ARSENAL - VILLAREAL. PLAY IT MY WAY

The 2º semi final ended with Arsenal winning 1-0 Spanish side
Villareal. As the title says, Arsenal managed to make Villareal
play the way they wanted restricting the Spaniards to few
chances. It was a good tactical set up by Arsenal coach Wenger
who exploited the absence of 2 key Villareal defensive players,
to cause uncertainty & most importantly, keep under
wraps Riquelme who could´nt play with the tranquility &
ease that he is used to.

The only goal ( pictured) -
courtesy of sports daily AS -
came in the 41´min of the 1º
half by Kolo Toure. This gave
Arsenal the peace of mind
needed to play with further
ease in the 2º half; putting
all the pressure on Villareal

But for me the key was this picture -
Gilberto controlling Riquelme.
The Argentine who is the play maker,
the inspiration behind Villareal was forced
to play further away from goal than
he is accustomed to, this stopped the
"deadly" connections with Forlan,
Sorin & company.
Arsenal´s plan was applied at all
levels, which dislocated the Spaniards
making the Highbury ground very
uncomfortable.Towards the end of
the match there were chances, but
they were only that, chances.
Credit to Arsenal they deserved to win for playing a
very smart & intelligent match, independently if it was
or was´nt a penalty for José Mari - thats football , sometimes
you win sometimes you lose.

The return match at Villareal has all the ingredients
for a historic match for Villareal. Arsenal have the
goal & psychological advantage, but it is just that only a
goal. If Villareal can score quickly, they will have 20.000
roaring fans give them wings to create history.
The only element that can turn that dream into a nightmare
is Arsenal & there determination to get to Paris & the final
of a competition in which they have played superbly.

What a week of football we have with the return legs folks,
football of the highest level. Tweet

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