during that time.
And, not being used to being on the receiving end of their own medicine, our players subsequently stood off Barca when they had the ball, almost as if they weren’t sure how to get it back.
It was painful watching us suffer during that opening 20 minutes, but credit should be given to Almunia and our collective defending as a team for keeping the score at 0-0 when Barca were threatening to run riot.
Contrary to what the media would have the world believe, I don’t think the gap between Barca and Arsenal is as big as they’re making out. As Guardiola has since said, Barca played the best 45 minutes yesterday of his two year spell as a manager, whereas we all know that Arsenal can play alot better than they did during the opening 20 minutes.
The quarter final is far from over, and there’s still all to play for. We’ve coped without Gallas, Fabregas and Arshavin before and we can do it again. But that discussion is for next week.
Now, we need to focus on beating Wolves, and doing so wiithout conceding and without getting any further injuries and no more cheap bookings either.
“Rich G”, I suggest you go troll somewhere else, eejit.
We were dead and buried at 2-0. Then Theo came on, and Maxwell and Keita never left their half for the rest of the game, that is how petrified they were of him. All credit to the team, as Darius said, for refusing to know when it’s beaten, for refusing to give up. I am not alone in being surprised that Barca were absolutely knackered after 60 minutes of high tempo football, which is where Arsenal’s superior fitness began to tell.
The second leg is finely poised now, for they will expect us to come at them with everything we’ve got and it is my hope that as Cesc did last night, we leave it all out on the field.
Come on you Gunners!!!
great article! i agree completely and i was thinking exactly the same during the match. thats why i knew we could come back as other teams have shown us so many times that possession doesnt win games but it does help towards it.
When this tie was announced everyone asked who was going to stop messi and people jokingly said denilson and alumunia but they did. imagine if arsenes theory of creating a great team with young playerswas for the fans to criticise an average player so much that he wil eventually stand up and become a great player.
well said sir.
i do think we have a chance.
and the bias if media is now just plain embarrassing
Presumably rich g, you follow a pub team, and you drink gallons of alcohol you must have been watching the wrong channel in your drunken stuper,or you are just a complete Dickhead thanks for your informed analysis !! back to your Pub football !!
There are times when a team “pitches up” – when things click and you watch in wonder. Fulham away was an example where we didn’t pitch up and still smuggled the points. Everton away was a day when we really clicked.
Last night was that one game where Barcelona clicked in the best possible way, and Arsenal in almost the opposite way (at least for first two-thirds). Guardiola admitted as much, suggesting that the Barcelona you saw last night was not the Barcelona you will see almost any other day.
Personally I think we were unfortunate that this would be that day, but we were fortunate to watch a true spectacle – to sit back for a moment, without all the vested interests and simply pay respects to the game. Given this, to come away with a 2-2 escape will be marvellous, and I find it doubtful that Barcelona will be able to repeat that 15-minute patch of perfection again. We saw tonight that Arsenal looked dangerous with the ball when they did have it for any length of time, and I expect an equally enthralling reverse. Game on.
Spot on article…have to hold my hands up and say Denilson was outstanding, Bendtnar was excellent and always dangerous, people question his effort at times and with justification at times but when he puts it in he is an excellent player..I thought Nasri was creative and will bo ok in the Cesc role. Downside was Arshavin , in the first thirteen minutes when he played his attitude seemed wrong. Let the ball run out for a throw in the first minute when he could easily kept it alive and dangerous. Downside number two was the performance of Diaby, no fault with effort but caught too often in possesion and a few careless passes. But he is having a great season and will be ok for run-in.
The media, what can you say? Sky Sports News are saying Fabregas may have played his last game EVER for Arsenal. nothing like putting the boot in.. yesterday the same channel previewed the Liverpool Europa League game before the Arsenal /Barca game. The ex-pros who turn up opn Sky on Mondays to belittle Arsenal and Arsene should be counting their medals and achievements Wouldn’t take long.
The Blackburn player who won the penalty against Burnley has just released a statement admitting to diving, admitting he knew the ref gave penalties easier than other refs and saying he thought he was getting a yellow for the dive when the whistle went…I can’t wait for the Eduardo style witchhunt to begin by the Sky led media. But I will be waiting I fear.
great post as always darius, its almost as if you speak my mind.
i probably shouldnt be…well at least thats what i’ll be told, but i’m very optimistic about the second leg, I reckon we are going to do it. Arsenal never do it the easy way, we never cruise to success, everything we win leaves a trail of tears and broken bodies. We’ve gone to the Delle Alpi, San Siro and Bernabeu in previous years, been completely written off, and delivered. Nasri is really hitting form at the right time and is starting to show us what all the fuss is about.
i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, even if we get trounced at the Camp Nou and finish 2nd/3rd in the prem I will still stand by the fact that I am more invested and excited by this team than any arsenal team in the past. the spirit that the boys show and the fact that they just keep getting better, and the fact that i and every other arsenal fan has invested their heart and soul in them for the last half decade mean that the team we have now is by far the most special. i salivate at the prospect of what these boys are going to achieve. now lets go to barcelona and teach them a lesson! COME ON YOU REDS!
Amazing Arsennal. Yesterday I never regretted being an Arsennal fan. The boys really made my night good. despite being 2 goals down I new that God was still smiling at us and we would come back. This was because almost everyone including the media and the commentators never gave us any change. everybody thought we were going to be the whipping boys. What people forgot is that football is never played in papers or the studio but on the field and there are eleven people facing each other on both sides. Anyway this is now history we are taking onother step praying for the best result at the nou camp. Go boys Go
Great game. Hope we play the whole game the way we did the 2nd half at the Camp Nou. Denilson, Eboue, and Nasri were great. Theo was a game changer. He is the ultimate impact sub. As he matures I think he will learn to play consistantly like that from the start.
Like you I think some of our fans need to be pimp slapped. They should be screaming their lungs out at every game. However, I doubt that Arsenal fans are really that much different the supporters of other teams who consider themselves elite teams and have the type of expectations that Arsenal players and fans have for this team.
I understand your concerns about the media and all the pundits. I understand completely their reactions. I dislike ManU as much as anyone but they deserve all the respect they get. 3 PL titles 1 CL title several Carling and FA cups in the last 4 years deserves respect. We will get the same respect as soon as we start to win again. The media did not hate the invincibles and they would all suddenly profess undying admiration for AW and all he has done if we had a few trophies in our case. If we win the last 6 games and get a little help we can still win the league this year, Lets get a trophy or 2 in our case and the media will change its tune.
Barca is not a EPL team hence Song & Diabys muscle didn’t work last night coz the Barca players were too fast.it was dificult to tackle them hence interceptions worked better.at the new camp we don’t need muscle but more of technic..
i propose a midfield of
..nasri….dennyboy…rosicky…
with fast players on the wings like walcott and eboue crossing balls for either bendtnar or eduardo…
Song & Diaby should sit out, Barca are not a threat on high balls, we can use them as subs to protect a lead…
Sod them all Darius!!
What I saw was a superlative team playing at its best against a side that still has much to learn but refused to die.
I don’t think that I have ever seen a side play as well against a quality Arsenal side as that first 40 minutes. That was a privilege to watch for collective movement & invention.
In that first period for me Song was the only player to show some of his normal ability. AW took the gamble & lost with Gallas & AA, whilst Cesc was certainly handicapped to the point of giving Barca a distinct advantage. None of this helped Diaby who froze a bit & could not find his passing.
The game changed with the introduction of Eboue & Denilson, who along with Nasri were excellent in the 2nd half.
This tie is not over we will need a lot of lady luck but maybe some lessons will be learned. I agree with Flex re 2 wingers. Theo & Eboue/Vela will make them think about getting the FBs forward quite as much.
But heh that was a great game & should just be celebrated as such.
Flex
Don’t quite agree about Song he wasn’t getting enough support until Eboue came on & shortly after he had to go to CB, where I suspect he will play at Nou Camp because Sol will have to play Wolves. It will be a matter of picking the best available fit team for Saturday & then seeing who are still walking. AW said Clichy was also carrying an ankle injury.
Just before the 80 minute mark, Denilson attempted a forward pass which did not find its target. What is significant about that? It is the only time he lost possession last night. Often under pressure, the little feller always had the ball under guard until he either got fouled or smuggled it to a team mate. How we could have done with someone who could keep possession in the first 20 minutes!
Yes that Denilson, the one that is “not fit to wear the shirt” ™ Plastic Arsenal Fans
Great Post Darius!! do keep writing such good articles..
Well regarding MU…why look back in May 1999? Just watch their game against BM on Tuesday again. Bayern Munich controlled almost all the 90 minutes. The “Rooney” tunes show was just lucky to get the first goal. I do accept that he is a great player and in great form. But that goal was just an easy one.
MU were bitch-slapped (borrowing your choice of word here..) the whole 90 minutes but the Pundits (if you can really call them by that title. Because Pundit in Hindi and Sanskrit means someone who very wise and a learned man) and the news papers talks nothing abt it. They only talk abt the “Rooney” tunes show injury.
The pundits seems to treat MU, CH & LP like their own sons who is very close to their heart and ridicule Arsenal like a step son. They seems so biased.
Darius, my comment is atrociously late, I know. My sister was overloaded and died on me since Thursday.
Once again you are spot on with your post. The Arsenal never say die.