Modern football reaches a pantheon. Arsenal prevails in attack vs attack
This was a match where every detailed seemed to matter just that bit more. Every pass was stressed. Every shot was scrutinised. Every contested challenge, dribble and interception was crucial. Every bounce of Lionel Messi’s hair. The timing of Theo Walcott’s runs. Refereeing decisions. Pep Guardiola’s catwalk struts down the touchline. Every unscrewing of Arsene Wenger’s bottle cap. Every inch Victor Valdes left exposed at his near post. Every substitution. Each moment of ascendancy had to be taken. Those were the margins and fortunately enough, a huge dose of Lady Luck went Arsenal’s way also.
Barcelona played Arsenal off the park for the first forty-five minutes. Or so it should have been. Lionel Messi was sensational in dropping deep and collecting possession then running at Arsenal’s back-line. But Arsenal tried it’s darnest to limit his threat and for keeping it 1-0 and sticking religiously to their gameplan, it nevertheless must go down as a fantastic first-half effort. After the break, however, Arsenal ramped up their intensity and it was Barcelona who looked like they may buckle. Granted, Pep Guardiola’s side had plenty of the possession but that was expected. The Gunners continued to play pro-actively, undeterred by their so-called superior’s level of technical ability. And for that the game must go down as the best of the modern era. Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League in 2008 may have been a compelling advert for the speed and power of the evolving game but this was how football should be played: with an unerring technical accuracy, tempo and tactical complexity.
But it is more significant given that Arsenal has beaten the best team of the current generation and one who is light-years ahead of the rest because of the philosophy bestowed onto them by Johan Cruyff (although their financial ethics must be questioned). Whenever anyone has played the Catalan giants, they almost certainly contest in one way; to defend deep and look to counter attack and all with an air of inevitability and fear. Only Villarreal has deferred from the modus operandi but it has only served to highlight the difficulties of facing Barcelona at their own game. “You’re always on the border of collapsing against them,” said Arsène Wenger, after last night’s 2-1 victory and it seemed like it may go that way for Arsenal as well after they made a fantastic start to the game in the first ten minutes. Somehow a good ten minutes becomes a positive thing when facing Barcelona.
Arsenal fought fire with fire and although the possession count was a superior 66%-34% to Barcelona, it was not as if The Gunners tried to concede possession to their opponents. Arsenal pressed and squeezed Barcelona. It worked but at the same time, failed to work also. Messi had a fantastic chance when he chipped wide when one-on-one with Wojcjech Szczesny and had a goal disallowed for offside. But the highly integrated, highly compact pressing from Arsenal, which at most times was never 25 metres apart from the first line of defence to the last, constantly broke up play. Arsenal’s best play was mostly on the turnover but fortune favours the brave and as a result, they also had their fair share of possession. Jack Wilshere in particular was so impressive that he never gave the ball away in the first-half. He had a composure in front of defence beyond his years and a discipline which was crucial to the moment. The central midfield pair delegated roles accordingly, as Alex Song continued charging for the ball, knowing that he was the better tackler and Wilshere the better circulator.
Arsenal did get a bit of joy when defeating the first line of Barcelona pressing which consisted on Pedro, Messi and David Villa. The threesome tried to close the defenders down high up the pitch but if Arsenal bypassed it, they found space down the wings because it exposed Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the middle. Emmanuel Eboue galloped up and down while Samir Nasri had Dani Alves in knots at times. But by also keeping the front three high up the pitch and the keep ball that Barcelona are capable of, it sucked Walcott and Nasri, in particular, centrally and Alves himself continued bombing up and down.
Arsenal’s strategic defending
It is true Messi had a barnstormer in the first-half but he was eventually squeezed out for big periods in the second. Lethargy had a part to play but also, Barcelona cannot really be asked to defend for 90 minutes and against a team like Arsenal, it was also going to concede chances on the break. Arsenal’s tactic was as it has always been this season; strategic defending that incorporates the Dutch principles of through-marking and winning the ball back quickly. Through-marking sees the players behind the first presser looking to eliminate the next pass through tight-marking and close attention. It is highly dependent on the structure and distances between players and Arsenal’s 4-4-1-1 in the press, which was Arrigo Sacchi-esque, ensured the team could match up well numerically. Laurent Koscielny typified the strategy as he continued to nick the ball away from the Barcelona attackers.
Much was to be made of the two central defender’s style before the game and by the end, showed that their style of winning the ball back quickly, which has been the mantra of Arsenal’s defensive strategy this season, was a masterstroke. The high-line got them in to trouble on occasions but apart from a Messi miss and a lack of concentration from Gael Clichy, it worked to great effect. Villa tried to take advantage by getting in between Johan Djourou and Koscielny and in that one instance, it worked.
<Figure 1> Arsenal’s defensive outline. Arsenal squeezed the play, looking to stop Barcelona from playing their game. Their backline was adventurously high and that meant at most times, a distance of 25 metres between attack and defence.
<Figure 2> Lionel Messi’s completed passes. Arsenal’s compactness shows in Messi’s passing graph. The Argentine had a free striker role and dropped deep to collect possesion but Arsenal tried not to let him get into the final third. (Courtesy of Zonal Marking and Total Football iphone app.)
<Figure 3> Arsenal Interceptions (Courtesy of Sleepy_Nik and and Total Football iphone app.)
In the second-half, Arsenal was more effective, more tighter and this allowed the side to comeback in the fashion that they did. Robin van Persie’s goal had a bit of good fortune but the build up was just what Wenger would have wanted. Quick passing, quick interchange and dynamic movement. Clichy’s dinked pass had Gerard Pique a bit flat-footed, enough for van Persie to exploit. Andrey Arshavin’s goal was even better as an interception at the edge of their own box started a crisp counter attack which saw two great passes by Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas to free Nasri and he showed fantastic composure to tee-up Arshavin to place home.
Much was made of Guardiola’s substitution of David Villa for Seydou Keita. In one sense it was defining but you could understand his reasoning. Barcelona was losing the dynamism and potency that their possession game is famed for and as a result Villa was kept quiet. He wanted to retain control and defend via possession; however, it only served to hand some initiative to Arsenal. Wenger was spot on with his substitutions which saw Nasri just hold his position deeper with Fabregas also dropping back and Nicklas Bendtner replacing Walcott. Guardiola’s tactic, however, also showed his flaws as he wanted to make a artistic impression when the game should have been killed off – to teach an educational lesson with their belief in keeping the ball on the floor and moving at all times.
“We made more chances and in general terms, we have had a very good game,” said Guardiola. “But Arsenal is good at playing the position and exposing the weaknesses. When they get past the first pressure line, they are very fast. For many years they have set an example in Europe.”
The return leg at Camp Nou promises to be special and judging by the last three games against each other, the first-half will be crucial. But right now, Arsenal can celebrate even though the game is only at the halfway point. They have beaten the best team in the world and in a style that never at one moment, betrayed their own. This was a game where ascendancy had to taken. Where every moment was crucial. When football reached a pantheon. When Arsenal prevailed in attack versus attack.
Filed under: Arsenal, Match Analysis
Tagged: Arrigo Sacchi, Arsenal, Barcelona, Defenders, Match Analysis, Messi, Pressing
It’s good to see arsenal defining a style. like a cross between the great counter attacking of past arsenal teams with more technical and creative midfielders who can retain possession.
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I made the comment last night that Arsenal did actually park the bus, except unlike Inter, Man Utd, Chelsea etc. it was parked about 18 yards up the pitch instead of inside their own box. You can see from the interceptions graph that Arsenal formed a big defensive block inside the 2nd quarter of the pitch.
The midfield didn’t press too much in general, it was more a case of forming another row in front of the defence and blocking the passing lanes in midfield (as you have constantly pointed out in the last few weeks). This was a masterstroke in my opinion because it gave Arsenal just the right amount of balance between defence and counter-attack.
Defend deeper (like the 1st half last year), and Barcelona would have been able to suffocate Arsenal inside their own half. Try to aggressively press Barcelona high up the pitch, and they’ll simply play through the pressure.
Of course Barcelona managed to break past the high line on occasions, but that was a price worth paying. I must also commend Szczesny because he made himself very big on the occasions that he was left one-on-one. Last year Almunia was at fault for the 1st goal, the 2nd too if we’re being very harsh. The Spaniard has a tendency to be beaten at his near post when attempting to close down the angle on attackers. But Szczesny last night was magnificent and I thought the chipped miss by Messi was down to some brilliant goalkeeping. The Pole covered the near post and spread his legs to deny a ground finish, and Messi was forced to chip wide. Likewise with Messi’s side netting miss just before Van Persie’s equaliser.
It takes a lot of intelligence and ability to be able to beat Barcelona while playing a high line (granted there was also a dose of luck), and for that I have to tip my hat off to Wenger. Not even the master tactician Mourinho could manage that 3 months earlier.
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Dave Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Sorry Carlton I dont mean to rain on your parade but, I thought the term ‘parking the bus’ literally means parking the bus immediately in front of the actual goal so nothing can get past it. So the fact we had a high line meant we didnt park the bus.
Really enjoyed the read again Brain and liked the link to saachi, in reference to the 25metres from defence to attack. I know how long it took saachi’s milan to implement that system and what it takes in terms of walk through positioning and player intelligence that Carlton quite rightly points out. I must be honest i didnt think that was Wenger’s coaching style, but its clear this pressing system has been a long time in the making and its still got room to improve, I guess as they get more experienced it will come.
Great result but you still have to admire Barca’s possession of the ball i thought we were good but they are exceptional. Do you think we will ever get to Barca’s standard?
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drwtw Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
It also refers to not showing any ambition to attack.
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The Brain Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
It’s an excellent analysis Carlton although as those replying below have said, they have a bone to pick with the term, “parking the bus.” The term is inherently defensive as drwtw says while Arsenal’s tactic was more pro-active. They were committed to not let Barca have the ball in the final third – or indeed even have any fluency. It worked early on – but it naturally became less intense in the remainder of the first-half and Barca grew in more accustom to the tactics.
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dave Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
I disagree that we didnt show ambition look at the chances we created and the players we had on the pitch.
parking the bus to me specifically refers to defending deep and in numbers.
A high line means we want to compress the space and get the ball back quickly how is there no ambition in that? to want the ball?
Parking the bus is letting the other team have it in front of your whole team not just the defence you intrinsically cant park the bus with a high line of defence
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The Brain Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
@Dave: I’d like to answer your somewhat rhetorical question at the end. It’s a debate I had on twitter and indeed, does Arsenal, or rather, Arsene Wenger want to play like Barca? If of course we assume the former and take Arsenal as a generic team, then yes because they have set the bar and any ambitious team would want to reach that level.
But in regards to Arsene Wenger; I don’t think it’s possible for Arsenal to be like Barca under him – not because it’s a high level to attain to – but because he possibly doesn’t want to.
He wants speed, technique and efficiency and that balance may not be so easy to realise if the current Barcelona is the target. Arsenal have their own style that is well known and the idea is to better that. But like we saw on Wednesday night, perhaps if their pressing is good enough and their technique improves, then maybe they can dominate possession (against Barcelona) with those three qualities Wenger desires(?) (to repeat: speed, technique and efficiency).
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dave Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
I saw that on twitter I feel i have been duped by the media into thinking we are barca lite although we are similar you make an excellent point. Do you think there is an article in that?
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The Brain Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
There is potentially an article in that although it’s bits and pieces at the moment. If I can mould it into a substantial piece then it’ll be up here.
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drwtw Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
If Wenger was merely trying to emulate Barcelona, why didn’t he build a side even remotely similar to Barcelona in his first decade at the club?
He had ample opportunity, yet instead he gave us what has become known as Wengerball, which I think can be summed up quite nicely with three words; Power, Pace and Precision.
In fact I only remember the Barcelona comparisons really starting in 2007-2008.
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SpaceGhost Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Good point, especially about “speed” and “efficiency”. You might say they are the Premier team most like Barca, but they are a Premier team and the environment they exist in will shape them.
I felt that was one of the reasons for the difference in possession. It had less to do with Barca “dominating” possession and more to do with intent when possessing the ball. Barca plays for possession first, goals second. Arsenal plays technically advanced possession oriented football, but they drive to the goal with a directness that feels very EPL, and not La Liga. This drive towards goal reduced the time between recovering possession and an attempt on goal in comparison to Barca, and surely contributed to the 66%-34% stat.
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Matt Reply:
February 20th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Barca dominated the overall possession stat, as they usually do. However, much more of their possession was in their own third or the middle third. In the finest masterclasses by Guardiola’s side this season (5-0 vs Madrid and 5-0 vs Sevilla), they parked themselves in the opposition’s final third, with Dani Alves and Xavi advanced far up the pitch. For me, the key was the athleticism/discipline of Arsenal’s middle three. I never once saw Xavi find space in Arsenal’s third, and he and Iniesta by and large failed to penetrate Arsenal’s midfield, either by dribbling or passing. Barca’s only real incisiveness was Messi’s solo runs, and on another day he could have run rampant.
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Good article, as ever (Y)
Despite the euphoria, I still feel that there are some issues that we may need to look at before the second leg, however.
First of all, whilst Song has been fantastic thus far this season, he’s always been lacking slightly in terms of acceleration/agility, and playing against a side that can move the ball around as quickly as Barcelona highlighted this flaw.
He’s fantastic when asked to deal with the physical demands of the Premiership, but against a team with the speed of movement of Barcelona, I feel that bringing in the slightly more mobile Diaby may be beneficial for the second leg.
Ren.. Carlton makes an excellent point concerning the defensive set-up of our midfield, and in hindsight, that really was a masterstroke by Wenger.
However, particularly in the first half, I feel we left too great a gap between midfield and defence at times, which is something I believe to be an inherent flaw in the double pivot system.
Don’t get me wrong, the system has served us fantastically well thus far this season, but with Barca’s fluidity, it might be worth asking Song/Diaby to drop a little deeper and restrict the space into which Messi, Villa et al can roam.
Other than that, we were superb.
I remember you quoting Lorient’s manager as saying he’d never seen Koscielny beaten in a one-on-one situation, and based on last night’s performance, such a statement certainly seems believable; Messi, Villa, and Pedro all attempted to get the better of Koscielny, but on every occasion, the centre-back came out on top.
Overall, a fantastic evening, and one I doubt any of us will forget for a long time to come.
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WHAT A CLASSIC GAME. MY GOODNESS, THE FOOTBALL ON DISPLAY HERE WAS AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL. ARSENAL SHOWED THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO PARK THE BUS TO BEAT BARCELONA.
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It’s interesting to note the differences in the pressing tactics both sides adopt.
While Arsenal use the aforementioned through-marking system it seems Barcelona tend to “swarm” press the opponent high up the pitch by surrounding them with three or more players in the hopes of forcing a mistake. It’s a quicker way to win the ball back but leaves them exposed if it’s beaten, as we saw for the second goal when Bendtner’s pass beat the six man swarm (albeit, they weren’t tight enough at this stage of the game) and Wilshere evaded a few in the middle of the pitch to start counter-attacks too.
Through-marking tends to allow a side with good technique to monopolise possession, albeit in a non-threatening manner, if they chose not to force the issue and we saw Barcelona do this for long periods of the game and this is also how Wolves managed to have 50% of the possession at the week since they didn’t look to create anything. This surrenders a certain degree of control but doesn’t expose the defence as much as the Barcelona approach.
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The moment I saw 25 metres, I knew Sacchi would be mentioned somewhere in the article!
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The Brain Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
You know me well.
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dave Reply:
February 18th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
yea, but saachi is bit good my fav manager of all time and Guttmann Bela – Well i do live in Hungary
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[...] a wall of black shirts, each one marking a man and zone. It’s not if Arsenal can’t do this; in the season of 2010/11, when Arsenal beat Barcelona at the Emirates, they defended with a combination of high-pressing and the Dutch principle of [...]
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