Morning all.
It’s a Champions League quarter-final second leg this evening, as we face Real Madrid at the Bernebeu with that 3-0 lead from the first game under our belts. In terms of team news, both Thomas Partey and Ben White travelled, although Jorginho did not, so unless there’s any kind of fitness issue we’re not aware of, I expect the starting XI to be the same as last week.
Then it’s about what we do, and how we do it; and obviously what Real Madrid do and how they do it. It was interesting to hear Carlo Ancelotti talk about how an early goal would be good, but not something Real Madrid necessarily need. With their history of comebacks, many of which have been pulled off late in games, he emphasised the need for control:
The most important thing is to have a good control of the game and try to do our best from the beginning. When you have a good control of the game, you can score at any time.
They won’t want to go all-in too early, leaving space for Arsenal to counter because an early goal for us would make their life even more difficult. Conversely, while scoring that kind of goal would help settle the nerves from our perspective, we don’t absolutely need it, so the mantra will be to not to do anything to expose ourselves in the opening stages.
Then again, I’m sure that was part of the plan last week, and we made two unforced errors in the opening five minutes which gave Real Madrid chances to hurt us. That set the tone for a frenetic opening 45, which I’m sure Mikel Arteta would be keen to avoid if at all possible – even if I think we had the better of it at the Emirates. So, we might see a touch of caution from both sides, but it’s really important for Arsenal to find the right balance.
We can back ourselves defensively, but we don’t want to cede possession and momentum to them completely. I suspect the manager will want his team on the ball as much as possible, but with that I think we’ll play a more cautious game than we might normally. There’s no need to take too many risks with the lead we have. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and expose them, but being more conscious than ever that we have to pick our moments is going to be key.
We also have to be aware that we have players who can cause them problems at the back. The absence of Eduardo Camavinga after his red card last week, and the fact Luka Modric is nearly 40, might see them reshuffle midfield. Fedi Valverde played right-back last week and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him moved into the middle tonight, which makes them stronger in there. But it might also mean 33 year Lucas Vazquez at right-back, and with David Alaba on the other side, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli ought to back themselves to give those full-backs some problems.
If Valverde stays at right-back, it might mean a start for former loan Gunner Dani Ceballos, and when Ancelotti talks about control, this is where the midfield trio of Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are so important. I think that’s an area of the pitch we can dominate, and if we do that we give ourselves a great chance.
As for our overall approach, Mikel Arteta said:
To win it. It’s the same as we did in London, our preparation for the game has been about the things that we have to do, the things that we have to dominate throughout the game, in different phases to give us the best possible chance to win the game. That’s clear in our mindset, and the way we’re going to play tomorrow.
And with all the talk about the ‘remontada‘ (comeback), the Arsenal manager was asked if he feared that going into this game:
I wouldn’t use that word. I think it’s respect and admiration for what they’ve done in the competition, as a club over the years, the history they have, the values that they defend. It’s unbelievable, amazing, an inspiration for any coach, any manager, any team. But after that, it’s the competition. It’s what we are going to face tomorrow and a position that we know very well and that we are determined to go there and try to win the game.
Arsenal should absolutely respect tonight’s opposition. Their track record in this competition is extraordinary, the home crowd will be vociferous and noisy (and probably very annoying) and we know from last week how much that can play a part in a big game. At the same time though, we have a 3-0 lead because we played really well last week. I think Madrid can play better, for sure, but without Thibaut Courtois and some last ditch defending, that scoreline could have been even more emphatic. So we need to take confidence from that while being mindful of how much quality they have – particularly in forward areas.
The reward for progress would be our first Champions League semi-final since 2009, and PSG await having just about gone through last night after a crazy game at Villa Park. I won’t lie, I’m hoping for something much more mundane tonight. 0-0 to the Arsenal? I’d take that all day long. Now, we wait all day long and let the butterflies do what they do.
If you want something to listen to in the meantime, we have a thorough preview podcast over on Patreon, and we’ll have live blog coverage, report, player ratings, goal clips, reaction and more on Arseblog News afterwards.
Come on Arsenal!
