In light of last night's showdown between Barcelona and Arsenal, many fans, swayed by passion rather than reason, began pointing fingers and playing the 'blame game' for Arsenal's elimination. However solving the 'equation' that led to the winner of the tie is much simpler. In short, the premise that “the better team won” seems adequate enough.
Furthermore, for those expecting a game similar to the riveting encounter played three weeks ago at the Emirates in London, last night's match was a 'let-down'. “But, surely a game revolving around such expectation and excitement opposing the two club teams, which play the most aesthetically-pleasing, 'plastic' football in the world can never be a disappointment?”, one may refute. Allow me therefore to explain what I mean by this perhaps controversial suggestion.
First of all, I believe that classic matches must be above all, two-sided, or in other words balanced at the very least. These two sides played out thrilling matches in the first-legs, both of last season's quarter-final (2-2) and this year's first-leg (2-1). Coincidentally, both were first-legs, played in the same stadium and involved Arsenal comebacks. The difference was that this season, Arsenal were determined to prove that they had grown up and were ready to match and even better the best team in football.
(As an aside: I know that the maturation issue is always at the heart of any argument made by Arsene Wenger and his players, year-in and year-out, and I know Arsenal fans are getting impatient and fed-up, but this season when this tie started they were on course for a quadruple, so it did seem to be pertinent, at last. [spoiler alert...] Unfortunately, as the events of the last week have unfolded, they may now only have the Premier League to focus on, depending on the result of Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.)
Back to the main story, Arsenal took adversity on the chin and overcame it by producing a splendid second-half comeback in the first-leg. Goals from van Persie and Arshavin on well-crafted passing moves gave them the edge heading into last night's second-leg at the Nou Camp. The stage was set for another classic...or so we thought. Who is to blame for the let-down? The referee? Arsenal's own tactics? Or the simple premise mentioned in the opening paragraph?
Perhaps by exploring the notable incidents of the match we can arrive at a better conclusion. For all Arsenal's valiant and courageous defending and (surprising) high-level of concentration in the first-half, one small lapse from their captain was enough to undo a good half's work. Fabregas presented a 'no-look' backheel just outside his own box, to Iniesta on a silver platter, who then mercilessly took advantage, slipping Messi in for a sublime finish. 1-0 Barca. Was Fabregas already thinking of a transfer back to his first team this summer, linking up with Iniesta for that first goal? What was he thinking being so nonchalant, in a game of such importance where Arsenal had defended well all 1st half?!
In the second-half, little changed, although a rare surge into the Barcelona half by Samir Nasri was rewarded with a corner. From the set-piece, Arsenal were level, thanks to a Busquets own goal, the Spanish midfielder-turned defender misjudging the flight of the ball and heading past his own keeper at the near post.
Minutes later, came the 'turning point' (for some). Mr. Bussaca of Switzerland committed a very rash decision, sending off Robin van Persie with a second yellow card after the Dutch striker had been signalled offside and took a quick shot merely seconds after the whistle had gone. Understandably, with 95,000 fans screaming and the pitch so large, van Persie and Arsenal were justified in being aggrieved. At this point, Arsenal were through on aggregate despite not yet having a shot on goal, (apart from van Persie's) and their morale and confidence was rising. The game therefore hinged on the awful decision made by Mr. Bussacca, who should have taken the context into account. By not doing so, he had ruined the spectacle for the neutral fan on what was going to turn into, from that point onwards a more-balanced and open game. Blame the referee?
I am not convinced by this either. Based on hard evidence, even at 11 men apiece, Arsenal had not mustered one shot on goal and there was a fundamental cause to their lacklustre play and excessive defending, and it was Barcelona. Barca then continued an even larger dominance and after some more probing, and a few squandered chances, bagged the two goals they needed to progress and the rest is history.
(Also as an aside: for those who insist that blaming the referee for van Persie's sending off completely changed the tie, ponder this: as we should always keep in mind that these matches are part of a 2-leg affair, this tie could have also hinged on a decision made by the referee in the first leg. The tie could have been killed off by half-time at the Emirates 3 weeks ago had Messi's goal stood [Pedro is onside when Messi plays him through and when Pedro shoots, Messi is behind the ball], which would've made it 2-0 with 2 away goals, but because it happened in the first leg, this fact became irrelevant.)
Pre-match, Wenger had said that Arsenal were going to play their own game and not sit back and try to pull off what Inter Milan accomplished last spring at the very same Nou Camp, essentially playing for the result. Based on the 90-minutes of action, however, that was exactly what happened. Arsenal fans must have felt cheated as they are used to seeing at the very least free-flowing counter-attacks, but on this evening of football, even this was non-existent, let alone the stringing together of three or four passes in the opposing half, or even in their own half for that matter!
At first glance then, it would seem that Wenger indeed, contradicted what he told reporters pre-match and opted for the 'Catenaccio' tactic, which had worked so well for Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan in last season's semi-final. However, Wenger knew his team were not up to that task, he did not have the quality line of defence Mourinho disposed of and his team was prone to lapses in concentration (especially at the back) and was not built for that type of game. Why then, were they insisting on all-out defence? Should we blame Wenger and Arsenal for these defensive tactics?
No. The answer is more 'complex', yet lies in the simple notion of Barcelona imposing their mentality on any opponent, even those who come closest to playing their version of football. Barcelona are to blame for pegging Arsenal back in their own half for almost the entirety of the 90 minutes and making it look easy.
Barcelona, as usual dictated the pace of the game, making Arsenal chase the ball for almost the entire first-half. Xavi and Iniesta, as the metronomes that make the well-oiled carousel tick and Messi, the “Flea” buzzing around them, creating havoc for defenders when he starts runs from deep were simply unstoppable. Rarely caught in possession with crisp passing and seemingly harmless ball movement, they wait for the right moment to play the killer ball that carves open the opposing defence. The few times they do lose the ball, they press immediately to win it back, with two or three players immediately selflessly sacrificing themselves in the pursuit of reconquering the object of their desires, the ball. What other team on this planet do we see marking that far up the pitch for the entire match? For all of the praise they warrant for their offensive abilities, Barcelona should be likewise lauded for their incessant pressing and efficient thievery of the ball throughout the 90 minutes.
For the neutral spectator, last night's game was by no means an enthralling classic. What it did leave very clear, however, was the difference in class between Barcelona and the rest of the teams in the world. Arsenal do not have themselves to blame for playing excessively defensively and not providing the neutral with a well-balanced, classic second leg. Nor should they blame the referee for not matching Barcelona over the two legs.
Arsenal, for all their brave and valiant efforts defending last night and their great comeback in the first leg, were outplayed on the sum of both games, playing well against this Barcelona team, simply isn't good enough, you need to put in the “performance of your lives” to beat them, especially over 2 legs. I know possession doesn't mean anything and merit is likewise redundant, but the fact that Arsenal had 0 shots on goal for 50% of the tie is purely indicative of Barca-s supremacy and the fact that they needed Barcelona to score for them further illustrates that this just did not cut it to get the job done.
Rather than blame their defensive tactics or blame a faulty referee decision, they can just credit yet another elimination to and recognise another masterful display by the awe-striking ensemble that is Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side.
