Arsenes de ja vu -By Ramona Gatuiku
It was a night to be held as the Catalans walked into the emirates stadium, arsenal fans beaming with hope as they expected their team to slay this footballing hydra with Messi, Neymar and Suares their stubborn head.
Two sides with similar playing philosophies and very different results. While Barcelona has won almost every major club football tournament arsenal have only won twice the F.A cup in the past decade. Arsenal is decades behind the likes of Barcelona and the champions league is not a competition they are likely to win. It’s about time the north London club concentrates on winning the FA cup and English premier league the two completion they actually stand a chance of winning. In yesters game barca were in total control popping the ball around in short accurate passes, reducing arsenal to chasing shadows, everyone in red jerseys clung back perhaps paralyzed by fear, no one trying to break rank and actually win back the ball, with major exception to Ozil and Sanchez who played their hearts and soul in this fixture.
Arsenals was simply outclassed. Two goals from the maestro Lionel Messi leave arsenal at the brink of champions league exit. Which has become some sort of ritual at this stage of the competition .Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen got down low to deny Giroud with 20 minutes remaining. A minute later the reigning champions were a goal ahead thanks to an incredible counter attack orchestrated by Iniesta,Suarez, Neymar and clinically finished by Messi. The 5time world best player award winner added a second from the penalty spot to continue his torment .it might have seemed incongruous comparison to a huge section of supporters, who responded so positively to arsenals efforts in the first 70 minutes there was no booing even when their team wasted glorious chances. The night was pregnant with possibility for arsenal but as has been a custom they disappointed. Flamini’s comical 47 second cameo which involved touching Messi’s shin in the penalty box before he had even touched the ball, hurt arsenal.
Wenger had warned about barcas threat on the counter before the game saying they are at their most dangerous transition –he was proven right!.barca’s star Messi had never scored past Cech in three previous two-legged ties during his days at Chelsea. But he did after a beautiful well organized counter offensive and added a second from the spot. Cech however believes arsenal have what it takes to put up a spirited come backLlionel Messi condemned arsenal to a sixth successive exit at the last 16 stage of the champions league despite arsenals gallant display. Arsenal went out to Barcelona in 2010 and 2011 and that was after a draw and win at the emirates, their chances are surely all but written off after this condemning defeat at the hands of their usual argentine number 10-messi.it is this that may have stung Wenger so profoundly the obliteration of emergent hope in the blink of an eye, the realization that arsenal simply cannot compete at this level when performances must be perfect and teams must be ruthless.
Wenger can make his constant optimistic about the trip to camp nou but it would be considered his greatest result in his tenure if arsenals manage to turn around, from this position. Its games like this those calls for Wenger to sign a top notch striker carry greater resonance because even the smallest opportunities count. Arsenal simply wasted theirs!Read more here..
