Ars�ne Wenger fielded an inexperienced XI but Robin van Persie, Gervinho and Theo Walcott were a potent force up front
Over the Franco-Italian border there would have been three players watching the match in Udine with a particular concern for Arsenal's fortunes. By maintaining their interest in this season's Champions League, the north London club provided an upbeat answer to any questions that may have been in the minds of prospective transfer targets, particularly in respect of the morale of a lately beleaguered squad.
Yann M'Vila, Rennes' France international holding midfield player, and his compatriot Marvin Martin of Sochaux, the latter recently preferred to Samir Nasri by Laurent Blanc, are the objects of Ars�ne Wenger's interest, as is Eden Hazard, Lille's Belgian playmaker. Their current employers have made unhelpful noises, but Ars�ne Wenger has the money to spend from the transfers of Nasri and Cesc F�bregas, and French clubs ? with the exception of the Qatar-funded Paris Saint-Germain ? are not in a position to turn away large cheques. Now the players have the incentive, too.
Wenger sometimes seems to place an undue emphasis on acquiring players from the French league, but M'Vila and Martin, both now key members of a national side successfully rebuilt by Laurent Blanc since the World Cup disaster, would be excellent acquisitions, while Hazard has a high reputation in Europe. Arsenal's success in making progress to the group stage of the Champions League will have made a move to north London seem more attractive to those players ? and perhaps to others already in the Premier League, such as Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill, on whom Wenger also has an eye.
Last night's brave approach provided the best possible answer to their critics, including this one. With a denuded midfield and a spatchcocked defence, Arsenal put the tactical emphasis on the only outfield unit ? the front three ? to consist entirely of first-choice players, and were rewarded for their adventure when, after going behind, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott scored goals worth at least �25m.
Five of Wenger's starting players in this match were aged 21 or under and it was one of them, the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who gave his side the additional boost of a tremendous penalty save early in the second half. A second goal for Antonio Di Natale at that point would have lent further momentum to Udinese's efforts.
Eight days ago, Arsenal had taken the lead in the fourth minute of the first leg, and last night they could have doubled the lead in less than half that time, from the same source. Just over a minute and a half had gone when Theo Walcott drifted through in the inside-right position, just as he had done in the first match. This time, the ball was at his feet, rather than arriving in the form of a cross, but his firm shot was directed straight at Samir Handanovic.
From the look of the team sheet, with Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong lining up together as a midfield shield, it seemed fair to assume that Wenger had selected a side to preserve the lead on to which his players had clung with such difficulty at home. Picking two defensive midfield players is not his usual style, but with so much at stake he could hardly have been blamed for the measure of caution indicated by doubling up in front of the back four.
Yet Arsenal began the match in a mood of seemingly carefree optimism. Walcott's early chance was just one example of the initiative shown by Wenger's forwards, who poured forward at every opportunity. Half an hour later, the impressive Gervinho created another good chance, turning on the left of the penalty area before squaring the ball to the unmarked Walcott, foiled again by Udinese's Slovenian goalkeeper.
Deprived of F�bregas, Nasri and ? temporarily ? Jack Wilshere in recent matches, Arsenal have been showing signs of employing a more direct, fast-breaking approach. No bad thing, some would suggest, particularly if a less intricate style were to enable them to make greater use of the ability of Gervinho and Walcott to take on the last line of defence at pace. But chances have to be taken, and with one lethal, looping header Di Natale, the home side's figurehead, threatened to make them pay for their profligacy.
In the early stages, as part of Arsenal's positive policy, Song and Frimpong were operating not as twin shields but in the style of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, alternating their roles as one held while the other ventured forward. Long before Di Natale's brilliantly contrived goal, however, occasional moments of chaos in Wenger's defence ? with Carl Jenkinson making only his second start for the club, and Bacary Sagna out of position at left-back ? had given their opponents plenty of encouragement. But on a very big night for Arsenal, the forwards did their job.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/24/arsenal-forwards-champions-league-udinese
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