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Fighting fire with fire: How Arsenal and AC Milan's mirror-image league victories might affect their tie on Tuesday
With gritty comeback wins in their respective leagues, what baggage will the Gunners and the Rossoneri bring to their Champions League tie? Arkaprabha Chakraborty tries to guess..
13-Feb-2012 7:00:00 PM
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EDITORIAL
By Arkaprabha Chakraborty
Udinese 1-2 AC Milan
Antonio Di Natale 19'
Maxi Lopez 77'
Stephan El Shaarawy 85'
Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal
James McClean 70'
Aaron Ramsey 75'
Thierry Henry 90+1'
Away victory? Check. Comeback win? Check. Beat a side which has been in near-unbreakable form recently? Check. Seize last gasp winners after being outplayed for most of the game? Check. Win to topple the position of a rival in your club's ambitions this term in the league? Double check. You could be forgiven if you thought that this was just one team's achievement in the last match and we were about to list the achievements of the next later. But eerily, the above is exactly what both Arsenal and AC Milan have done in their respective league outings the previous weekend.
Destroyers-in-chief| El Shaarawy and Lopez combined against Udinese to deadly effect
So how does this build up to their clash at the grandest stage of European club football, the Champions League? The impact will be more psychological than in terms of gameplay. Both teams will get a huge mental boost with their hard fought, if arguably undeserved wins. If any team needed it more, it would be Milan, who were on a bit of a destabilizing run before their Champions League clash, going on a three game winless streak with a few high profile losses.
But, if we think about it, Arsenal really needed this victory too, but for a completely different reason. Flying high after a 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers, a defeat at the hands of a resurgent Sunderland would have been quite possibly a disastrous reality check in the build up to an important game. Admittedly, it is not the way Arsene Wenger would have WANTED them to win, but in terms of the way they won it, it was the best WAY to win with this clash in the backdrop.
And No. 230 will be in against Milan| Thierry Henry has made crucial contributions on-loan
In terms of gameplay, both of these teams will need to take their games as a warning. With their opposition creating so many chances that frankly most are amazed that it wasn't a heavy defeat for the Gunners and the Rossoneri, they can thank their lucky stars for their opposition's profligacy. They will need to remember that they will be up against much sterner opposition when they face each other. In Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie, they have the most clinical strikers in their respective leagues.
In Laurent Koscielny and Thiago Silva, they have two of the paciest defenders in the world. Even their playing style of quick 'pass and move' football is similar! We should be forgiven for wondering if this isn't a computer game where you are playing Arsenal vs. Arsenal or Milan vs. Milan.
Present, sir! | The Maxi Lopez factor could be one of so many things that can decide the tie
With the acquisition of Maxi Lopez over the winter window after flirting with Carlos Tevez, Milan represent a second threat up front as well. But in the end, for a game of such fine margins, we suppose only a moment of madness or a moment of magic can separate the two teams. And that is why they are what they are. As the Champions League proudly proclaims each of them to be, "Die Meister. Die Besten. Les Grandes Equipe. The Champions!"
By Arkaprabha Chakraborty
Udinese 1-2 AC Milan
Antonio Di Natale 19'
Maxi Lopez 77'
Stephan El Shaarawy 85'
Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal
James McClean 70'
Aaron Ramsey 75'
Thierry Henry 90+1'
Away victory? Check. Comeback win? Check. Beat a side which has been in near-unbreakable form recently? Check. Seize last gasp winners after being outplayed for most of the game? Check. Win to topple the position of a rival in your club's ambitions this term in the league? Double check. You could be forgiven if you thought that this was just one team's achievement in the last match and we were about to list the achievements of the next later. But eerily, the above is exactly what both Arsenal and AC Milan have done in their respective league outings the previous weekend.
Destroyers-in-chief| El Shaarawy and Lopez combined against Udinese to deadly effect
So how does this build up to their clash at the grandest stage of European club football, the Champions League? The impact will be more psychological than in terms of gameplay. Both teams will get a huge mental boost with their hard fought, if arguably undeserved wins. If any team needed it more, it would be Milan, who were on a bit of a destabilizing run before their Champions League clash, going on a three game winless streak with a few high profile losses.
But, if we think about it, Arsenal really needed this victory too, but for a completely different reason. Flying high after a 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers, a defeat at the hands of a resurgent Sunderland would have been quite possibly a disastrous reality check in the build up to an important game. Admittedly, it is not the way Arsene Wenger would have WANTED them to win, but in terms of the way they won it, it was the best WAY to win with this clash in the backdrop.
And No. 230 will be in against Milan| Thierry Henry has made crucial contributions on-loan
In terms of gameplay, both of these teams will need to take their games as a warning. With their opposition creating so many chances that frankly most are amazed that it wasn't a heavy defeat for the Gunners and the Rossoneri, they can thank their lucky stars for their opposition's profligacy. They will need to remember that they will be up against much sterner opposition when they face each other. In Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie, they have the most clinical strikers in their respective leagues.
In Laurent Koscielny and Thiago Silva, they have two of the paciest defenders in the world. Even their playing style of quick 'pass and move' football is similar! We should be forgiven for wondering if this isn't a computer game where you are playing Arsenal vs. Arsenal or Milan vs. Milan.
Present, sir! | The Maxi Lopez factor could be one of so many things that can decide the tie
With the acquisition of Maxi Lopez over the winter window after flirting with Carlos Tevez, Milan represent a second threat up front as well. But in the end, for a game of such fine margins, we suppose only a moment of madness or a moment of magic can separate the two teams. And that is why they are what they are. As the Champions League proudly proclaims each of them to be, "Die Meister. Die Besten. Les Grandes Equipe. The Champions!"
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