England's Best | A Long Way Behind

The first leg encounters highlight the gap between England’s best and the actual best

 These were not two great games, yet they were significant lessons for Manchester City and Arsenal. Both would lose 2-0, both would have a man sent off and both would accept their inferiority to the opposition. The fact both were at home pointed towards the negativity in belief of the two coaches. And yet that is perhaps being too harsh, it was the red cards which ultimately affected the performances and game plans of the respective coaches. Yet ultimately it was a case not taking chances and being punished for mistakes, at the top level this is the difference.

There’s an argument to say that this season Barca and Bayern are the only two sides in Europe who value a possession based ‘tiki-taka’ game. The growth of ‘counter-pressing’ from sides like Dortmund and Atletico, as well as the more direct attacking style of PSG and Real Madrid point to a changing game and philosophies. Even Arsenal have sought a more counter attacking game this season. 

Of course this points to the influence of Guardiola on modern football this past six years, a time in which he has almost revolutionised the way football is seen.  Those who seek to counter his style of play have seen a value in it with lessons from Madrid and Bayern last season. However, what these two games highlighted was that Barca and Bayern’s style is dominating and exhausting for the opposition.

City's inferiority 

Pellegrini hasn’t done all too well against Barcelona in his time as coach, since 2008 he has played them 15 times, three draws and 12 defeats. It’s fair to say that they have had his number. So it perhaps wasn’t surprising that Pellegrini opened the game very tentatively. 

His strategy was simple; defend deep and nullify space and when we win it attack as quick as possible. The problem was that approach can be very wasteful, as it proved. It was negative in terms of being on the back foot yet it did nullify Barca’s opportunities. 

As City started to press higher they looked to put Barca’s deeper players under pressure and won possession back. They started to improve their possession as Barca seemingly looked to drop off, perhaps a strategy to open space behind the City defence. However Barca were guilty of overplaying or taking too many touches when they had chances to score. Half time 0-0.

Limit mistakes, win games

Perhaps 0-0 would be seen as a positive considering that meant no away goal for Barca. However in the big games the cost of making a mistake is increased. The higher the level, the higher the punishment and so it would prove. 

The referee was not to blame but Jesus Navas. When David Silva avoided the pressure and moved into midfield the space opened up for City to break. Navas, whose speed would frighten most defenders, even Alba, should have been looking to drive to penetrate behind. It was a chance to get behind Barca who were out of balance. 

And yet Navas stayed safe, received the ball to feet and was confronted with two defenders. Instead of then retaining possession he attempted to draw the foul in which he lost possession. This is where Barca punish teams. Messi just waited for the defence to drop, the through ball from Iniesta was delightful and then it was Messi vs Demichelis, the result obvious. 

Now Demichelis has a choice; take him down, get sent off and give away a free kick or trust Hart to make the save. He made the wrong choice, got it wrong and it turned into a penalty and ten men. Navas and Demichelis decision making was to blame, not the referee. 

Was it Pellegrini’s fault for choosing Demichelis, yes. He does not allow a higher pressing game and is susceptible to errors, it was a signing which pointed towards having a player he knew in the squad rather than a player who help the team.

Attack or be attacked?

After that Pellegrini had a choice, settle for 1-0 or look to push for a goal. In fairness to him he brought on Nasri and Lescott for Kolarov and Navas. The decision to play Kolarov as a supporting left midfielder to help double up with Clichy against Alves attacking runs was a mistake. He offered nothing going forward and so when Nasri came on he did give he side what they had missed, more dynamism and attacking intent.

City's problem however was not taking their chances, in a similar fashion to the Chelsea game. And once again it was Silva who would be wasteful. Silva's overall performance was very good, he was arguably City's best player. Yet his inability to take these chances are what stops him from breaking into that next level (think Iniesta's ability to score important goals).

Yet Silva would be caught out in the final moments, with Dani Alves punishing City. A failure to track from David Silva now playing on the left side and the inability for Fernandinho who showed his shortness in fitness to cover the space exposed by Lescott opened space for Alves who took the chance with ease. 2-0 and game seemingly over.

Now Pellegrini bemoaned the referee in the game yet the ref managed it like all do in Europe. He didn’t allow niggling tackles to go like some in England do. Barca exploit this excellently and buy fouls superbly. The key is not to get frustrated but to keep focused, some like Toure struggled to control their emotions and he had another poor and unimposing game. 

City were not hard done by, in fact Barca had a goal disallowed incorrectly which may have made the situation even worse. Pellegrini got what he wanted until his players cost him. Although they were brave with 10 men they proved to be missing a player who can come up with the goals when it really matters. Hence the loss of Sergio Aguero, their genuine world class player was such a huge loss for the side. He should be back for the 2^nd leg, yet 2-0 may be too far away. 

Pellegrini must seek to be more adventurous in his defensive setup, Nastastic must play in order to provide the pace needed for a higher press. Yet for all the money City have spent they still don’t look like a top European side. They possess some good players yet still are not playing as a team, especially defensively. The defence looks slow yet importantly is not a unit. Kompany often looks as though he is having to cover everyone. That is where investment is required. Ultimately attacking football is great, yet to succeed you need to be stronger defensively (with a sense of counter attack allied with it).   

Barca only getting stronger

As for Barca, Martino decided to overload the midfield more so than he does this season. He was clearly conscious of what City could offer. Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Cesc and Messi playing in deep 10 roles meant it was only Alexis who offered a serious penetrative threat. 

Messi still appears to be lacking the explosive pace and acceleration which makes him such a threat yet the opportunity which led to the penalty highlighted his ability to spot a chance, to see the space and to execute the moment. If he stays fit it is positive for Barca’s chances, as Neymar also is coming back to form and fitness. It also bodes well for Argentina, as Messi does appear to be preparing his body to peak for early summer.

The talents of Toni Kroos

Moving to the Emirates, a game where the result appeared more obvious. Last season in the same tie to the day Bayern put on a masterclass of a performance (see here), highlighting their subperbly executed gegenpressing style and ruthless attacking threat. Arsenal that day looked lost and void of ideas. 

A year on and Bayern are a different, evolved animal. Under Guardiola they are dominating games with more possession, enhanced movement and a move away from the double pivot. They were without their star man Frank Ribery and also Bastian Schweinsteiger, and although they did miss Ribery’s drive, intensity and skill, Schweinsteiger was not missed. Truth is he is no longer a guaranteed starter in the side. 

This is because of the talents of Thiago and Toni Kroos. It was these two who dominated the game, switched play, exposed space and simply exhausted Arsenal’s midfield. Kroos in particular was excellent, his two footed ability as well as his capacity to find space and time in tight areas is excellent to watch. He looks so calm and relaxed in possession. And he has a great shot with both feet. 

In the first three minutes he had left footed top corner shot tipped round the post, surely Arsenal knew the threat he had from the edge of the area after last year? Yet they did not put enough pressure on him and almost got punished. He would score with his right in the second half from a cut back first touch finish into the top corner. There isn’t many better than Kroos in that area of the pitch (and there were rumours he was leaving? No, he is going to be a key player for this Bayern side in the coming years under Guardiola). Yet let’s talk about what happened in-between these moments.

Early pressure yet no end product

Arsenal sought to come out and attack Bayern. Unlike City’s decision to invite pressure and exploit on the break Arsenal simply were instructed to drive forward when in possession and there are few better at driving with the ball than Jack Wilshere, not to say he is particularly good at it, yet he has somewhat kamikaze type approach where he puts himself between defenders and often draws fouls. That kind of impetus is what helped Arsenal put Bayern under severe pressure in the first 10 minutes. 

Chamberlain was a threat against Alaba as he has pace, directness and skill and almost unlocked Bayern. Sanogo was a surprise addition yet he clearly offered a threat both aerially and in the channels to make it hard for Boateng and Dante. His snap chance was expertly saved by Neuer. The pressure was rising.

And then Arsenal got their best chance; Bayern would look to press Arsenal’s back four with almost six players (an incredible sight) yet Arsenal would evade it and get the ball to Gibbs. Lahm won the ball yet would lose it quickly and all of a sudden Arsenal were on the counter. You can see what Bayern’s strategy was, almost a complete trust in their back four to soak up any balls which bypassed the press who would then be in a great position to counter. Yet Lahm lost the ball and now Arsenal had a chance. 

Ozil would win the penalty and Arsenal’s gameplan looked to have been a masterstroke. And yet he would miss. In such a poor manner once again. Questions must be asked of Ozil yet people appear not to realise that this is what he is like. He looks fatigued yet he has never been asked to do so much defensive work. He is more like a classic 10 than a modern winger. He is a luxury player who likes to wait for space to come in transition where can provide key passes for his forwards. Wenger appears to want him to be a tracking wide man a la Ribery and Robben yet he is more akin to Sneijder or Mata. 

Wenger is therefore guilty like Arshavin of expecting something different from the player he bought. In fact Arsenal’s lack of defensive capability in wide areas is Wenger’s error. If he wishes these type of players then he must invest in them or require a physically dominating and athletic midfield three to help cover for wide players defensive lapses. Yet this is not the case. 

And Bayern’s penalty and the ultimate game changer was evidence of this. Ozil allowed Robben to come in far too early yet it was also Wilshere, Flamini and perhaps mostly Cazorla who would be guilty of not tracking Robben’s run. Yet Monreal should have seen the run and looked to either block or track Robben. Neither would, highlighting more defensive frailties of Arsenal. Flamini would press Kroos yet would be too late. He provided a lovely dink over the defence for the deep run of Robben. Off went to Szecseny (for me slightly unfairly) and although Alaba would miss the penalty it would be change the game. Arsenal’s negative mentality and approach would cost them the game.

The desire for damage limitation

Wilshere spoke before about keeping 0-0 as long as possible, seemingly fearful of what Bayern could offer. A case of damage limitation as much as possible? Arsenal would play with 10 men like a side playing desperate for a 0-0, without any urgency or will to score themsevles. Against a Guardiola side with the talents of Bayern it is difficult to keep them out playing in this manner. So it would prove. 

Bayern would dominate the second half with some extreme statistics. Arsenal played it like they had a lead to hold on to (such as Inter vs Barca 2010) yet it was negative, they stood off, invited pressure and did not seek to press or work the opposition. It was all too easy for Bayern. 

Perhaps 2-0 to some is better than it could have been. Yet City showed what positivity with 10 men can bring (they were just guilty of not taking their chances), Arsenal threw in the towel and accepted defeat. A pathetic response to the adversity of going down to 10 men.

A need to attack

The results point to second leg which should see the two English sides look to attack and go at the opposition. Yet to do that at Camp Nou and the Allianz is more risky than at home. Although Wenger and Pellegrini both had moments of pressure in the game, they were let down by poor finishing and defensively suffered from lapses in concentration and mistakes. 

At the top level there needs to be ruthless efficiency, focus and the ability to execute in all moments. Both Arsenal and City proved they are not in a position to truly compete with the big boys as they cannot execute at all times. 

As for Barca and Bayern, both look to be better than they were last season, Barca have more pieces to attack with yet it is Bayern who look to be nearing 'complete' in terms of squad and their style. It is a scary prospect to see what more can come from this side, as they weren’t at their best against Arsenal and still dominated with relative ease. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

Related articles

• Bayern 'Masterclass' Highlights Wenger's Failings
• The Pressure on Pellegrini to Succeed in Europe
• Guardiola's (Impossible) Task - Defending Bayern's Euro Crown 
• The Selfless Ideal of Teamwork 
• Are Bayern The Most Complete Team Ever?
• The End of Barcelona’s Golden Generation? 
• Football's New Era - The Rise of 'Counter-Pressing' 
• Why Frank Ribery is Europe's Best Player