PSV - on the bus. Real Madrid awaits

Arsenal have predictably qualified in the Champions League quarterfinal having drawn 2-2 at home vs PSG.

Since the game was not decisive and didn’t carry any real nerve I’ll just post here my short observations.

1. We saw some very good rotation out there that finally preserved our most vulnerable players for the Chelsea game. I hope we will see significant rotation before the quarterfinal games.

2. It took a six goal lead for Arteta to finally try out Zinchenko and MLS in midfield. And shall I say, the results were quite promising. Obviously Zinchenko is not as good as Odegaard in pressing and defensive actions, but his first goal was more aggressive than Odegaard's whole season so far. I can only imagine how useful he could be in the last 15 minutes against the deep blocks we failed to unlock - specifically in the games against Man Utd and Forest.

3. In general I looked at the first goal and realized that Odegaard has only a single technique of shooting. He needs to put his left leg and body in a certain position before shooting and that’s why it’s rarely powerful. In comparison, Saka, Trossard and even Nwaneri have multiple techniques of shooting and often from both legs. I think we are losing so much that our #10 is not a threat from outside the box anymore. If we think of any teams with really good players, there’s almost always a creative player who can shoot from the edge of the box - Bruno, Szoboslai/MacAllister, Palmer, De Bruyne/Foden. 

4. Makeshift right side of Kiwior, White, Zinchenko and Sterling couldn’t hold the possession for the first 25 minutes but got a grasp of it by the second half. That what happens when players receive gaming time that helps them get into shape. The rotation is crucial for the long-term team success.

5. Ben White has shown why he doesn't have enough gaming time for now. He was outpaced a couple of times and in general he didn’t pose a lot of threat going forward. I guess in this season his role would be limited to a stand-in for Timber to reduce Jurrien’s load. And we’ll see the usual Benjamin after the training camp in summer.

6. I am still fascinated by how good Tierney can perform some of the specific functions. He’s not very good in a possession-based system, but he knows that and tries to get rid of the ball quickly. But my word, find the teammate 30 meters away with a powerful precise pass - nobody else can do it in this squad. I am a bit surprised there was no interest in him from the Premier League - I’d imagine he’d fit very well in a counter attacking style of Forest, Fulham and even Newcastle.

7. Sterling had the best game of the season.. But it was a dead rubber game with no real intensity and that’s probably the key to such performance. I can’t see it being replicated anywhere apart from some game against a mid table team in the last 4 gameweeks.

8. Declan Rice is still our engine and it would be hard to imagine any significant results in this season without him putting in a mega shift.

Next stop Madrid

We got our next opponent after an extremely controversial penalty shootout. 

My personal opinion - this is the same story of trying to find a formal reason to make Real Madrid go through, just as PGMOL referees tried to find a formal reason to send Arsenal players off. It is by the book of the law, but it does not look right. If there’s a rule about only a single touch allowed, then it should be very clearly seen on the replay that the player touched two times. Given how significant the weight of a goal cancellation is in the penalty shootout, this decision is extremely harsh. I would much rather have a rule that the player should take another shot, if they scored while slipping on the grass. I don’t think that the sport benefits from such a margin.

Now let’s go to our chances. I think it’s a slightly better draw than Atleti. We know how Arsenal struggles against a very organized defense and, boy, Simeone can do that. Given the quality they have upfront that exceeds United, Forest and West Ham in the likes of Alvzrez and Griezmann - I can already envision our scenario of losing. With Madrid we have two factors that can help us:

1. They might not take us very seriously, given the traditional arrogance of that club.

2. We might throw away our traditional play, try to contain their best players and the occasional chance we might get would be more realistic against Real defense

But those are merely hopes. Realistically I don’t see us going past Real with such a setup. If we would play away first and then at home, I could see the scenario. We roll out a compact defense on Bernabeu and come home either with a draw or minimal loss. And then with the power of the home crowd and emotions we get the needed result at the end of a second game.

However, we start at home. Which means that we need to secure a needed result at the Santiago Bernabeu. How many teams were able to do that recently? Last three times they were eliminated by Man City and Chelsea in the second leg playing away. The only condition under which it is realistic is a three goal lead secured at home. But can we do that with our attacking offering? Surely not. Bukayo Saka will only probably make his first appearance on the pitch around the time of the home game. And we don’t have any other players that can do football magic. Real Madrid - on the other hand can’t wave a stick on the training ground without hitting such a player. So my hope is that we put on a fight, that we take it all the way until the second leg and then hope the luck is on our side - a red card, penalties. But again, does anyone believe in luck going our way at the Bernabeu? I certainly don’t.

Maybe we need 15 minutes from a certain 47-year old free agent?