Champions League Betting: Barca and Arsenal need more than a pretty face

Champions League / Feizal Rahman / 03 May 2009 / Leave a Comment

Barcelona may have annihilated Real Madrid but their failure to score in the first leg is a psychological blow that could haunt them at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Arsenal must savvy-up fast, says Feizal Rahman.

On the evidence of results this week, the chasm between the Premier League and the rest of Europe continues to widen. With only one German side making the last eight of the Champions League - and not a single Italian representative - it's been left to a Spanish conquistador to redress the balance.

From the abyss, Barcelona remain the one shining light for the continental elite. In a superlative 6-2 annihilation of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening, the Blaugrana played virtual-reality football. Like characters from The Matrix, the most dextrous and complex manoeuvres were instinctively performed with a nonchalance, warping the laws of physics and geometry. It's hard to remember too many previous exhibitions of near perfect football, where everyone and everything simply clicked into place and even the staunchest Madridista would have to admit to the beauty and brilliance of such a display.

Yet, only four nights before, in their Champions League semi final first leg against Chelsea, the free-scoring Catalans were unable to find the net at home for the first time in over a year. Spookily, the last occasion they suffered such ill-fate was the visit of another Premier League side, Manchester United, at the same stage of the same competition last season.

Having dominated the game with two-thirds of possession, Barca were incapable of penetrating the wall of yellow shirts in front of the Chelsea box. Where Lionel Messi was able to glide past the hapless Real Madrid defence like a floating wizard, against Chelsea he found nothing up his sleeve. Criticised for their ultra-defensive tactics, the West London outfit were a far cry from that which silenced the Anfield crowd only three weeks earlier with a stunning 3-1 away win.

Yet, once again, this may have been a tactical master-class from temporary manager, Guus Hiddink. As so painfully discovered by Ricky Hatton in the early hours of Sunday morning, if you dare to go up against a speedier, more skilful opponent with your guard down, you will get knocked out. Barca gave everything in order to take a lead with them to Stamford Bridge but they go there with nothing. For a team that, up until Tuesday evening, had scored in every home game this season, that must be a worrying psychological blow.

Despite this, the La Liga leaders remain favourites to make it to Rome [1.71] to qualify) and, at [2.96] in the outright market, are just shaded by Manchester United ([2.88]) as tournament favourites. However, Chelsea [2.4] to reach final are sure to impose their physical game upon the visitors, as well as maintaining their stubborn resistance at the back, and should they prevail then we are guaranteed another all-English final [2.26].

For the neutral, a Champions League climax without a Barcelona side that has entertained so much would be a travesty of justice. Yet, ultimately the game is about winning and currently it is those in the upper echelons of the Premier League that have everything geared towards victory. While the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City prove that money can't always buy you success, it is no coincidence that Chelsea and Manchester United have the two most expensively assembled squads in Europe.

Arsenal, who are put together at a fraction of the cost of their English rivals, consistently play the most eye-pleasing football in the the English top flight but have won nothing in four seasons. Never likely to play deliberately for a 0-0, the Gunners failed to sparkle in their Champions League semi final at Old Trafford in midweek. With an average age three years younger than their opponents, Arsenal were outwitted by Manchester United's savvier line-up and will require something special in the return leg if they are to cling onto their dreams of a first European cup.

At the semi final stage of any competition, invariably a more calculated approach is required to succeed. It can be of no surprise then that the two happiest managers going into the second leg of their respective ties will be Sir Alex Ferguson and Guus Hiddink - each with a history of tactical proficiency. It's often said that the best teams don't always win the trophies but surely the best team has to be that which wins, regardless of the method.

It's now up to Arsenal and Barcelona to prove they are more than just a pretty face. A repeat of the 2006 final can be backed at [6.2] but a reprise of last year's deciding contest looks the more likely at [3.05] - and with that, the dominance of the Premier League is reinforced.