Arsenal’s humbling at the hands of a Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona has had many football experts arguing that Arsene Wenger’s men are some distance off being a real threat to teams like Barcelona, or even Chelsea and Manchester United, who have both beaten Arsenal comprehensively this season. Despite the doom and gloom prophesising of some, I don’t think Arsenal are too far behind the elite sides of European football and here is why...
1. INJURIES : The Gunners have had an inordinate amount of bad luck with injuries this season, in particular the long term injury victim Robin Van Persie who gives their team real goal threat. For the Barcelona game, the Gunners had half their first choice team out injured and in the main, it was key players out. Fabregas, Gallas, Arshavin and Van Persie in particular. Add these to the team and Arsenal are a much tougher proposition.
2. MESSI : While on paper the defeat to Barcelona was a thumping one, it was down to two things. In the first leg Arsenal gifted Barcelona both their goals with some rather sloppy defending. In the second leg, Lionel Messi showed he is a football genius. While there’s plenty you can do about the first, there is little, if nothing legal, you can do about the second. Arsenal are not the first team to have been beaten by Messi’s undeniable genius this season and they will not be the last. Defensive mistakes you can resolve however and that alone, notwithstanding Messi’s genius, would have made the tie a great deal closer. You cannot legislate for performances like that. I don’t know many punters who’d have backed Messi to score four in that game. (I wish I had done though, it’d have been a nice betting bonus for the week!)
3. INFRASTRUCTURE : Thanks to their astute financial plan and Arsene Wenger’s brilliance in the transfer market, the Gunners are arguably the in the best financial state of all top clubs, certainly in England. Wenger has money to spend on reinforcements and there are few, if any, better managers at pinpointing the weaknesses in his team and signing the right player, at the right price, to resolve it.
