Champions league Villarreal preview
The Champions league quarter finals begin tonight, a visit to El Madrigal where, 3 years ago, Juan Román Riquelme let us of the hook and into the finals with one of the poorest penalties you ever saw. For Villarreal’s fans tonight is a chance for revenge, but three years later with huge change in personnel for both clubs who will be the victors tonight?
Senna back for Villarreal but how fit is he?
The conventional thought says Villarreal need a win or at the very least a goalless draw, whereas Arsenal will just be looking for an away goal. In reality none of the teams will be going for any particular result, they will both be looking to win the game.
It is poised to be a great game, with two similar managers both who love to attack and players who are all technically adept at keeping the ball, stringing passes together, and creating chances don’t expect to see one of those cagey European 0-0 games.
Arsenal is a team that is fuelled by confidence and at the moment our confidence meter is reading high, even without van Persie, Eduardo, Arshavin and Diaby out I just feel that we are still very well equipped to win that game.
There is a lot of talk about Pires, and yes it will be emotional, but to me the player that will trouble us the most is Marcos Senna. If he is fit then our midfield is in for a tough time, the guy is a total destroyer in the middle. Again I’d say that we still have a lot of ammo in our Arsenal to overcome Villarreal’s threats.
There are some games when you get a feeling of anxiety beforehand, where you expect your team to do well but fear the result is up in the air. Somehow this game does not give me that sense, I am strangely relaxed and expecting a good win.
Before I leave I must mention that dreadful tackle from Lee Carsley on Chris Iwelumo. Strangely players like Carsley are never dirty players ask his manager.
He’s not a dirty player Carsley, he’s very hard but fair and I think he’s gutted that the lad is injured.
Of course not, he’s just following your instructions, as you say go in hard, let them know you’re there. It cannot be coincidence that those tackles are happen on your watch Alex. And yeah he’s gutted, just as Taylor was when he crushed Eduardo, so gutted that he couldn’t bear facing Eduardo to offer an apology.
You must realise how deep this problem runs when even Mick McCarthy feels the need to defend Carsley saying,
He’s a competitor, He’s mistimed it and it doesn’t look very nice. But Lee Carsley’s one of the nicest blokes in football. I don’t think for one minute he went to ‘do’ Chris Iwelumo.
It may not be malicious or with intent, but how can you explain a knee high tackle that is absolutely nowhere close to the ball? And no bad timing does not cut it.
