Once again the masters of football have blessed us with an exciting semi final tie in the Champions League. Football fans all over England and the world alike have been sleepless for weeks waiting for Wednesday night when Champions Manchester Utd take on their most arch rivals for the first time in a Champions League meeting. This tie will see the clashing of masterminds, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Utd's guard Sir Alex Ferguson plot their way to the Champion's League finals in Rome in the following weeks. We will witness some of the world's greatest veterans and young players battle on the pitch to take down their opponents. Attacking talents like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov against the likes of Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Eduardo and Walcott. Midfield wars between Cesc Fabregas, Song and Diaby against Ryan Giggs, Park Ji Song and Scholes. Defenders such as Vidic and Ferdinand plying their trade in competition with Toure and Sagna. It will be a fight till death and will probably go down as one of the most exciting semi finals in the CL's history if we look at the epic battles these teams have had in the past.This season Arsenal has already drew first blood with a 2-1 victory thanks to Premiership freshman Samir Nasri's double. It was an open game of football that saw both sides pressing at each others defense with fluent attacking moves that mesmerised supporters and neutrals alike.Since then Utd have gone on to dominating the league and topping the tables,. This was due largely to their record breaking defense partnership of centre backs Ferdinand and Vidic who provided a protective wall for their goal keeper Van de Sar. Utd also benefited largely from the faith Ferguson put in his veteran midfielders Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who used their experiece and leadership to pull the team through difficult times during the season. In the mean while Arsenal had a bumpy Premiership season with key players residing on the bench for long periods due to injury. Two such players, newly appointed captain Cesc Fabregas and striker Emmanuel Adebayor were greatly missed and reserve players Denilson and Bendtner had to fill in heavily for their absence. The team however began to gel after a embarrassing loss to Manchester City in the dying parts of 08 and have went on a whopping 20 game unbeaten run that saw them dismantle relegation battling Middlesborough yesterday 2-0. This was the first time manager Arsene Wenger has managed to take full points from a game managed by Middlesborough's manager Southgate in the league and this could provide even more positive energy in the camp. At the moment Utd lies at the top of the premiership table with Arsenal placed at 4th looking to finish 3rd against Chelsea.
Looking at the players that maybe on display I cannot wait to see what the outcome of the tie will be. Focusing on Arsenal the key for them will be to score goals in the first leg at Old Trafford while at the same time not conceding to the potent attack of Utd that has perfected the art of pressuring and closing down on opponents to the point that they make mistakes. Arsenal will need to have a strong display from midfield, meaning that Cameroonian defensive midfielder Song should be on his A game on Weds if selected to ensure that Utd attacking options are neutralized before they pounce upon the defensive line. I expect Fabregas and Nasri to provide the playmaker role using their passing skills to execute throughballs that could open up Utd's defense which has been looking a bit unstable of late. The main man upfront I expect will be Adebayor who may play as lone strike man or partnered with Eduardo who Arsene seems to have been keeping under wraps during the last couple of weeks. Another option could be for Diaby or Fabregas to play just behind Ade in a supporting striker role and take advantage of his ability to hold the ball and draw defenders out of position. On the attacking right wing Theo Walcott should be a great asset , his speed and skill should give LB Evra a hard time and may force him into a more defensive role and cut off his forward runs. Walcott will need to concentrate on his final ball, knowing when to make the cross into the box and when to shoot. This has been a weakness of his developing game and could be a determining factor in the tie.
Defense wise is where Arsenal show some cracks that Utd could take advantage of. Veteran CB Gallas is out with a knee injury for the remaining of the season and either Silvestre or Djourou are expected to start in his place. Silvestre will be relishing facing his former team mates and club but has shown over the recent weeks that he does not have the pace to keep up with fast paced attackers and could be target for Rooney and Ronaldo to focus their attacks on. Djourou has grown over the season to become a reliable option but is suffering with a knee injury and may not be fully fit against some of the most potent attack forces in the World. There is also the issue of the LWB position. Regular starter Gael Clichy is injured and Arsenal are now relying on youth player Keiran Gibbs to take up the role. Gibbs has shown that he has great talent and seems to be adapting to first team play well, however his task will be an ardous one with the young Englishman expected to closely defend the World's greatest player Cristiano Ronaldo. Gibbs is no slouch and has proven that he can defend as well as move forward in attack. His forward movements could give Ronaldo trouble, but he must be aware that no one is more lethal in counter attacking than the Portuguese.
Utd also have many strengths and some weaknesses that could determine the outcome. In the first leg there job first, will not to concede goals, however they have a habit of attacking early on to gain a goal and then close shop. In attack they have a number of options that can do the job.The main player is winger Cristiano Ronaldo, however I expect him to be in a more supporting role in the tie. I think Ronaldo will be expected to draw defenders out of position and then send the ball towards his team mates in hope that one may latch onto the ball to score. I expect Rooney to also be working ardously covering the field filling in gaps where necessary such as cutting off Walcott's access to the defensive line. I believe that if a goal is scored by Utd in open play it will more likely to be scored from a midfielder such as Giggs, Carrick or Scholes the assist coming from wing play. In the middle of the park I expect a partnership of a veteran and a younger player. So either Giggs and Scholes will be partnered with Carrick, Anderson or Fletcher. I do not expect Utd to put both veterans on at the same time because Sir Alex will be more than aware of the fitness levels of Wenger's youthful team. The midfield partnership will have the dual role of setting the tempo of the game as well as bringing a physical presence in the middle to unsettle Arsenal's midfield.
Looking at the defensive options I believe Utd's defense looks pretty solid except in the right back position. The return of Ferdinand from injury has stabilized Utd's defensive woes of late. His anticipation of attack along side the brutal physical game of Vidic will provide Adebayor and company frustrating times infront of goal. Patrice Evra as I mentioned earlier may have take a more subdued role so as not to leave his line open for the pace and new found strength of Theo Walcott. In the RB position Utd have loss their two main options, captain Gary Neville and John Oshea to injuries and will now have to decide to use either Brazilian teenager Raphael or Wes Brown who has just returned from injury. Raphael has proven himself like Gibbs to be a future starter and was the sole Utd player to find the net against Arsenal in their last game. With Arsenal players growing in confidence and stature. left midfielder Samir Nasri may pressure him throughout the game. Wes Brown on the other hand is an enigma and his contribution to the game depends on his concentration level. He could have a man of the match performance or make a howler that could cost his team the tie.
Now my thoughts about the upcoming game. I am almost 100% sure that Arsenal will go to Old Trafford to attack and score goals. That is Wenger and the Arsenal way, with even more incentive of gaining an away goal that could aid them into going through in the second leg. Utd may have other plans and Ferguson has utilized defensive stagnant football in the past as means to the end. This game will be dependent on an opening goal. I believe that if a goal is scored early to Arsenal we will have ourselves quite a spectacle with both teams going on the score sheet. If the early goal is Utd's I expect them to kill the game off with defensive tactics, while Arsenal would push to get back on level terms. If there are no early goals, both teams could be take a more cautious approach carefully plotting away to chip away the defense line to score. This is a hard tie to predict, but as an Arsenal fan I am going with Arsenal winning and moving on. This youthful Arsenal squad are big team killers and appear to be at their best against top opposition. The fact that they are no longer in the FA Cup and made the effort not to over exhilerate themselves in their match against Middlesborough shows that they are looking towards Weds as their only means of achieving silverware this year. Arsenal's captain Cesc Fabregas looks focused and has already tasted victory last summer with his national team and looks hungry for more. Arsene Wenger also relishes to chance to lift the trophy that always seems to elude him. This is not to say Utd will make the task easy, however Utd still have to maintain form if they are to win the premiership with Liverpool, another team that has nothing else to lose creeping on their steps. Utd are more can capable than balancing the act as they have shown in the past, but I feel that Arsenal will be a proficient opponent to stop their European hopes.
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