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Posts Tagged ‘andres iniesta’

Fears that Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger might take a cautious approach to their teams’ encounter in the Champions League have been lessened by the managers’ statements. Barcelona will not change their style in order to win because their present methods have already proven effective. Guardiola is confident that regardless of who plays in the team, the Spanish giants will have the means of stopping the Gunners. This would be the main reason why the absence of Andres Iniesta might not prove too worrisome for Guardiola as the reserves will step up for the task. A selection headache would be his main issue since he has to pick one player to come in.

Arsene Wenger will never demand that his Arsenal players adopt pragmatism over a sense of adventure. Instead, the Frenchman seeks a perfect football style and wants his players to play to win. That means having the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri to express their full array of attacking qualities. There is a doubt over the availability of Fabregas for the match. However he is confident the lynchpin of the team will be ready to lead his current club against his former team. There might be affiliations between the teams but there will be no love lost on the pitch.

Two past legends from the London club will feature in each of the two teams involved in the Arsenal Barcelona live on internet and there will be references to their past. Frenchman Thierry Henry was part of an effervescent Arsenal team that dominated English football for a considerable time. The striker is now with Barcelona playing out his twilight years. Then there is Sol Campbell who returned to the Gunners and now faces an ironic rematch against Barcelona whom he scored against in the 2006 Champions League final involving the clubs. There will be high emotions for the two players but for 90 minutes, they will only have winning on their minds.

Concerns over the approach that Arsenal and Barcelona might adopt in their Champions League tie to lean towards safety might have been assuaged by the teams’ coaches before the match. The Catalan club have always stuck to their same approach since they keep winning even if it might not be defensively the best. Guardiola is confident that regardless of who plays in the team, the Spanish giants will have the means of stopping the Gunners. This would be the main reason why the absence of Andres Iniesta might not prove too worrisome for Guardiola as the reserves will step up for the task. His only problem now would be who to pick from a fine selection of capable substitutes to fill the gap.

Arsenal manager Wenger has never once asked his players to play with a desire not to lose. Instead, the Frenchman seeks a perfect football style and wants his players to play to win. That means having the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri to express their full array of attacking qualities. Wenger might have some worries over the fitness of Fabregas. However he is confident the lynchpin of the team will be ready to lead his current club against his former team. There might be affiliations between the teams but there will be no love lost on the pitch.

There will be two aging legends on both sides in the Arsenal vs Barcelona live football stream match that will provide a poignant reminder of past glories between them. Thierry Henry will be receiving the most attention for being one of the greatest Arsenal players ever to have turned out for them. Henry is now plying his trade with Barcelona as he should finish his European career there. Sol Campbell left and rejoined the Gunners and will face Barcelona again after having been involved in the 2006 Champions League and scoring the sole Gunners goal in that defeat. Both players will go through an emotional moment during the match, but will have no illusions about their obligation to their teams.