'El Gran Clasico' and the stern test facing gunners
Last night was the witness to the derby of the century happening twice in a season. And this could be the only derby where the clubs are separated by hundreds of miles unlike in the case of the merseyside derby or the basque derby. Such intense is the rivalry between the two clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The 'faded Galacticos' came to Camp Nou seeking redemption after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals in their home ground in November. Barca, even without some key players was expected to come out on top.
Ronaldo had shown some resurgence of late when he ran through the Deportivo defence a couple of times in their 4-0 victory last week. Again, he was to Real's rescue with a solo effort after they fell a goal and a man behind following Ronaldinho's penalty and Roberto Carlos' sending off.
Elsewhere in North London, Arsenal had a good day at office. With Spurs and Bolton losing and Blackburn having a tricky encounter at Wigan on monday, things could not have been better for the gunners.On field, a Sublime Henry and a quick feet van Persie helped gunners rout Aston Villa 5-0. The victory may have come at a price though as Fabregas and Eboue limped off the field with injuries. Their Champions league opponents, Juve decided not to break a sweat in their match against Treviso to remain fresh for Arsenal's visit. Treviso managed their 3rd point in 9 games, thanks to Juve's energy saving tactics.
Arsenal have to live up to the new found expectations on them. Juve will not be complacent this time around. Creativity would be in abundance in Juve ranks following the return of Del Piero and Nedved whereas Arsenal might lose some if Fabregas sits out. But knowing Italians to be traditional chokers and unable to keep their cool under pressure, Arsenal have to force their style of play like in Highbury. If Juve is allowed to dictate play, then 2-0 may seem a small margin.
What adjective can be attributed to ManU's eternal optimism and consistent play?Fabulous. Beating 'Rough and tough' Bolton in their home requires some doing. Arsenal will be facing a sterner test at OT than in Turin. Afterall, Red Devils and Bolton are the two teams to have had the better of them in the past few years. It all makes up for an interesting week. Press and pressure is getting to Chelsea and another loss may make it a two-horse race for the title.
Last night was the witness to the derby of the century happening twice in a season. And this could be the only derby where the clubs are separated by hundreds of miles unlike in the case of the merseyside derby or the basque derby. Such intense is the rivalry between the two clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The 'faded Galacticos' came to Camp Nou seeking redemption after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals in their home ground in November. Barca, even without some key players was expected to come out on top.
Ronaldo had shown some resurgence of late when he ran through the Deportivo defence a couple of times in their 4-0 victory last week. Again, he was to Real's rescue with a solo effort after they fell a goal and a man behind following Ronaldinho's penalty and Roberto Carlos' sending off.
Elsewhere in North London, Arsenal had a good day at office. With Spurs and Bolton losing and Blackburn having a tricky encounter at Wigan on monday, things could not have been better for the gunners.On field, a Sublime Henry and a quick feet van Persie helped gunners rout Aston Villa 5-0. The victory may have come at a price though as Fabregas and Eboue limped off the field with injuries. Their Champions league opponents, Juve decided not to break a sweat in their match against Treviso to remain fresh for Arsenal's visit. Treviso managed their 3rd point in 9 games, thanks to Juve's energy saving tactics.
Arsenal have to live up to the new found expectations on them. Juve will not be complacent this time around. Creativity would be in abundance in Juve ranks following the return of Del Piero and Nedved whereas Arsenal might lose some if Fabregas sits out. But knowing Italians to be traditional chokers and unable to keep their cool under pressure, Arsenal have to force their style of play like in Highbury. If Juve is allowed to dictate play, then 2-0 may seem a small margin.
What adjective can be attributed to ManU's eternal optimism and consistent play?Fabulous. Beating 'Rough and tough' Bolton in their home requires some doing. Arsenal will be facing a sterner test at OT than in Turin. Afterall, Red Devils and Bolton are the two teams to have had the better of them in the past few years. It all makes up for an interesting week. Press and pressure is getting to Chelsea and another loss may make it a two-horse race for the title.
posted by Marauder | 9:49 AM
5 Comments:
barca shd have beat real after creating so many chances...anyway, no harm done the gap is still huge!
epl is coming to an exciting finish this season...it's a tough task to challenge chelsea as ManU's next match is against Arsenal...with both teams on a high, it's gonna be real close.
When was the last time Arsenal scored at OT? A worrying question for the gunners' faithful.
CFL run's not a fluke.Wenger has actually showed some tactical acumen in CFL matches. United struggled to break thru Milan last season, traditionally better in Europe than Juve. There's some aura around the young gunners which means it might not be a cakewalk for Red Devils. Let's see.
The reason Arsenal hasn't been doing well in EPL but doing good in CL is the varying nature of the game in the 2 competitions...European teams haven't been playing the physical game with them. However, Wenger has to be commended for his faith in his young team.
Tonight, there will be robust tackles and a chance to see a mafia 11 rather than a playing 11 beckons. David Platt has something else to say in thesun.co.uk about how the stadium might help the away teams.
Agreed that the gunners havent scored at OT for the last 3 seasons..i think. But every 1 knows that they can put 1 or 2 past MANU. But the same goes for the home team. They can make any defense look stupid especially with Rooney.
Surprisingly, there have been no mind games or accusations being thrown around and both SAF and AW have been quiet in the buildup to this game. Me and loads of my MANU supporting "friends" havent been at loggerheads either.
And i think this is the first game in a long long time without Keane and Paddy.
It ll be a close game.
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