Written by Filip Urbancík Thursday, 17 February 2011 20:27

GunnerTalk Blog

Wojciech Szczesny (8)

Before the match I thought maybe it could be too much for this young goalkeeper but he was rock solid. Absolutely great reading of the game, he cleared every dangerous situation in front of goal with cool head and pure skill. He kept us alive and there´s a big chance he will stay between the sticks even when Fabianski recovers. The best thing is, there is still lot to come from him!

Emanuel Eboue (7)

Everyone wanted to see Sagna on the pitch but we had to field Eboue and he played very well. A very solid display from him, he made some mistakes but he kept many dangerous situations far from our goal and he also tried to support attack smartly. He lost few balls a bit too easily in the first half but this match suited him, he was enjoying it and reminded all of us we have 2 very solid right backs.

Laurent Koscielny,  Johan Djourou (7,5)

To rate these two players together is the best thing I can do tonight. I must admit I was little bit scared before the match. A centre back from Lorient and another who missed almost whole season last year against one of the best attacking football styles on the planet, that was a question mark. BUT these CBs played very well on the night. They made a mistake when Barcelona scored because the last man was Clichy but overall great performance from them. Vermealen has been recovering very well in last few weeks so if everybody stays fit we will have a solid defence which can fight for the title.

Gael Clichy (7,5)

He had to stop many dangerous situations from Pedro and co. but his cooperation with Koscielny and Szczesny was fantastic and he dealt with the pressure very well. It was really hard for him to create something in the first half because he was outnumbered very often. He worked even harder in the second half and his display was outstanding. Rock solid at the back with many great runs forward. This is the old Clichy as we use to see, great.

Alex Song (7,5)

The yellow card at the beginning of the match was needless. Messi was in a dangerous position but there were our CBs to cover him. He was fighting for the team but he could have damaged our chances if he’d got sent off. Fortunately Fabregas was there to cool him down. Very good defensive work, gave almost no chance to Messi. I was worried when he came off but he was on a yellow.   

Jack Wilshere (8,5) MOTM

I can tell you that we have blind commentators in the Czech Republic (I think we are not the only country with this problem) but even they admitted that Jack was one of the best players on the pitch and everyone agreed with it. Before the match my thoughts were; Jack plays very well but Barcelona would be too much for him but I am more than happy to be wrong in this occasion. Great passing, his movement on and off the ball was outstanding, he wasn´t scared to play against 2-4 players and he still managed to keep the ball on his foot and made something of it. Great game reading combined with accurate passes. He looks older on the pitch because you can´t believe he is only 19. God let him stay without big injuries in his career and he will be one of the greatest players Arsenal ever had. MOTM for me and for most of the people in official pole also.

Cesc Fabregas (8)

He wanted it so much that it worked against him. Your motivation can easily blind you and you only think about the result and not about the game. Don´t get me wrong his performance was on a very high level but he needed something special. It must be hard for Cesc to play against Barca but he played very well, maybe little bit too deep but pretty well. He wasn´t scared to fight for the ball, with the players or the referee. Very decent game for him, I just hope he will be able to play more football in the second leg.

Theo Walcott (7,5)

Remember last year when Theo scored that fantastic goal? He created a lot from his position and served the team well. When we needed him to attack he attacked when we needed him to defend he defended pretty well. It could have been much tougher for Eboue but for Walcott. We could talk about his ability to run at people all day but he was a real threat for Barcelona defence, also played with his heart for the club. When he was substituted I wasn´t sure but AW knew what he was doing (AGAIN!). There´s still lot to come from Theo and it´s good when you see player paying back the faith of the manager.

Samir Nasri (7,5)

It was a bit risky to involve Nasri in the starting XI but it was a good decision. Fully concentrated on the game, his passing and combinations with Cesc were great. I thought he was slightly off form but then that run and the pass for Arshavin was outstanding. I just hope he didn´t have any knocks and AW will rest him for the FA Cup tie against Orient.

Robin van Persie (8,5)

You could see why Robin wanted to play attacking football instead of defending but he just had to be closer to our defenders, more than he wanted. Our passing was intercepted very well in first 20 or 30 minutes but Robin made the best of the low number of chances. The shot after lobbed ball was coolly taken, just hit Valdez. Pressure was on him as he wanted to keep his form and he showed everyone what he is capable of. As the commentators said and later I realised, it brought Bergkamp´s goals back to my mind. A Coolly taken goal with great power and accuracy. I thought he was going to cross the ball, so did Valdez! When I was madly shaking on the floor I saw Robin running straight to Arsene. It was a very emotional celebration and when I saw it in the highlights I had tears in my eyes. The goal was relief and gave us much needed hope.

Substitutions:

Andrey Arshavin (7,5)

I am not sure if it is fair to give him points because he wasn´t on the pitch for so long but scored a crucial goal. He showed he cares about his club. When he was in this kind of situation so many times lately , he just fired it up above the goal but tonight he fully concentrated on the shot and struck it brilliantly. Pure happiness all around the world! He also managed to take corner kicks well but almost screwed up all the hard work. Fortunately there was Szczesny who saved our smiles and put nightmares into spuds heads

Nicklas Bendtner (6,5)

Something had changed when he came on because there was more power in the middle of the pitch and also on the wings. I really wanted Walcott to stay but Wenger knew what he was doing. Nicklas gave us power upfront and also held the ball far from our goal. If there were some dangerous set pieces he could defend them in the wall. Maybe he left his ego home and realised he must do the talking on the pitch.