Barcelona emerge victorious once again at the Etihad Stadium. A result that shocked none. Barcelona were dominant in the first half and City came out stronger in the second half but were unable to comeback from a two goal deficit. It’s hard to see City overcome this home defeat which means Barcelona will most likely advance into the quarter finals of the Champions League. Now given Arsenal defeat Monaco over two legs they will potentially come up against the likes of Barcelona (Knowing our luck). So this is a good opportunity to learn from City’s mistakes.
Let’s face it, Barcelona are no longer what they used to be. Their defence is not the greatest and can be caught out on the break or even when there are a lot of players crowding the box. We saw this when Aguero scored, Barcelona’s back four were overwhelmed with the amount of bodies in the box and Aguero was able to Dance through. City’s other big mistake was their lack of discipline and their inability to control the midfield. Now that may sound hard to do especially against Barcelona but as I said before this isn’t the Barcelona of 2011 with Villa, Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol in their prime. However even in 2011 Arsenal were able to defeat the mighty Barcelona. So when I look at the team they have now I am filled with confidence, now I’m not saying Barcelona are an easy team to win against but they are beatable. Their attack may look fierce but the midfield can be overrun and defence outwitted. However with that being said a similar strategy to the one employed at the Etihad would have to be taken.
Let’s face it, Barcelona are no longer what they used to be. Their defence is not the greatest and can be caught out on the break or even when there are a lot of players crowding the box. We saw this when Aguero scored, Barcelona’s back four were overwhelmed with the amount of bodies in the box and Aguero was able to Dance through. City’s other big mistake was their lack of discipline and their inability to control the midfield. Now that may sound hard to do especially against Barcelona but as I said before this isn’t the Barcelona of 2011 with Villa, Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol in their prime. However even in 2011 Arsenal were able to defeat the mighty Barcelona. So when I look at the team they have now I am filled with confidence, now I’m not saying Barcelona are an easy team to win against but they are beatable. Their attack may look fierce but the midfield can be overrun and defence outwitted. However with that being said a similar strategy to the one employed at the Etihad would have to be taken.
With Coquelin putting in fantastic performances every week if you were to toss in a Wilshere or Ramsey that would shut the door for any tiki taka down the middle. Unfortunately I do think either Cazorla or Özil would have to be dropped against a team like Barcelona, I would personally keep Özil (he seems to be forming a good partnership with Alexis) in the team and maybe bring on Cazorla later on in the match. On the wings I would play our future legend Sanchez (on the left) and the Ox (on the right). We would definitely benefit from their pace and fantastic work rates on the wings, and in the later moments of the match bring on a fresh Theo Walcott. Up front as a striker I would have Giroud solely for his hold up play and ability to bring others into the play during a counter attack. Now time for the back four, as right back I would play Debuchy if fit, if not it would have to be Bellerin, the middle two I’d go for Koscielny and Gabriel. The reason for choosing Gabriel is his pace and aggression, hopefully he will have learned a little bit of English by the time we play against one of the big teams (if his English is not yet up to par play the BFG). And lastly on the left it would be Gibbs, even though Monreal has been outstanding for us this season, he tends to struggle against the superstars (Robben). In net I would keep whoever is in form at that moment in time.
This is the squad I would play against every big team left in the Champions League, the only alterations I would make would make would be swap Giroud and Welbeck against a Bayern or Real Madrid. Every team has their flaws and the key is to exploit them as much as possible. If Arsenal are willing to put in the work and believe in themselves then they shouldn’t have too much difficulties.
This is the squad I would play against every big team left in the Champions League, the only alterations I would make would make would be swap Giroud and Welbeck against a Bayern or Real Madrid. Every team has their flaws and the key is to exploit them as much as possible. If Arsenal are willing to put in the work and believe in themselves then they shouldn’t have too much difficulties.