Champions League Draw Reactions

Well, I sure did tempt the fates when I said the Romantic in me wanted to face Barcelona. While it is obvious that I’d rather have faced Lyon or Bordeaux (a fact Laurent Blanc himself testified to), a fact that is as undeniable as that the earth is a sphere slightly flat at the poles is that this is clearly thus far the Match of the Season. I mean that with all due respect to The Special One’s Special Grudge Match, and the Match with the most eagerly awaited Non Handshake.

While the above mentioned two games had their slice of racy thriller movie-esque moments, nothing could compare with the intrigue the recent history between the two clubs provides.

The Events

If you think about it, this has been a tie in the making since May 17^th 2006 really. Every season after that one, we’ve waited with bated breath to see if we’d draw Barcelona and extract our revenge for the game where one of the bravest performances by 10 men in football jerseys was witnessed. And every season after that, we breathed a sigh of relief when we DIDN’T draw them. I mean come on! It’s Barca!

The People

If this tie was a film, they surely would’ve called it The Return of the Prodigal Sons. Arguably the greatest man to wear the Arsenal crest on his chest, Thierry Henry, answered when he was asked who he would rather face in the Quarterfinals this year;

“Anyone but Arsenal”

I still recall the day he announced his move to Barcelona as the saddest day in my life thus far (Well, I’ve never owned a pet which died on me. Football IS my life). Since then of course, all us gooners have had a new hero, a boy man who has captivated us and has shown us the light ever since. Francesc Fabregas Soler; Alleged possessor of Blaugrana Deoxyribonucleic Acid but very firm in his stance that Arsenal is where is heart is now.

For both is will be a homecoming of sorts, and the only thing on both their minds will be how best to bite the hand that once fed them.

What we can expect

These are the two sides that play unarguably the best football in the world; they play the game the way it was meant to be played. I once wrote on this blog after the Chelsea – Barcelona – Ovrebo controversy that Chelsea played anti football then earning derision from the Chelsea fans around for that particular comment. I guess they’ll understand now what I was talking about. We will NOT put 10 men behind the ball. We will NOT go for a 0-0. We will try and score with every single possession we have.

In a line, an unstoppable force meets an unstoppable force.

Only a fool would be confident going into this tie. I try not to think of Clichy taking on Messi or Silvestre taking on Ibrahimovic to prevent a browning of my underpants. However, I really think we can do it. We need 11 men to bring their A+ game for both the legs. Barcelona aren’t invincible this year as Rubin Kazan amply displayed. I still feel over two legs Barcelona are eminently beatable. A little help from god to put Messi and Xavi out of commission wouldn’t hurt either.

Damn! It feels so good to be fighting on two fronts again. Oh crap. That reminds me. Forget about Barcelona boys.  West Ham is our number one priority. Let us fans do all the dreaming and calculation. You just Win.