Post by Salem6 on Nov 24, 2003 7:21:37 GMT
Champions League: Gabriele Marcotti finds a shaken up Milan side welcoming
the arrival of an Arsenal team on the attack
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nine weeks can be a long time in football, but only if things change in the
interim. Not much is different at Arsenal since Inter Milan put three past
them at Highbury in the Champions League, at least on the European stage.
Arsene Wenger¹s paper-thin squad are still grinding out results
domestically, persevering as pacesetters despite injuries, suspensions and
assorted adversities.
For Inter, their opponents on Wednesday night, the nine weeks have been an
eternity. Gone is coach Hector Cuper and his rigid 4-4-2 machinations. Gone
also is the, albeit shortlived, top-of-the-table status and the comfort of a
familiar, if sterile, system.
³When you¹re with a manager for more than two years, you develop an
identity,² says Inter defender Marco Materazzi. ³We had one with Cuper. Now
that we have a new manager we need to learn a new way of playing,
particularly since everything is very different now. I wouldn¹t go so far as
to say it¹s scary but, sure, you need to start over.²
Cuper, the Argentine tango expert who never seemed to smile, is gone for
good. In fact, he¹s at a dance camp near Buenos Aires of all places,
practising his moves no word on whether he has a red rose clenched between
his teeth in an effort to forget all about Inter.
In his place, Inter have handed the reins to Alberto Zaccheroni, who took
crosstown rivals AC Milan to their last title in 1998/99. Zac, as he is
known in Italy, smiles more than Cuper, though it¹s usually a nervous smile,
like an ignoramus sitting an exam.
Except Zac isn¹t ignorant, his 3-4-3 formation is among the most complicated
and sophisticated you¹ll find in football. And therein lies the problem and,
ultimately, the crucial difference between Arsenal and their Milanese
rivals.
Eight of Arsene Wenger¹s 10 first-choice outfield players are the same as
three seasons back. More than half the starting XI have been together for
five years.
More importantly, the trusty 4-4-2, with the double pivot midfield, fluid
wide men and withdrawn striker is the same as it was in his very first game
in charge. Very little changes in Arsene¹s Wengerland S and while that is
usually a good thing it can be a bad thing as well.
³It¹s funny, before we went to Highbury I watched tapes of Arsenal¹s games
against Roma in last season¹s Champions League,² says Materazzi. ³In Rome,
they played a perfect counter-attacking game, much like we did at Highbury.
They won 3-1 and [Thierry] Henry scored a hat-trick, we won 3-0. One of
their goals was a brilliant free-kick, another took advantage of a defensive
error, the other was a counter-attack. Much like us at Highbury.²
Inter¹s 3-0 whitewash, one of only two games Wenger has lost this season,
exposed Arsenal¹s limitations. The ever-cautious Cuper squeezed Robert Pires
and Freddy Ljungberg between his full-backs and his wingers, depriving them
of space and robbing Arsenal of creativity. The offensive onus switched at
the back to Lauren and Ashley Cole, neither of whom was up to the task of
creating genuine danger. Throw in an on-form Francesco Toldo and devastating
counter-attacks and Arsenal were stumped.
Cuper¹s tactics paid off brilliantly that night. In many ways, that Inter
were the ideal team to scupper Arsenal. But Zaccheroni is an entirely
different tactical animal and the Inter side under his guidance is a distant
relative of the one seen at Highbury. What¹s more, he inherited a crew of
players ill-suited to his 3-4-3 formation.
Cuper whinged all summer about needing wingers and Inter chairman Massimo
Moratti bought no fewer than four of them: Andy Van der Meyde, Khalilou
Fadiga, Kily Gonzalez and Luciano. Together with the full-backs Javier
Zanetti, Francesco Coco, Tomas Helveg, Jeremie Brechet and Giovanni
Pasquaele they bring the total of wide players on Inter¹s books to nine S
in a formation which has room for only two.
³We are working towards developing an identity,² says Zaccheroni. ³Of
course, I took over the side in October, which means we need to learn while
playing and that means getting results. I am not going to tailor my side
specifically to Arsenal, but we have to be aware of who we¹re playing and
what their strengths are.²
Arsenal¹s strength this season more than ever has been the ability to
conjure up something even when not firing on all cylinders. It is no
coincidence that the Gunners have come from behind to get a result on five
different occasions in the Premiership this season. It¹s an ability born of
confidence which in turn is the result of familiarity, according to Wenger.
³We fight and we don¹t give up,² says the Frenchman. ³We know each other as
a team and we are confident. And so, when the game appears to be lost we
know that it is not and we fight on.²
That is the kind of performance which is needed at the San Siro for, in the
larger scheme of things, Arsenal are a goal down and the clock is ticking. A
loss would almost certainly spell elimination for the Gunners and even a
draw would leave them at the mercy of results elsewhere. The implications
would be nothing short of disastrous, both for Wenger and for the club.
For the manager, it would mean coming to terms with the fact that, in the
past six seasons, he has reached the quarter-final stage just once. By
contrast, in the same time period, four Spanish clubs (Barcelona, Real
Madrid, Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna), two Italian clubs (Juventus and
Inter Milan), a German club (Bayern Munich) and, of course, Manchester
United have reached that goal at least twice. Whatever platitudes he may
have hid behind in the past ³We need to gain experience in Europe² are
surely no longer valid. And while the two domestic doubles will no doubt
ensure that he will be remembered as one of the great Arsenal managers, his
record in football¹s biggest club competition will remain a black mark
against him.
But the consequences for Arsenal go far deeper. The club¹s financial
situation is far from secure, particularly with the bill for the new stadium
at Ashburton Grove having risen above £400 million. It¹s an open secret that
the reason Wenger spent less than £2m over the summer is directly linked to
the cost of the new venture, which is struggling to attract investors.
Losing out on a Champions League pay-day could mean up to an additional £15m
in lost revenue. Which would lead to another shoestring transfer campaign,
which, in turn, could lead to a vicious cycle of underachievement.
All of this is not lost on Inter. ³They must come here and attack us and
that¹s okay, because we prefer opponents who take us on rather than those
who sit back,² says Materazzi. ³There is less cash going around but, if you
want to stay competitive, you need to strengthen and that costs money. I
don¹t know of any team who can afford to get knocked out in the first round
of the Champions League and still spend big the next season S well, maybe
Chelsea could, but that¹s it.²
Ordinarily, when you¹re an ill-assorted work in progress like Inter, the
last team you want to be a facing is a club with its back to the wall. Then
again, given Arsenal¹s performances in Europe far more Hyde than Jekyll
and their penchant for early exits, Zaccheroni may well be smiling (and not
out of nerves) on Tuesday night.
www.sundayherald.com/38240
the arrival of an Arsenal team on the attack
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nine weeks can be a long time in football, but only if things change in the
interim. Not much is different at Arsenal since Inter Milan put three past
them at Highbury in the Champions League, at least on the European stage.
Arsene Wenger¹s paper-thin squad are still grinding out results
domestically, persevering as pacesetters despite injuries, suspensions and
assorted adversities.
For Inter, their opponents on Wednesday night, the nine weeks have been an
eternity. Gone is coach Hector Cuper and his rigid 4-4-2 machinations. Gone
also is the, albeit shortlived, top-of-the-table status and the comfort of a
familiar, if sterile, system.
³When you¹re with a manager for more than two years, you develop an
identity,² says Inter defender Marco Materazzi. ³We had one with Cuper. Now
that we have a new manager we need to learn a new way of playing,
particularly since everything is very different now. I wouldn¹t go so far as
to say it¹s scary but, sure, you need to start over.²
Cuper, the Argentine tango expert who never seemed to smile, is gone for
good. In fact, he¹s at a dance camp near Buenos Aires of all places,
practising his moves no word on whether he has a red rose clenched between
his teeth in an effort to forget all about Inter.
In his place, Inter have handed the reins to Alberto Zaccheroni, who took
crosstown rivals AC Milan to their last title in 1998/99. Zac, as he is
known in Italy, smiles more than Cuper, though it¹s usually a nervous smile,
like an ignoramus sitting an exam.
Except Zac isn¹t ignorant, his 3-4-3 formation is among the most complicated
and sophisticated you¹ll find in football. And therein lies the problem and,
ultimately, the crucial difference between Arsenal and their Milanese
rivals.
Eight of Arsene Wenger¹s 10 first-choice outfield players are the same as
three seasons back. More than half the starting XI have been together for
five years.
More importantly, the trusty 4-4-2, with the double pivot midfield, fluid
wide men and withdrawn striker is the same as it was in his very first game
in charge. Very little changes in Arsene¹s Wengerland S and while that is
usually a good thing it can be a bad thing as well.
³It¹s funny, before we went to Highbury I watched tapes of Arsenal¹s games
against Roma in last season¹s Champions League,² says Materazzi. ³In Rome,
they played a perfect counter-attacking game, much like we did at Highbury.
They won 3-1 and [Thierry] Henry scored a hat-trick, we won 3-0. One of
their goals was a brilliant free-kick, another took advantage of a defensive
error, the other was a counter-attack. Much like us at Highbury.²
Inter¹s 3-0 whitewash, one of only two games Wenger has lost this season,
exposed Arsenal¹s limitations. The ever-cautious Cuper squeezed Robert Pires
and Freddy Ljungberg between his full-backs and his wingers, depriving them
of space and robbing Arsenal of creativity. The offensive onus switched at
the back to Lauren and Ashley Cole, neither of whom was up to the task of
creating genuine danger. Throw in an on-form Francesco Toldo and devastating
counter-attacks and Arsenal were stumped.
Cuper¹s tactics paid off brilliantly that night. In many ways, that Inter
were the ideal team to scupper Arsenal. But Zaccheroni is an entirely
different tactical animal and the Inter side under his guidance is a distant
relative of the one seen at Highbury. What¹s more, he inherited a crew of
players ill-suited to his 3-4-3 formation.
Cuper whinged all summer about needing wingers and Inter chairman Massimo
Moratti bought no fewer than four of them: Andy Van der Meyde, Khalilou
Fadiga, Kily Gonzalez and Luciano. Together with the full-backs Javier
Zanetti, Francesco Coco, Tomas Helveg, Jeremie Brechet and Giovanni
Pasquaele they bring the total of wide players on Inter¹s books to nine S
in a formation which has room for only two.
³We are working towards developing an identity,² says Zaccheroni. ³Of
course, I took over the side in October, which means we need to learn while
playing and that means getting results. I am not going to tailor my side
specifically to Arsenal, but we have to be aware of who we¹re playing and
what their strengths are.²
Arsenal¹s strength this season more than ever has been the ability to
conjure up something even when not firing on all cylinders. It is no
coincidence that the Gunners have come from behind to get a result on five
different occasions in the Premiership this season. It¹s an ability born of
confidence which in turn is the result of familiarity, according to Wenger.
³We fight and we don¹t give up,² says the Frenchman. ³We know each other as
a team and we are confident. And so, when the game appears to be lost we
know that it is not and we fight on.²
That is the kind of performance which is needed at the San Siro for, in the
larger scheme of things, Arsenal are a goal down and the clock is ticking. A
loss would almost certainly spell elimination for the Gunners and even a
draw would leave them at the mercy of results elsewhere. The implications
would be nothing short of disastrous, both for Wenger and for the club.
For the manager, it would mean coming to terms with the fact that, in the
past six seasons, he has reached the quarter-final stage just once. By
contrast, in the same time period, four Spanish clubs (Barcelona, Real
Madrid, Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna), two Italian clubs (Juventus and
Inter Milan), a German club (Bayern Munich) and, of course, Manchester
United have reached that goal at least twice. Whatever platitudes he may
have hid behind in the past ³We need to gain experience in Europe² are
surely no longer valid. And while the two domestic doubles will no doubt
ensure that he will be remembered as one of the great Arsenal managers, his
record in football¹s biggest club competition will remain a black mark
against him.
But the consequences for Arsenal go far deeper. The club¹s financial
situation is far from secure, particularly with the bill for the new stadium
at Ashburton Grove having risen above £400 million. It¹s an open secret that
the reason Wenger spent less than £2m over the summer is directly linked to
the cost of the new venture, which is struggling to attract investors.
Losing out on a Champions League pay-day could mean up to an additional £15m
in lost revenue. Which would lead to another shoestring transfer campaign,
which, in turn, could lead to a vicious cycle of underachievement.
All of this is not lost on Inter. ³They must come here and attack us and
that¹s okay, because we prefer opponents who take us on rather than those
who sit back,² says Materazzi. ³There is less cash going around but, if you
want to stay competitive, you need to strengthen and that costs money. I
don¹t know of any team who can afford to get knocked out in the first round
of the Champions League and still spend big the next season S well, maybe
Chelsea could, but that¹s it.²
Ordinarily, when you¹re an ill-assorted work in progress like Inter, the
last team you want to be a facing is a club with its back to the wall. Then
again, given Arsenal¹s performances in Europe far more Hyde than Jekyll
and their penchant for early exits, Zaccheroni may well be smiling (and not
out of nerves) on Tuesday night.
www.sundayherald.com/38240
