FOOTBALLISTICALLY? WE’LL BE ALRIGHT

Another victory in Europe, a 100% winning start on our latest European crusade. Is this the year we can complete the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Bernabeu),to lay our hands on that Holy Grail, the Champions League title? Well, we all know there’s work to be done first. But what a display against Olympiakos. The most surprising aspect of the match was the scoreline – how we didn’t put away more than two chances and why it took 78 minutes to start the scoring are perhaps the most troubling aspects of an otherwise commanding performance.

There are two realities which Arsene Wenger’s sides have embraced consistently over the years. We shalt not shoot from more than 20 yards (barring special occasion) and we shalt not play the long ball. On Tuesday night we took these mantras to a new extreme, with an astonishing 62 touches of the ball inside the opposing penalty area. To put that into context, Olympiakos managed 12 inside our box. This is the sort of football that inevitably conjures up comparisons with the 2004 “Invincibles”, or the pomp of Barcelona when playing at their best, or Zagallo’s 1970 Brazilian wonder side. We combined one touch passing with direct dribbling, Andrei Arshavin setting the standard with assistance from Fabregas, Rosicky, Van Persie and Diaby. The first half movement from these five embodied “total football” – the interchanging was seamless, the football extraordinary, the attacks beyond the means of the very best defenders. Without being unkind to Olympiakos’ centre backs, they are a class below the sternest tests our attack will face in this tournament, but football of this quality is irrepressible, and if replicated when it matters, will inevitably lead to goals and improved odds of winning the Champions League.

Just remember lads, we need to shoot occasionally.