Written by Mean Lean on Saturday, 17 December 2011 12:48
AC Milan vs Arsenal. Possibly the strongest team that we could have faced out of the remaining teams that could have been paired against us. You could say the same for the last three years. Twice against Barcelona and now the team that finished second in the Catalan's group.
I was watching the draw and when I saw AC Milan being pulled out I shouted out 'Go on pull Arsenal out, we can take them on' when our name was pulled out I felt a little different. Almost like the brave school kid who challenged the school bully to a fight, only to find out that he accepted.
They are currently third in Serie A. Two points behind Udinese who we beat whilst nowhere near the level of form we are in now but that was then and we do not play AC Milan until February, plenty can change for both teams as well as the Italians having had a chance to rest weary legs over the Christmas period. Arsenal will not be afforded such a luxury. So it will be interesting to see if that has any affect on the two sides at that stage.
I still look back to our last clash with much fondness. Arsenal made me so proud in the San Siro back in 2008. We were exceptional that night, a total level above Milan. Hleb, Fabregas and Adebayor were all superb but for me Mathieu Flamini was the best player on the pitch and if it wasn't for that display then he may have signed a new deal with Arsenal because maybe AC Milan wouldn't have had the same interest.
Both teams have changed pretty much from head to toe in four years and the Milan team are much better now than they were back then. Pato, Ibrahimovic and Robinho will be a great challenge for Vermaelen, Koscielny and Sagna who will hopefully be back and fit to play in both legs. They may even have Carlos Tevez on board. Scary.
The midfield clash is also very interesting. Aaron Ramsey/Jack Wilshere vs Mark van Bommel, Clarence Seedorf vs Alex Song and Mikel Arteta vs Alberto Aquilani. Plenty of committed, technical ball players who will be fighting for the right to play.
As I said, you cannot go into much detail because plenty can change, especially with the January transfer window set to fly open. Who knows, Thierry Henry may get the chance to score at the San Siro again.
Huge, huge game tomorrow. We were written off before our game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We are not being quite as dismissed this time round but that is because most now realise that we are a good team. The crisis has been removed from our name and the perception has changed. Tomorrow will be very tough and obviously any result other than defeat will be positive but I am greedy. Only a win will make me truly satisfied and I will explain that in the preview tomorrow.
Nicklas Bendtner? *shakes head* What on earth was he thinking? Smashing cars is one thing but going out with Lee Cattermole? An all time low me thinks. Jokes aside, he was never coming back to Arsenal before this happened so this is just the final nail in the coffin. Arsenal players don't go around getting drunk and smashing up cars. At least Arsenal players in the Wenger era so there is not much point in talking about this, he is no longer our problem.
The same I guess applies to Samir Nasri but I cannot help but write a few smirking words. Roberto Mancini has publicly commented that his new big signing Samir Nasri has to do better. That he might not understand why he is not in the team. But he has to improve.
At Arsenal he had the freedom to express his talents, he was able to learn on the job, allowed to burst into the final third and have a go at his full back but instead turn left and right and then pass it back to Clichy. At Manchester City he has been expected to fulfil a certain job and clearly he has not been doing his job. Whatever that is.
It was only last week that Alex Hleb, one of my favourite players was let go by Wolfsburg. How he has fallen. From a top class player at Arsenal to a substitute at Barcelona and then at Birmingham City. He spent his 'peak' years floating around from the bench to average clubs when he should have been showing his best at Arsenal.
Mathieu Flamini has been a bit part player at AC Milan since leaving Arsenal. He had his best ever season in 2007/2008 and he could have used that to go from strength to strength and become one of the best box to box midfielders in Europe.
So what happens to these players when the leave Arsenal? It is hard to know exactly but my guess is that they lose the freedom of expression. Arsene has been criticised for giving his players too much freedom on the pitch where as it is often our strength. You think back to players like Thierry Henry who were not forced into a certain mould, they could play to their strengths and flourish into the world class player that he was.
Going back to Samir Nasri, I think he is too good and young enough to avoid going down the same path as Alex Hleb and perhaps even Flamini. In the first six months of last season, I got the sense that he was making the same type of progress that Thierry Henry was making when it clicked for him. He was visibly taking huge steps forward and if he was committed to Arsenal, I believe that he would have been even better this season but his head was turned and his form vanished. Now his freedom has been taken away from him.
Arsene also spoke about Nasri and hinted that he could have been used centrally this season. I didn't like Nasri in the number 10 role when he played there but we do not know how he would have adapted or indeed how the team would have adapted to Nasri in that position.
But like with Bendtner, it is no longer our concern. I think that Nasri will play tomorrow and I am sure he has plenty to prove, both to his manager and to himself so I wouldn't be surprised to see a big performance from him. It is a shame that he is not coming up against Bacary Sagna but hey, such is Arsenal life.
Arsene continues not to rule out signing Thierry Henry so I am even more convinced that he will do it. Like I have said previously, it makes too much sense on too many levels. I was chatting with Hazzaboy and Squid Boy on Twitter last night about Henry. I was saying that he is more van Persie than Theo Walcott these days.
He has all the attributes to play the false nine position. Great movement, excellent touch and vision. He has always had those traits but his explosiveness in the past would have been wasted in that role. His speed and athleticism was best over the whole final third of the pitch. Flying past full backs on the left wing position, cutting in and scoring goals. But he was always able to do some of what Bergkamp could do.
Physically he could handle the role that van Persie provides so it will be interesting to see how he fits should he sign for the short term. I still think he will be mainly used as a substitute coming on for 20 minute cameos but I am getting ahead of myself.
Lescott? Get stuffed.
With that, I am off for now but will return for a pre match article tomorrow. Big game folks.
'til then.
Fancy writing your own articles for fellow Gooners to read? Click Your Vision section.
<...
4 hours ago
Copyright © 2012 Arsenal Vision. All Rights Reserved.
Arsenal News 24/7
Comments (11)