The Arsenal Column

Didier Drogba was in inspired form once again for Chelsea against Arsenal but despite monopolising possessesion, the Gunners will have been disappointed to not have created more clear cut chances.
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When Arsenal decided to go down the youth policy route, Arsène Wenger was aware his side were going to be behind in terms of mentality. It may seem intangible but that know-how, tactical understanding and resilience is the missing ingredient and Wenger, in private and in the post-match interview grudgingly admits that. “They [Chelsea] are more experienced. They are 29, we are 23,” he said after the 2-0 defeat. And before the game he added: “We have really top quality. What we want to add is that fraction of belief. It is a lack of experience because when you have never won you make it more difficult and bigger than it is. And that’s the problem of this team at the moment.”

That gulf was exercised yesterday as Chelsea displayed a stoic determination to stay compact and lent some of that experience to drawing and conceding fouls while on the attack, looked to get numbers forward to exploit Arsenal’s gaps with Didier Drogba particularly in potent form. Indeed the Ivorian even sought fit to drop deep on a number of occasions so his side could retain possession and relieve the pressure that Arsenal were building. ”Today I give credit to Chelsea for their defending,” Wenger said. “They had always the guy who came back in the box. They didn’t make silly mistakes. They have fantastic defenders and I believe many times they were out of position and managed to get back, especially one situation with Nasri in the second half and another with Bendtner.”

“Exceptional talent” it is hoped will carry Arsenal to the next level and for much of the defeat to Chelsea, that talent found itself moving left and right in front of the opposition’s penalty area. Arsenal lacked bite and despite monopolising possession, the second half was always going to be difficult with Chelsea defending deep. The key, it seemed, was whether Arsenal could score first otherwise the later proceedings was likely to be a repeat of the Manchester United game where openings would be hard to come by. But, the statistics were against them with the Gunners having only scored once in the first fifteen minutes in the league thus far (Burnley 1-1) and after Didier Drogba’s header gave them an early lead, it always looked a tough ask. “We were still a bit uncertain at the start of the game. When you went into it [the game] we were completely dominant. That’s how I explain that we conceded the first corner.”

Realistically, there was only one starter that was missing for Arsenal – Robin van Persie – and ever since his injury, it seems the team is trying to recreate the same dynamics he provided. Andrey Arshavin could not provide the same movement and with his natural instincts telling him to drop short, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were able to snuff that out. Theo Walcott was subdued although on one part he did minimise Ashley Cole’s forward forays and was a willing worker. Arsenal’s best threat seemingly comes from Cesc Fabregas and Wenger will do well to incorporate the Spaniard’s creativity higher up the pitch. Maybe a 4-2-1-3 is a more sustainable alternative? as Abou Diaby looked inhibited from getting in the box despite being one of Arsenal’s strongest runners although it seemed Wenger told him to take a more cautious approach. Emmanuel Eboue did breathe life back into Arsenal’s attack with his runs inside from right-back and Samir Nasri stationed wide to stretch play. Nicklas Bendtner  gave the side a direct outlet when he came on but to complement his presence, Arsenal needed crosses and willing movement in the box – but that was at a premium despite having oceans of ball in wide areas. The performance wasn’t bad – just the end product was missing.

Wenger will be right to see his side grow but in the meantime the two constants from his post-match analysis are effectiveness and organisation. The side must compress space better when not in possession as the style means defence will be disorientated. And in attack, the mentality needs to change to create more urgency. Bendtner may just be the key to click things in to place again but with only one point gained from a possible nine, in the league at least, it seems a little too late.

Recent trends have sought to take advantage of uncertainties in marking as debate still persists on whether the best option is to mark men, zones or the ball.
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The damage to Arsenal in their 3-1 defeat by United may have been done on the counter but Arsène Wenger feels it was their uncertainty in their marking that helped contribute to the situation. “We have to focus on delivering a completely different performance [against Chelsea on Sunday] because today we were never close in our marking and you do not win big games like that,” he said. “We gave them too much room everywhere and afterwards Rooney takes advantage of it. We conceded two goals which were ‘corner for us, goal for them’ – two goals, the second and third. I believe it was much more with our positioning and the intelligence of our positioning that we were wrong.”

The asymmetric 4-3-3 has been a huge success for the club this season but recently, teams have exploited the space afforded to them after bypassing the first line of pressure and the uncertainty it creates. Commit numbers forward (in conjunction with speed is a great weapon) and it causes havoc to not only the zonal-marking system, but to the lesser-used in mainland Europe (more prevalent in Eastern Europe however), the man-marking system. The idea in the defensive phase is to squeeze play, as Barcelona has so expertly displayed under Pep Guardiola, only conceding a miserly 10 goals this season so far and at a rate of 0.5 goals per game. Such a tactic may be anomaly in today’s game as teams usually look to drop back into a defensive block, most commonly a 9-1 split depending on the footballing culture. Nevertheless it’s a desire to be compact that both styles relate. “The trend,” says Gerard Houllier, “is to bring the opponents into a defensive block and then aggressively press the ball.”

With teams defending more compact and the physical development of the game complicating matters, it means teams have had to find more effective ways of breaking down opponents. “Transitions have become crucial,” says Jose Mourinho. “When the opponent is organised defensively, it is very difficult to score. The moment the opponent loses the ball can be the time to exploit the opportunity of someone being out of position.”

The Inter Milan manager has also previously expressed his preference for “between the lines” players; those players that are unpredictable in their movement by getting into difficult to mark areas. Indeed, with the influence of playmakers proceeding to become limited due to the prevalence of players with destroying capabilities, between the line players are seen as key to unlocking opposition defences. Some playmakers have been ushered into stealth positions; Luca Modric and Robert Pires profiting from starting from wide areas while others like Deco reinventing themselves as interiors. Deco himself was marginalised to the point of periphery by Darren Flecther and Michael Carrick in 1-0 win over Manchester United earlier in the season and it was only when Anelka dropped deeper in to the hole to support him, did the playmaker get some joy. The caveat here being, that the best playmakers have survived in the hole by displaying effective movement and getting and providing support. Slaven Bilic best sums up the trend: “When defending, great teams want many behind the ball. When attacking, players from all sides. We have to be compact, narrow to each other. It’s about the movement of 10 players now.”

In the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, the Argentina coach Carlos Bilardino switched from a 4-3-1-2 to the 3-5-2, playing Maradona, not as the playmaker even though he had performed there with much success in the previous rounds, nor as a traditional forward but as a second striker playing in between the lines. Disrupting the oppositions marking by operating in areas that were hard to pick up, the forward reveled, scoring two famous goals. Accordingly, it is from such precise moments that zonal-marking has usurped man-marking as a side’s overall form of marking. A central defender could have tracked Maradona for most of the game but that would also mean tracking him at times when the forward is without the ball. Zonal-marking means the defender can see both man and ball and while it is not a fool-proof method, it is a far more flexible and composed method, allowing the side to keep their structure and remain compact.

However, former Juventus defender and manager, Ciro Ferrara feels the strenuous approach of zonal-marking may cause confusion and invariably, problems. “I passed from just ‘stop your opponent reaching the goal’ mentality to ‘wait for your opponent, stop him, get the ball and pass it to start an attack,’” he said. “I didn’t just have to re-evaluate my position; I had to improve the fundamentals become more nimble, look up, gain a better picture of the whole pitch. It wasn’t easy.”

Thomas Vermaelen may fit the bill of such a defender who can more than handle Ferrara’s concerns but that wasn’t exactly the case when Park Ji-Sung ran forward to score the third for United. As far as Vermaelen was concerned, in the build up to the goal, Wayne Rooney was his man so he followed him out of his zone as the striker dropped short. But in doing so, Rooney had also entered Alex Song’s and Samir Nasri’s zone, so both men, in conjunction with Vermaelen proceeded to make the challenge on the man whom they all thought were theirs. That one move, took three defenders out and allowed United to pass the ball forward to Park who had run on unmarked. The key tactical success therefore in open play lies in disrupting the patterns of marking and taking advantage of the moments of uncertainty.

In the modern game the full-back is usually the only unmarked player on the pitch up to  a certain point and given they have space to make the runs, can cause great damage. This was expertly displayed by Brazil in the Confederations Cup final in 2009 when Maicon’s constant late surges created two goals in their 3-2 comeback against USA. And Sagna twice laid on Robin van Persie with crosses on the right hand side in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Tottenham.

Traditional strikers are disappearing and what we are seeing now is all-rounded forwards who, not only have the capabilities of scoring but also the means to bring others in to play. “We used to say the midfielders are the guys who bring the strikers alive but what is happening now is the strikers are the guys who can bring your midfielders alive,” said Wenger. “They come to score from deeper positions and you can really do that with one-man up front.” Teams have deployed ‘false nines’ to recreate the threat but they are not everlasting. Strikers need to be hybrids as displayed by the ineffectiveness of Andrey Arshavin in big matches as more competent defences are quick to compress the space to which it then becomes one-dimensional. Robin van Persie is a big miss in that regard as he could play both the role of creator and goalscorer giving Arsenal more unpredictability and variation. ”Robin Van Persie, when he played we always scored three or four goals. He didn’t score too many [himself] but he made a lot. Not only with passing, but with movement and the quality of that movement. Strikers open walls for the deeper players. That is a big part in the modern game.”

But as tactically sophisticated as football can sometimes seem, it is stopping midfielders running from deep that has still yet to find a solution. Even zonal-marking has not been able to address the old age problem. The answer could lie in defenders developing marking in relation to the ball. But it’s difficult to see how Denilson may have benefited from such insight when chasing down Manchester United’s blistering counter attack for the second goal. All eyes were on the ball and his positioning was satisfactory – but he only needed one glance backwards to spot Rooney and potentially stop the back of the net rippling, rather than understanding his position in relation to the ball.

Maybe then, it’s down once again to Arrigo Sacchi’s all-conquering and somewhat over-zealous AC Milan side in 1989 and ‘90 to indicate the way forward. “All of our players,” said Sacchi, “always had four reference points: the ball, the space, the opponent and his team-mates.” Defender Franco Baresi also adds: “With Sacchi, we focused on creating rather than breaking down, defending spaces rather than marking men. The secret? At all times you must know your position, where you are standing, and you must participate in the action – even if you are far from the ball.”

Marking then isn’t just a case of man, zone or ball. Because, it seems, everything in football is relative.

Manchester United’s game plan of containment, control and speed on the counter left Arsenal outgunned at the Emirates.
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It was time again for Sir Alex Ferguson to get re-acquainted with the back of his hand. The wily Scotsman has enough big match experience – and success – against contemporary Arsenal to comfortably make it his chosen specialist subject on Mastermind as his side went about dismantling Arsenal’s title bid and reaffirming their’s. Manchester United met thrust with counter-thrust and vice versa but where much more ruthless from the latter.

There was little to separate the teams with half an hour on the clock as both teams found it troubling to break down each other’s defence from open play. United opting to play without Ryan Giggs missed a bit of invention in the final third and as a result Arsenal sucked up their attacks and looked to punish them on the break – Andrey Arshavin going closest with a drive wide of Edwin Van der Sar. But Arsenal have been slow starters this season, having scored only once before fifteen minutes in the league and once they started getting into their groove, Manchester United sensed their moment pounce. Luis Nani’s wonderful trick and run forced the ever-growing culpable Manuel Almunia to claw into his own net (although in fairness the cross looked to be headed for Park at the back post).

However, it was two devastating moments on the break that settled the tie. William Gallas was crowded out in the United box following a corner and as the ball fell to Wayne Rooney, the England striker, starting the counter-attack ended it with a finish of real conviction after running close to the full length of the pitch. Rooney then showed Arsenal the movement they tried to create with Arshavin as the false nine, as the forward took three defenders out by dropping short and the rest was rudimentary for Park.  There were only two options for Gael Clichy  - gamble and close down the attacker but risk the early pass or delay and hope the angle narrowed. As it turned out, Clichy left it two late for the latter and Park poked the ball past Almunia (could the ‘keeper have been more committed?). Counter-attacking is not merely a policy for Manchester United but a deadly and utterly ruthless weapon in their armoury. “Counterattacking has always been part of our game, particularly away from home, and we capitalised on those opportunities,” said Sir Alex Ferguson. “Arsenal play a lot of good football and get to the edge of your box regularly, but if you can win the ball there and counterattack quickly you’ll have chances against them.”

“Transitions have become crucial,” says Jose Mourinho, who always seeks to keep his side organised with five at the back in guard of such moments. “When the opponent is organised defensively, it is very difficult to score. The moment the opponent loses the ball can be the time to exploit the opportunity of someone being out of position.” That was the situation that was also posed to Arsenal; the Gunners’ expansive style meaning more resources are committed forward and therefore less organisation at the back. And those gaps are even bigger this season due to the play being stretched on account of the switch to 4-3-3 and cover for the full-backs minimal. Sir Alex would have targeted the right-hand before hand with or without Valencia and deployed a ‘defensive’ winger on the other side. The slight surprise was in deploying Carrick as the deep-lying playmaker as the manager decided to sacrifice a bit of energy for extra tactical nous lower down, while Scholes’ creativity was to be translated higher up the pitch.

Arsenal in contrast were unlikely to play any differently. Arsene Wenger went into the game wanting to control proceedings but found in front of him a sea of black shirts who were very committed in not opening the floodgates and letting Arsenal have the initiative. Dynamism on one hand has waned since their electric start to the season and the late flurry could not hide the defects. The best Wenger can hope his side can regroup and find that extra spark again.

So where next for Arsenal? Chelsea at Stamford Bridge…

Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United: Almunia (og) 33, Rooney 37, Park 52, Vermaelen 80.

Arsenal: Almunia (5), Sagna (6) (Bendtner), Gallas (6), Vermaelen (6), Clichy (5), Fabregas (6), Song (7), Denilson (6) (Walcott) , Nasri (5), Arshavin (6), Rosicky (5) (Eboue).
Subs not used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Silvestre, Traore.

Man Utd: Van der Sar 6, Rafael Da Silva 6, Jonathan Evans 6, Brown 6, Evra 6, Scholes 6 (Giggs), Carrick 7, Fletcher 6, Nani (Berbatov) 8, Rooney 8, Park 6 (Valencia).
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Owen, Gibson, De Laet.

Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Arsenal’s next fixture in their crucial sequence of four games sees the Gunners face Manchester United. We give the lowdown on the encounter.
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Which Manchester United will turn up?
Some grumbles of discontent have begun to surface among fans recently of Sir Alex Ferguson’s continuous tinkering of his side – he has gone 105 consecutive matches now without picking the same team twice in a row - and that unpredictability means it difficult to know what line-up the manager is to send out and in which system. The 4-4-2 has garnered 15 goals in the last four games it has been used although for the big games, Sir Alex has tended to favour the 4-5-1. And with strong performances against Chelsea and most recently Manchester City, the 4-5-1 seems the most likely choice away to Arsenal.

United’s changing face
Losing to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final was to Sir Alex, the equivalent of defeat to Real Madrid at home in the Champions League quarter-final in 2000. United had just been crowned European champions the year previously on both occasions but the severity of the defeats meant the manager had to reconsider the way his side functions. “We had a spell after we won the Champions League in 1999 when we had to change our thinking,” said Ferguson. “We lost to PSV and Anderlecht away and others on the counterattack.” This season, not only have they lost Cristiano Ronaldo, out went fans favourite Carlos Tevez across the city, the two key components of their 2007/08 double winning side. Manchester United have churned out some pretty uninspiring performances thus far but their functionality means they are still in the hunt for most trophies.

Inspiration seemingly comes in the form of Mourinho’s 4-3-3 at Chelsea. The wingers look to support the lone striker – typically Wayne Rooney – in attack but in the defensive phase drop back to a more orthodox 4-5-1. The key dynamics of the system, though, is the deployment of their three star central midfielders – Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes. The latter holds while Ferguson seeks to take advantage of Carrick and Fletcher’s high fitness levels therefore they can pressure more higher and aggressively up the pitch. Maybe also, the manager feels he can bring more out of Carrick’s creative and shooting abilities  - an area they’ve lacked in central midfield and have been unable to replicate with Anderson and Gibson.

Between the lines
It can be argued, by taking the minutest details of a team’s system, that United’s use of a flat 4-3-3 contributed partly to their defeat to Barcelona in the final. On the other hand, Barcelona  played with four bands to make it a 4-1-2-3 and with players constantly moving about made it difficult for Manchester United to match up. Having players ‘between the lines’ makes for more unpredictability and taking advantage in such areas final third of the pitch can be decisive. “I don’t like to play the 4-4-2 in two lines,” says Jose Mourinho. “I like the match in between lines and players with dynamic creativity to do that. What are you a midfield player or an attacker? Nobody knows.” This is still a criticism with Manchester United – that they are lacking players to do the damage in between the lines – although they will argue it’s the angles they attack from and the sheer intensity they do so, that is their central strength.

Arsenal also, it seems, do not have specified men in between the lines but Arsène Wenger’s idea is for the system to be able to morph into a 4-1-4-1, both in the defensive phase and in attack where the midfielders are required to get close to the main forward who is likely to be Nicklas Bendtner. It is primarily Cesc Fabregas’ role to get into such positions, playing as the interior and given more freedom to create chances. The captain has also added greater dynamism to his game, taking on defenders with his developing power not too dissimilar to Steven Gerrard.

Mind the gaps
Recent uncoverings of the Arsenal style have found a chink in the Gunners armour. The most successful opposition teams have been able to expose the space in front of the defence by bypassing the first defensive phase and getting men forward to take advantage of one-on-ones and indecision.

This is because in the defensive phase, the idea is for Arsenal to compress space quickly but that is a difficulty in itself when you factor stretching play is a means of attacking. If the build up breaks down, as opponents have been doing by pressuring up the pitch or alternatively, playing the ball deep early, the distances between the forward players and defence becomes greater (as displayed by below. (Bear in mind United’s intention in the defensive phase is to drop back as opposed to Arsenal’s which is to pressure up the pitch first). Also could Arsenal reverse the tactic and pressure early Paul Scholes and test his reaction times? Fulham did this particularly well as the midfielder gave away a couple of loose balls.

The best solution for Arsenal would be the return of a tired Alex Song back into the holding role, partnered slightly to the left by Denilson. This should ensure the Brazilian can push left as he and Diaby have done in the role beforehand with much success to cover for the space in front of Clichy. This area may be even more crucial should Sir Alex Ferguson choose to deploy Antonia Valencia or even Nani to hug the right touchline. In one of the wide forward positions, Nicklas Bendtner, Samir Nasri or Emmanuel Eboue are options for Wenger due to the extra attention they give to tracking back.

Transitions and set-pieces
Transitions and set-pieces more than anything have been the bane of Arsenal in recent season and will be key once again for both sides. Every team is able to counter these days but the most successful sides have made it their weapon, not their main policy. But it is not just winning the ball in the defensive third of the pitch that can lead to a counter – teams have found that winning the ball in midfield is the crucial area to spring a quick attack from. “Transitions have become crucial,” says Mourinho (again). “When the opponent is organised defensively, it is very difficult to score. The moment the opponent loses the ball can be the time to exploit the opportunity of someone being out of position.”

Effective widemen
Effective wing play may just be key especially as both teams like to stretch play and Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia has been in fine form. More orthodox than many of United’s great wingers of the pass, he found multitudes of room against Manchester City in the first leg by hugging the touchline while his central midfielders worked the full backs inside by switching play quickly. Defensively Valencia also has his plus points as against Chelsea he successfully helped nullify the threat of Ashley Cole by pinning him back.

Patrice Evra has had another fine season at left back and indeed the full-back position has become key in the modern game as it has become the only position where the player is unmarked. Arsenal’s full-backs, however, have been slightly more conservative in their roles, choosing to be more selective although Bakary Sagna showed his threat against Tottenham when he foraged forward unmarked twice to set-up two goals. Higher up the pitch, can Andrey Arshavin get into areas to take on the defender one-on-one as he likes? Indeed, if Bendtner does start, the support he provides to the forward will be crucial and especially testing to rookie full-back Rafael.

Arsenal’s key men
Sol Campbell- This will be the real test of Sol Campbell’s mobility. Barcelona have shown you don’t have to be particularly quick to be a success in a high line, instead astute reading of the game is order of the day. Campbell expertly marshalled Agbonlahor and restricted use of his pace and once again will have to be aware as Rooney likes to run the channels on the break.

Nicklas Bendtner – The Dane has a confident streak but has yet to translate that consistently over a season. Hopefully with injuries behind him, Bendtner can push on and give Arsenal a direct outlet they have been so missing. Playing as the focal point, the Gunners will be hoping the midfielders can play around the big forward while also giving Arsenal an outlet from the numerous times they reach the wide positions. An added bonus he possesses is the option to play the ball early from defence and relieve pressure on the backline. ”If Eduardo is out, am I ready to come in?,” said Bendtner. “I wouldn’t be here if I was wasn’t ready. If I play Sunday, I will be ready as well and Manchester United is the sort of big game you’d love to come back into.

Manchester United’s key men
Ryan Giggs – Like Benjamin Button, Ryan Giggs seems to be only getting younger. If he starts on the left as anticipated, Ferguson will expect the Welshman to cut inside and deliver killer passes to Wayne Rooney as he did in winning the penalty in the 2-1 win when the two sides last met. “It was the kind of pass we’ve been trying in training all week,” Ferguson said of the assist. “We got one.”

Wayne Rooney – The England forward has nineteen goals in twenty-one games and he owes much of that good form to curbing his altruistic instincts and playing in a more orthodox manner. He has stated Valencia has kept him on his toes because he expects the winger to fire in more crosses than Ronaldo used to from the same flank.

Predicted Line-Ups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Campbell, Clichy; Song, Denilson, Fabregas; Nasri, Arshavin, Bendtner
Subs from: Fabianski, Eboue, Silvestre, Traore, Ramsey, Eastmond, Rosicky, Walcott

Man Utd (4-5-1): Van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs; Rooney
Subs from: Kuszczak, Rafael, Neville, Anderson, Nani, Gibson, Owen, Berbatov, Park, Diouf

Aston Villa pressured Arsenal high up the pitch and played the ball through the channels quickly thereby stopping the Gunners exerting any real fluency.
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It was like Everton all over again. In fact, had Arsenal not produced a spirited comeback against Bolton, Arsène Wenger’s post-match evaluation on the three teams would almost have been the same. ”… it was a difficult game,” said the manager. “They [Aston Villa] stopped us from playing when we had the ball and they played a long-ball game and closed us down, so it was difficult. We didn’t always find our passing game.” It wasn’t just déjà vu. It was jamais vu.

Aston Villa played their usual high intensity, high tempo game although against Arsenal recently it has become a necessity to do so to stop the Gunners from playing - and even more so without Alex Song. Indeed, his replacement, Denilson hustled and bustled about in the holding role but nervy touches apart in the second half, his performance suffered only as a result of a lack of defensive support. The Villians conceded the space in front of their defence and pressured up the pitch, challenging Arsenal to try and get the ball between the lines if they were able to bypass the first and second line of pressure. The tactic was made more successful as the distances between Arsenal’s defence and attack are larger this season as the Gunners seek to stretch play. As a result in the defensive phase, Denilson had a lack of support, the auxiliary left sided central midfielder Aaron Ramsey not providing the necessary cover while in possession, it was the same. In defence at least, there was no need for two Fabregas’s.

Villa stopped Arsenal from creating triangles and getting close to each other. It was clever thinking from Wenger’s opposite number Martin O’Neill who was also understandably furious of the Arsenal boss’s claim that his side played a ‘long-ball’ game. Direct would have been a more apt description as they looked to get the ball forward quickly with Gabriel Agbonlahor particularly feeding off Emile Heskey’s flick ons down the channels. They also had much joy out wide, once again with the full-backs left isolated due to Arsenal’s expansive style and Villa able to get many one-on-ones and numbers forward.

In the second half play became stretched as Ashley Young realised by hugging the right touchline he would be have a multitude of space. His two crosses created Villa’s best chances as Stewart Downing contrived to miss an open goal with a point-blank header and then half-volley over the bar.

Arsenal, in midfield were indecisive and leaden-footed, finding it both difficult to read each other’s body and verbal language as typified by the mix up between Ramsey and Rosicky after Fabregas had hit the post. Tomas Rosicky then had another opportunity to put Arsenal in front but his shot crashed off the crossbar after great work from Arshavin to burst away from two defenders and Fabregas calmly knocking the ball to the Czech.

If dropping two points wasn’t bad enough (according to Wenger) then the injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo could be the biggest cost to come out of the game. The former’s replacement, Sol Campbell had an astute game and proceeded to limit Heskey and Agbonlahor’s influence. Nicklas Bendtner also made his long awaited return although a lack of match sharpness meant he could not tellingly bring a different outlet to Arsenal’s game.

Aston Villa away is always a difficult fixture and kudos to them as they made it awkward for Arsenal to play. On a positive not, it does keep the unbeaten run going although some concerns may have arisen due to the ease in which some teams have recently stopped Arsenal from playing. It may not be in the nature of Arsenal’s next three opponents to do so but if other teams emulate the tactics of Villa outside the difficult sequence of games, then it could be those games where Arsenal’s title challenge is decided.

Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel (6), Cuellar (6), Collins (6), Dunne (6), Luke Young (6), Ashley Young (8), Milner (6), Petrov (8)*, Downing (7), Agbonlahor (6), Heskey (7) (Delph).
Subs not used: Guzan, Sidwell,Delfouneso, Davies, Shorey, Beye.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Almunia (7), Sagna (6), Gallas (6), Vermaelen (6) (Campbell 7), Clichy (5), Denilson (6), Fabregas (6), Ramsey (5), Rosicky (7) (Nasri 5), Eduardo (6) (Bendtner 5), Arshavin (5).
Subs not used: Fabianski, Walcott,Traore, Eastmond.

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

UEFA Cup winners in 2008, Zenit St. Petersburg’s dangerously quick side are our 18th best team of the decade.
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Never has striking your hands together to show appreciation been more apt for a football team than with Zenit St. Petersburg in 2007-08. On their way to winning the UEFA Cup in that season, they destroyed German clubs Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 before demolishing Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate displaying literally breathtaking football in the process. Zenit’s grace and ability in which they swept the playing field, exchanging quick, one and two touch football, evoked memories of Russia’s great ice-hockey teams of the past, where their “clap-clap” football mimicked the way the puck used to rebound from stick to stick.

In those two games and indeed the final against Rangers, Zenit were lightning quick in not only their technique but their thinking. Using the Andrey Arshavin, the playmaking enigma and Pavel Pogrebnyak, the deceptively nimble-footed forward as the two ‘points de fixation‘ (a forward who could dictate and orientate play under pressure, and give his wing backs or wingers time to rush down their respective flanks and overrun the opposition full-backs), the Russains were able to attack the overwhelm the opposition in seconds. The full-back, Aleksandr Anyukov bombed forward all day down the right, while Denisov and Zyryranov provided the support to the roaming Pogrebnyak and Arshavin.

Dick Advocaat set his team up in a curious, asymmetric fashion. Was it a 4-4-2 or were Zenit playing with three forwards? That was the beauty of the side as it allowed them to stick to the fundamentals of ‘Total Football’; the interchanging of positions, reliance on movement, quick one-touch football and stretching and squeezing play although a more suitable comparison may be with the Dinamo Moscow side of 1945 or Lobanovskyi’s Dynamo Kyiv.

Arshavin was the brains of the bunch. He was instrumental in the defeat to Leverkusen before laying off Denisov with an eye of the needle pass in the final where Zenit produced wave after wave of attacks at the Rangers goal. But they proved they were not necessarily a one man team as they defeated Bayern without the soon to be departed conductor. (His influence was very apparent, however, in the following year’s Champions League campaign where Arshavin made the most key passes in the first group stage but was not enough for the Russian side despite out playing both Real Madrid and Juventus). It was Anatoliy Tymoshuk who was superb against the Bavarian club and who he later earned a move to. The sweeper role may have disappeared but the Shakespeare-quoting Ukrainian translated that role higher up the pitch and if Arshavin was the metronome, he was the ticker.

Zenit added the Super Cup in 2008 with a 2-1 win against Manchester but unrest in the camp meant they were not able to build on what was to be a promising period for Eastern European football with Zenit as the flag bearers. They have since hired Luciano Spalletti, the pioneer of ’strikerless’ football to put the side back on track but for one and a half years, it was Dick Advocaat who was able to rekindle the dormant flame of Russian ‘Total Football’.

Defining moment: Zenit 2-0 Rangers (UEFA Cup final, 2008) Goals: Denisov 72, Zyryanov 90.

Zenit St Petersburg (4-3-3): Malafeev, Aniukov, Krizanac, Shirokov, Sirl, Tymoschuk, Zyryanov, Denisov, Faitzulin (Kim 90), Tekke, Arshavin.
Subs Not Used: Contofalsky, Radimov, Dominguez, Ricksen, Ionov, Gorshkov.

Arshavin was the hub of the side, just as Johan Cruyff was from the left hand side of the system.

The Gunners climbed to the top of the league after a comeback against a Bolton side who did well to take advantage of a shortcoming in Arsenal’s defensive phase.
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Let’s not for a moment forget Bolton’s part in this encounter. Indeed, by the end of the night the visitors were completely blown out of the water as the chasm between the two clubs looked even greater than it looked half an hour in to the match. But the Trotters gave Arsenal more than a fight after taking a two goal lead well worth the endeavor they displayed on the night.

They say champions are made of steel but after this comeback Arsenal are surely made of more flexible material – the stuff made of the finest aircrafts even  - as they not only not fought back, the fought back in style. Tomas Rosicky’s goal just before the break was key as Gary Cahill, then Matthew Taylor gave Bolton a two goal advantage, and it was all always going to be about Arsenal’s mental strength after suffering the setback.

The Gunners simply resumed playing at a high tempo and were rewarded with the equaliser as Cesc Fabregas bundled through a couple of tame challenges, not to dissimilar to the build up to his strike against Owen Coyle’s former club, Burnley, before firing underneath Jussi Jaaskelainen’s legs. If the ‘keeper was at fault for the first, failing to guard his near post for Rosicky’s powerful shot, he was more than guilty of letting the ball squirm beneath him. Maybe he was distracted by the “challenge” which led to the goal; William Gallas’ follow through stamp on Mark Davies after a 50-50 challenge which he lost, but Arsenal continued playing. The accusations after the game were wild but it was a typical of a period where footballers have lost a mutual trust in each other and as Richie Benaud, the former cricket commentator says, sport is a reflection of society, with the morals and trust thinning. Thomas Vermaelen sliced in the third when expertly judging the flight of the ball before half volleying and Andrey Arshavin wrapping things up by slamming the ball in after a quick one-two with Eduardo.

Bolton produced a spirited showing before then and Owen Coyle predictably set out his side to ruffle some feathers while aiming long balls at Kevin Davies. The real crime of the night may have been the analysis of Tony Gale who inadvertently may have produced a generation of Kevin Davies’ after claiming the forward was a master of heading the straight ball without jumping – i.e. leaning back on the defender and using your elbow. The tactic worked as Bolton took advantage of the space afforded to them from the knock downs, as Arsenal’s principle of stretching play when attacking meant the midfielders could run on to the second ball without being tracked back as aggressively. ”You cannot find a team better than Bolton in doing what they did tonight,” said Arsène Wenger. “Because they marked us man to man, they didn’t give us an inch of space. When they had the ball they kicked it to Kevin Davies who went for every challenge, then they went well for the second ball. They did that very well, so physically you are never more tested than against a Bolton team.”

It’s a consequence of Arsenal’s philosophy a bit says Wenger although he’ll know the side have to be much tighter than this if they are to succeed in the difficult run up facing them. But the confidence and belief gained from the amazing sequence since the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea puts them in a greater position than the league table simply indicates.

Arsenal 4-2 Bolton Wanderers: Cahill, Taylor, Rosicky, Fabregas, Vermaelen, Arshavin.

Arsenal: Almunia 6, Sagna 7,  Gallas 7, Vermaelen 7, Clichy 6, Fabregas 8, Denilson 6, Diaby 6 (Eastmond), Rosicky 7 (Vela), Arshavin 8*, Eduardo 7 (Walcott).
Subs not used: Fabianski, Silvestre, Traore, , Emmanuel-Thomas.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Lee, Mark Davies, Muamba, Cohen, Taylor, Kevin Davies.
Subs: Al Habsi, Samuel, Elmander, Klasnic, Ricketts, McCann, Andrew O’Brien.
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

Three times-in-a-row Brazilian champions São Paulo are our 19th team of the decade.
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Amazingly, the 2009 Brazilian championship season had four teams in with a realistic chance of winning the title on the last day and if São Paulo had made won, they would have made it four in a row. As it was, the side finished third but all in all, it was a good decade for them at a time where domestic Brazilian football has been floundering as typified by the crowning (2004/05) then relegation of Corinthians two years later.

São Paulo’s lasting story was the 1-0 win over Liverpool, where against the odds, triumphed in the Club World Cup. But less was it the David and Goliath story which was of the most significance but how the underdogs slayed the giant. On the face of it, it sounds ugly – taking the lead through Mineiro, they retreated to defend deep and countered, surviving a barrage of attacks from the Reds – but take a look at the winner again and it will display why it was such a well fought and well thought-out victory.

As the ball was played out of defence, Aloisio the loose forward found himself with acres of space, and similarly Mineiro, who ghosted through unmarked to finish off from the through ball. Movement was a key feature to the build, dragging defenders out of position and they did this by stretching the pitch and the players functioning in an asymmetric way. Josue and Mineiro provided the screen in front of the defence, with the latter’s role being more central and less bureaucratic, and Josue’s, not only holding the fort but covering for the advancing full-backs. Danilo, the attacking midfielder or meia was also loosely defined to take advantage of space by moving inside or out.

The deployment of two volantes may be loathed by purists but their popularization caught on during the noughties due to not wanting give an inch to the opposition and balancing the team. Recent championship success has had Muricy Ramalho, now coach of Palmiera, admit his team had limitations and indeed his layout did nothing to dispel those thoughts, but in his distinctive positioning and interpretations, could get more out of his side.

Pragmatism is also the philosophy off the pitch. Their model of stability is still the envy of many South American clubs who have since seen their stars flock overseas and São Paulo have been no exception. Potential big name players such as Kaka and Baptista have departed the club for massive fees which allows them to recoup and more, the initial investment spent on youth development and reinvest that cash into the first team. A quick look at 2006 team sheet sees youth system graduates, journeymen,workmanlike players and potential quick bucks populate their line-up, displaying the great attention detail the club played in long-term success. As 1970 World Cup great Tostão wrote, the defining characteristics of São Paulo are “marking, physical strength, power in the air and making few mistakes.” Which is not markedly different to contemporary Brazil but São Paulo have made sure they’ve stayed at the forefront in their well deliberated plans on and off the pitch.

Defining moment: São Paulo 1-0 Liverpool: Mineiro, 27. (2006)

Sao Paulo (3-5-2): Rogerio – Fabao, Lugano, Edcarlos – Cicinho, Mineiro, Josue, Danilo, Junior – Amoroso, Aloisio (Grafite, 75).
Subs not used: Christian, Alex, Denilson, Fabio Santos, Renan, Flavio Donizete, Thiago, Richardlyson, Souza, Bosco, Flavio Kretzer.

Our (late) review of the noughties sees The Arsenal Column count down the top 20 teams of the decade (not definitive).
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A slightly sentimental choice given the golden generation didn’t win a thing and the semi-final featuring a blonde weeping on the bench but each time the Czech’s played, they thoroughly entertained.

In Euro 2004, they were many’s dark horse for the tournament and encapsulated that belief with an extraordinary display of thrusting and counter-thrusting football against the exponents of “Total Football”, Holland. Czech Republic fell behind by two goals in the first 19 minutes as Wilfred Bouma then Ruud van Nistelrooy, toying around with the new offside law, surely put the game beyond doubt early on. Indeed they should have as their wing play caused havoc of the Czech’s diamond system with Arjen Robben in potent form. However Milan Baros added a career worth of depth to his CV by inspiring his team of troupers to a fantastic comeback, first by intercepting a tame pass by Philip Cocu to set up lumberjack Jan Koller before being returned the favour for the equaliser. A chest down from the tall striker found Baros, who first time, thundered a volley into the back of the net. And it was a perfectly timed tackle by Tomas Rosicky that set the motions to send a whole nation to ecstasy as Vladimir Smicer completed the turnaround.

The neutrals select for the championship couldn’t repeat the heroics however despite featuring an orgy of talented players. Karel Bruckner sorted his men into a diamond formation with Pavel Nedved and Rosicky in particular looking to interchange positions while a great feature of their system were their two bombing full-backs. Midfielder Lubo Lapsansky, now playing in Austrailia perhaps describes Czech football in the best possible service as displayed by the nation in the tournament; “[…] always about playing short balls, a lot of movement off the ball, trying to create the space for the players for the ball to be played into. It’s a fairly tactical game. Players are required in any position, and need to be technically smart in advance. You drag the players out, and open up the space behind and you start attacking. You learn your patterns, you don’t panic, you keep the ball till things open up. That’s pretty much what Czech football is all about.”

Czech Republic (4-4-2 diamond): Cech, Grygera,Ujfalusi, Jiranek, Jankulovski, Galasek, Poborsky, Rosicky, Nedved, Baros, Koller.

Subs: Blazek, Kinsky, Mares, Lokvenc, Rozenhal, Vachousek, Smicer, Hubschman, Tyce, Plasil, Heinz.