Arsène Wenger dug its own grave

Those who have been able to devote a few hours this morning to do some hiking, sports journalism, will have had the opportunity to visit some caves media. Walk around looking guilty tribes to minimize the great game of FC Barcelona and detract from his football. The defendants are of diverse cultures: Massimo Busacca, Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Michel Platini, Angel Maria Villar ... (even sure that there will be no shortage Intereconomía who blame the ZP, as FC Barcelona ...). And you know, you always hear a firecracker over a thousand sighs of admiration, but the fireworks never fail to be simple and crude firecrackers.

On the incontestable superiority of Barça has already said all there is to say Mr. Castellanos in his post last night. The statistic is in any case, the empirical evidence of this: the shots on goal to one another, the percentage of ownership, the number of passes, the time it was played in each field ... But after applauding the boat, is necessary to analyze the role of his rival, Arsenal FC one expected much more of what eventually offered.

Arsène Wenger has long been preaching that the right and honorable path to victory for the football playing, always wanting the ball and find the opponent's goal through a collective game of passing and combinations. I totally agree with him, so I understand the game and while respecting other, less attractive for my taste, I will always feel a predilection for those who play well. As wuepo tells us in the comments of the chronicle, a few days ago that Wenger wrote in a post on his blog on Eurosport :

Our ability to contain their attacks and to express our own game when they have possession of the game will decide the winner. We need a little luck, courage and above all, very daring.

We must be faithful to our values, have confidence in what we usually do and above all to express our willingness to play.

But Wenger has spent six years without taking the Gunners to lift a trophy. And that weighs on her head: for a lot more patience to be taken in England compared with, say, Spain, six years is too long for a team like Arsenal. Wenger knows that there is already a buzz, which for the first time since arriving in London, where pubs, including paints and paint, there are voices that begin to speculate about a future without him. When the hour of truth, he entered doubts. And certainly killed him.

If Arsenal had been able to eliminate Barca doing a good match at Camp Nou, setting the pace and imposing his virtues, Wenger and his boys would have fallen a shower of praise deserved. But the technician tactical Gallo could not be more contrary to proclaimed in his blog: Wenger thought more in the final outcome in the game. But not only was wrong in theory, but even worse was the implementation, posed a defensive game with a team full of offensive players. If you decide to make an exception to the rule, do it right, take it to the end, it takes players to assume the risk and all consequences. But do not get caught in the middle.

Two of their key players, Fabregas and Van Persie came very fair to the party, but more than the absence of Walcott, low for the Gunners more important was that of Alex Song. Cameroon, signed, well above the Frenchman Diaby, his replacement last night, and the company's willful Wilshere, which was little that escaped yesterday from the English side was not enough to tie in the unique short cord Blaugrana. With Cesc and Rosicky and Nasri gone too steep and Adriano Alves, Barca soon found the eye of the needle and began to weave its web at a good pace.

With these pieces on the board first tried to defend Wenger away from your goal, doing work on their midfielders in advanced areas of pressure. But Barca just struggled to get past the first line gunner, which led to it to back down, producing a second chapter, the bilge of the large spaces around the center circle. However, even then wereable to hold his opponent and the club began knocking insistently. With the own goal from Arsenal Busquets tried a third way, to draw back and defend with all the 1-1, but by then, Guardiola and his men had already written the script until the very The end: the Catalans dominated the ball from start to finish, scored two goals that gave the classification and only then, in the final minutes, Arsenal stretched a little, but at this point and it was not "courage" or "daring", but by simple survival instinct.

Just lost the final of the Carling, elimination last night not only puts his finger on the yaga, but to delve into. To make matters worse, this Saturday will face Manchester United in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, another touchstone. In the Premier are three points behind the Red Devils, but with a game. Wenger now has the difficult task of rebuilding the team as soon as possible and try to make the Champions disposal into an opportunity to focus on domestic regain the throne. If Arsenal spent a year in white, and with the presumed departure of his captain Fabregas, who knows what will the summer ...

Photo | Koipe (Dolmen de Salas, known as The Casino da Moura)