Arsenal Through to UCL final

Arsenal are through to the Champions League Final. Yes, is finally true. There were a very nervous 90 odd mins at the Madrigal but in the end the gunners emerged victorious. All credit to Villareal who played well and could have easily got a goal. There was of course lots of play acting and diving by them and the penalty given to them was atrocious to say the least.

Jose Mari has the reputation of going down very easily and he got his team a penalty right at the end. I thought "Here we go". But, Lehmann saved it and the look on Riquelme s face said it all.He was distraught and though it was sad to see him like that, the gunners must have been ecstatic. Lehmann ignored Titi s advice that Riquelme might wait for him to dive to one side and then dink it in the middle.He went to the left and got a decent contact.Riquelme was so crestfallen that he didnt even bother to look for the rebound of Lehmann.He knew than that he had spurned a glorious chance.Had that got in, I am sure that Villareal would have been favourites to go through.

Arsenal were on the receiving end of sustained pressure from the home side and you just had that feeling that they were sitting back too much.There were hardly any goal scoring chances for Arsenal whose only chance came right at the death when Henry had a 1 on 1 with the goalie but failed to score. I thought that Toure and Gilberto were awesome. The Brazilian didnt allow Riquelme to settle and man marked him beautifully. Campbell had a decent game on his return. Clichy also played well after Flamini had to retire with a pull in his hammie. Eboue didnt attack at all and i think he was under strict instructions to not let Sorin out of sight even if that meant that he had to sacrfice going forwards. Reyes was a big disappointment and Wenger might have to think whether to start with him in the finals. Freddy and Helb worked their guts out and helped the defense.

But the real hero of the night was Jens Lehmann. I have been very critical of him over the last 2 seasons but i think that he is now showing that why at 33, Arsene got him and made him No.1. He is now repaying the trust the gaffer had in him and according to me he has been the best goalie in Europe this season. He might again prove to be the difference in the final...lets see.

But the job is not done yet..Barca await us and what a final it will be. Henry and Ronaldinho on the pitch at the same time. A mouth watering prospect.

Job half done as Yellow submarines are hit but not out

Arsenal take a 1 goal lead into the return leg. Kolo Toure of all people popped up at the right place at the right time to give Arsenal a slender advantage. Villareal played a very narrow game with Sorin, Senna tucking in and not letting Arsenal get their passing going. The first real chance of the game fell to Henry who coolly side footed the ball into the back of the net only to turn and see the lines man s flag raised. A poor decision from the assistant who got more than 1 call wrong on the night.
Villareal showed why they have been able to keep so many clean sheets as they played a compact game and the defense bonding well. Riquelme was not able to have the kind of influence that he would have liked to. Gilberto marked him exceptionally well and was on his number all night.
Henry was busy through out the game and won many headers yesterday and His level of commitment was beyond doubt. He was on his game and could have easily scored a couple of goals. Villareal knew that he had to be stopped and kept him well marked.
The goal when it came was because of the vision of Henry and the run of Hleb who gave Senna the slip and put in a lovely ball which was calmly finished off by Toure.
Villareal will not be an easy propostiton at the El Madrigal and the gunners will have to be on the top of their game to reach the finals. Arsenal have showed that they are more than capable of defending and absorb pressure.
An interesting battle awaits us in Spain, next week.

MANU

The rivalry between these 2 teams in recent times is well documented. The fracas at OT where RVN fell on his arse as if he was hit by a falling meteor (My Manu friends will disgaree) and the war of words that always seems to happen between the 2 managers now seems like a thing of the past. Both managers have had good things to say about each other.
This is always one of the games of the season and there will be a record 75000 people at the Theatre of Dreams for this clash. Shadowed by the money and success of Chelsea over the past 2 seasons is a different thing but the fact remains that Arsenal and Manu are 2 of the best teams in the world in terms of the football they play.
It will be very strange to see a Manu-Arsenal clash without Keane or Vieira. When both these giants left their respective clubs, there were real doubte over whether they will be able to cope with this. But both teams have shown that the have not been hit hard.
Arsenal will look to play a 4-5-1 that has been so effective in Europe. It will be interesting to see how Neville fairs against Reyes. Cesc will again play a crucial role and AW will hope that this prodigy will dominate midfield as he has been doing.
A very interesting battle on the cards...

Away to Juventus

In probably what will be the most important game in recent times, the gunners will take on "the old lady" for a place in the semis. The 2 nil lead will come in handy and if we can get an away goal, then the game is over. The gunners will be boosted by the news that Cesc Fabregas is fit to play and will be ready to resume what he left last week. Eboue is also fit but might be slightly doubtful. Djorou can always be drafted in. With Nedved in the team, the right back will have his work cut out. Del Piero will not figure in this contest and with Camoranesi, Vieira and Zebina suspended Arsenal will be quietly confident of doing well. Having said that, Juventus cannot be underestimated especially at home and they will surely give a good account of themselves.
Wenger should and probably will employ a 4-5-1 with Reyes playing a slightly withdrawn role.

Come on gunners.........