The Glory Game Greatness Is as Greatness Does

I can't remember a better evening match at home since beating Anderlecht in 1970 to win the Fairs Cup in 1970. The game and atmosphere was fantastic, neither team or crowd gave up at any stage. Indeed, the crowd were the eleventh man.

I say 11^th, because Eboue wasn’t really there. There just aren’t enough clichés to describe what happened, goals change games, and perhaps Barca have learnt that tippy tappy football without scoring is meaningless. Perhaps they need a plan B, meanwhile Arsenal had to make do with Plan A.

In the Crazy World of Arsenal Speak more had turned up to see the mighty Wolves than Barcelona.  I couldn’t even sell off my ticket on the exchange for Wolves I am beginning to have serious doubts about the sanity of the accounts department.

The crowd was announced as just under 60,000. I couldn’t see an empty seat, the unsold seats must have been in the Barca end, not that I could see or hear the Catalonian fans; as I rushed into my seat with a couple of minutes to spare I was knocked out by the intensity of the Arsenal crowd.

The stadium was full of flag waving fanatics who had no doubt that Arsenal were the greatest team the world had ever seen, they hadn’t come to sit back and enjoy Barca’s flowing football, they had come to drive their own team on to historic victory. If they had any doubts they were hiding it well.

Every fan I spoke, and I spoke to quite a few, including four from this forum, on the way to my seat, was of one accord, this was no night for doubts, this was a night to be enjoyed. Even Sydney took a break from moaning and said it was important we relished the occasion, and refused to make one of his spooky predictions. It would be a great European occasion and Arsenal could win, we had a fit squad again, this wasn’t last year again. Only four players remained from that meeting.

TV Brainwashing

It’s true that Barca outplayed Arsenal in first half, but it was more about possession than shots on target. Yes Barca could have had two or three goals in the first half, but then so could have Arsenal. I don’t remember Barca doing that much in first 14 minutes, but I do remember Arsenal not making the best of a couple of very good chances.

One reason why Barca didn’t have more than one goal is due to the superb play of the ridiculously numbered 53 Szczesny. I suppose to satisfy some pundits he should have just rolled over and let the Catalans tickle his tummy, instead, very unfairly, he made saves and when he couldn’t he cut the angles.

 No panic, no bringing players down, just keeping on his feet and making himself big. I keep expecting to wake up and discover he is not the real deal after all, but at the moment he is incredible for his age. At last we have a true giant in front of the sticks. But this doesn’t count as good play but just unfairly stopping the mighty Catalans from fulfilling their destiny.

Turning Point?

At half time I felt that Arsenal were getting a grip, maybe it was wistful thinking, but I am sure the game was turning on 35 minutes, not just in the second half.

Anyhow at the half time de briefing none of us felt that downhearted, it only felt like a flesh wound, and we believed that the Gunners could get back into it.

The crowd started the second half with renewed vigour, and the team were increasingly getting used to playing without the ball. I remember writing a year ago to Myles Palmer that I felt Arsenal’s problem was they don’t know how to play when they haven’t got the ball, but now they were getting the hang of it. Indeed Cesc raised the issue in his programme notes.

It meant not panicking when Barca had the ball, but exploiting the wide open spaces that Barca leave unattended, when you do get the ball. Hence Arsenal’s breakaways got better and better, but no end product.

Second Turning Point

Finally the balance was tipped with Song taken off and Arshavin put on, this was a brilliant gamble by Wenger. Simon who sits next to me said he was worried about the possible consequences of taking off the only holding midfielder. I replied, firstly we are not holding them so why worry, and secondly that we needed more mobility in attack.

Arsenal can never stop Barca’s coming forward, the best form of defence is attack. Ironically as Wenger stepped up his attacking options Guardiola cut his back by taking of Villa and putting on Keita. Now the match really switched in Arsenal’s favour.

Madness and greatness

What followed was one of the maddest four minutes I will ever live through, unless the bomb arrives over London. On 79 minutes Van Persie exploited a gap between Valdes and the near post, which from my seat looked almost impossible to do, slamming the ball between the keeper and the woodwork.

The crowd went hysterical, and I was surprised still to be in my row at the end of it, the famous Arsenal roar of the 30s was reborn.

Greatness is as greatness does

Only four minutes later Arshavin scored one of the greatest goals in Arsenal history. What was great about it? Well you could try five passes, 18 seconds, 92 metres and a scintillating finish. Koscielny to Bendtner to Fabregas to Nasri to Arshavin – goal!!! But that just wasn’t all, it was the context, it was the first time Arsenal have ever beat Barcelona so it was historic, it also exposed the Catalonian’s as occasional show ponies. Yes they had played some great football, but they didn’t make it count did they?

Suddenly no one knew anyone who had any doubts about Arshavin, the crowd roared and sang his name. Now I was body surfing being thrown from one seat to the next, slight exaggeration, but I was being buffeted all over the place, it felt quite risky I longed for the safety of the terraces, but it was also exhilarating. Grown men were almost crying, hugging people they didn’t know, people were laughing, cheering, shouting, flag waving, high fiving, jumping over seats, it was bedlam and it was great.

Who was the cause?

A little sad looking Russian bloke, who talks like he is on moggadon when interviewed, and like George Washington can never tell a lie. A player who miss kicks every other ball, who rarely tackles back, and when he does he often fluffs it, but I don’t care, nor did a stadium packed full of Arsenal fans. They streamed out singing his name, and one other name, Jacky, Jacky Wilshere. Ah the wisdom of crowds; there was one other name they should have been singing, but most can’t pronounce it, but surely we can create a song that rhymes with 53?

I couldn’t find a fan who thought that Arshavin wasn’t good enough, or it was time for him to move on, for greatness is as greatness does Andre is great, he will live forever in the annals of Arsenal history. No one will ever show a video of his miss hit passes, but he will remain forever 30 years old as the video re runs him in slo mo scoring a most glorious goal against football’s Harlem Globetrotters.

Oh to be a Gooner

The crowd left singing long into the night, celebrating; at work the following morning the staffroom was populated with bleary eyed but very happy Gooners. The few Chelsea and Tottenham fans could only content themselves with muttering it’s only the first leg. Good job they told us, the team might not have turned up for it. No time to worry about the next leg, enjoy this now and for as long as you can.

 Glory Game

Better 5 minutes in the sun, than a lifetime in the shade. This wasn’t a Mourinho victory of parking the bus, Wenger dared to play them in the open, he didn’t try to bore them to death, this was truly the Glory Game. And yes I do know Blanchflower was a Totteham player, but that was in the days when there was a football club over there.