Gunning down Barcelona...

Few thought this would be the scene at the Emirates yesterday

             I believed it could not happen.And,most of the Footballing world seemed to agree with me.Not an impossible feat,of course.But,it took Inter Milan all the shrewdness of Jose Mourinho,combined with an In-form Wesley Sneijder and the Defensive Rocks of Lucio,Samuel and Javier Zanetti.Chelsea almost achieved it with one of the most disciplined defensive displays ever two years ago,before a dazzling Iniesta moment broke their hearts.Even this year,perhaps only a Real Madrid or a Manchester United could even dream of beating the Mighty Barcelona.But,Arsenal,surely not.The fragile team who doesn't have a single trophy to show for the last four years of so called "Best Attacking Football in England" beating the team,considered THE Best attacking team in the World,who have conquered everything in last few years? Didn't seem possible.In Cricket's equivalent,it's like Ishant Sharma getting the better of Dale Steyn.Perhaps, you can expect a Harbhajan or a Muralidharan to outperform Steyn,but an Ishant Sharma? Seems almost impossible, doesn't it? Like an amatuer beating a thorough Professional in his act.
           But yesterday, Arsene Wenger's men achieved a feat, considered to be impossible to anybody.They not only defeated Barcelona,they did it playing their Own game,the game Barcelona are considered to be the masters at.The Inters and Chelseas have managed to get the better of Barcelona in recent times,but they had to do it,defending out of their skins.If you tried to play the game the "Barcelona way" against the Catalans,death was guaranteed.Yet, Arsenal went on and did it.The master tacticians like Mourinho and Guus Hiddink,and even Sir Alex Ferguson would consider it foolish,but Wenger told his team to go and attack Barcelona.And for once,it paid off handsomely.

Jack Wilshere was superb for Arsenal,not only with his passing,but  doing the  defensive job superbly to block out Messi and Iniesta

             Barca's biggest Weak Link (and perhaps the Only one) is their fullbacks.Although Dani Alves and Maxwell are massive contributors in making Barcelona the most lethal striking force,they tend to forget their defensive duties sometimes.Theo Walcott just went and ran straight at Maxwell,terrorizing the Brazilian fullback,which not only made huge difference to Arsenal's attacking potency,but it reduced a member of the Human Web,through which Xavi and Iniesta weave their passing magic.Arsenal also seemed to have finally found a decent goalkeeper,as Wojciech Szczesny produced a confident display,and Laurent Koscielny stood tall when it mattered most versus an attacking lineup that boasted of the Best Player in the World,and also possibly the Deadliest Finisher on the Planet.
            Of course,they had their luck.Messi missed chances,which would be considered "Sitters" by his current Sky-high standards.They even played a High defensive line,which left Villa and Messi toying with the Offside trap.The move could have worked well,or it could have gone horribly wrong,putting Arsenal out of contention,even before the Second leg began.But,just for their willingless to stand up to Barca,Arsenal deserved the luck to make that gamble work.Of course,the tie is long way from being decided.Arsenal still have to go to Camp Nou,with a single goal lead.The World knows what mockery Barcelona can make of even the Top teams,when they are on song.Arsenal have to produce another such performance in the Spanish Capital,and even then, they still have to hope Barcelona have an Off-day.Not impossible of course,but it's going to be a hell lot tougher,if they thought the tie at the Emirates was the biggest challenge.

        So, in three weeks time,Camp Nou will be packed with Hundred Thousand Hostile men,clad in Scarlet and Blue,trying to intimidate the Opponents,even before the ball has been kicked.But,still I am damn sure,Arsene Wenger will send his team out to go and beat Barcelona,the Mighty Barcelona in their own backyard.Still,Walcott will run madly at the Barca fullbacks without caring for the counter-attacks,still Arshavin will make those dazzling runs,not bothering about what his defense will face,if he loses the ball,trying to skip past the defenders,instead of just keeping the possession and wasting time.Mind you,we don't know what the outcome will be.It could be anything from another Arsenal Capitulation (There have been so many in recent history!) to even an Unimaginable Barcelona collapse.But,Arsenal's unwavering trust in their Footballing Philosophy promises to make the game at Camp Nou a Footballing Masterpiece.And,for their sheer desire to do that,Arsene Wenger's team deserve a big salute from this small guy.