AC Milan Scrape Through As Arsenal Show Their Strength

Arsenal were only a goal away from completing an epic comeback at the Emirates stadium. Milan held a 4 goal advantage on aggregate but saw their lead reduced to only 1 goal by half-time. The Italians came out much calmer and more organized in the second half and were able to maintain their slim lead to ensure their qualification to the Champions League Quarter-Final.

Arsene Wenger effectively only had 13 players to choose from as the Arsenal squad has been riddled with injuries. Diaby, Benayoun, Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere, Santos, and  Mertesacker, were all unavailable for selection. There were also doubts about whether Rosicky and Gibbs would feature in the game. Wenger tried to field his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, but it would also turn into a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-4 due to the natural position and mentality of the players on the pitch.

Allegri didn’t have an easier time with his squad selection either as Milan have also been struggling with injuries throughout the season. The unavailability of Kevin-Prince Boateng due to injury, and the suspension of Ambrosini, meant that Allegri couldn’t field his preferred formation. Acquilani was an option, but he wasn't fit enough to for 90 minutes so with only 3 midfielders to choose from, Allegri had little choice but to deploy a 4-3-3 formation. 

 Arsenal didn’t waste any time getting into the game as they went into overdrive from the first minute pressuring Milan’s defense and midfield and controlling the ball well. They saw their efforts pay off in the 6^th minute from their second corner kick of the game. Laurent Koscielny gave Mark Van Bommel the run around and met Chamberlain’s cross with a precise header into the net.

AC Milan looked shaken up by the early goal, just the start that Arsenal needed to mount a historic comeback. Arsenal continued their attacking pressure and had a great attempt from Van Persie saved by Abbiati. They played the offside trap well, and pushed high up the field, forcing the confused Milan side into playing aimless long balls. In the 26^th minute, Arsenal got their second goal from a poor clearance by Thiago Silva deep in his own box after Mesbah failed to close down Walcott for yet another time. Rosicky controlled the ball well and finished it off with a right footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net. Arsenal were half-way there, and it wasn’t even half-time yet.

Milan tried to break Arsenal’s momentum several times during the game by playing short easy passes in their own half, but the fear that consumed the Italians combined with the high pressure from Arsenal rendered that tactic ineffective. Mesbah continued his display of atrocious defending by conceding a penalty as he obstructed Walcott’s run. Van Persie steps up to the spot and makes it 3-0 on the 43^rd minute.  

A Déjà vu moment for Milan fans as memories from their dramatic exit to Deportivo in 2004 were brought to life, squandering a 4-1 home lead, to lose 4-0 away. After-all , the last time Milan were down 3-0 at half time in the Champions League was at Deportivo, a game which they would go on to lose 4-0.

Milan managed to create a great chance in the remaining time that would've put them at east, but El-Shaarawy squandered it wide.

Half-time was intense for both sets of fans, Arsenal only need 1 more goal to equalize, and the way things are going, they could score 2 or 3! Milan seems nervous and disorganized, and they only have 15 minutes to sort themselves out.

In the second half, Milan looked much more confident in possession. They tightened up at the back, closed down effectively, and started to get back into the game. Whatever it is the coach said at half-time seemed to work. It wasn’t until the 59^th minute that Arsenal had their first and only chance of the second half as Van Bommel was dispossessed by Rosicky in midfield which gave way to a 3v2 opportunity on the counter attack. Abbiati conjured up a miraculous double-save to first deflect Gervinho’s shot and then block Van Persie’s chip.

Milan made the first substitution on the 70^th minute, bringing on Aquilani for El Shaarawy. This meant that Allegri changed to his preferred  4-3-1-2 system with Nocerino moving to the left side of midfield and Emmanuelson playing behind the two strikers.Wenger made 2 forced substitutions due to injuries. Chamakh was brought on to replace Chamberlain on the 75^th minute, and Park-Chu Young took the place of Walcott. With that, Arsenal effectively subbed off their two most effective players as their substitutes had no impact on the game.

With more men in midfield, and with the Arsenal players beginning to tire, Milan began to dominate the game and went on to create 4 chances, one of which was a sitter that Nocerino couldn't convert. The game finally ended without much pressure on Milan’s goal as one would’ve expected in the dying minutes of the game.

AC Milan got away with a terrible performance in the first half. They will perhaps be humbled by this defeat as they made the same mistake that Arsenal did in the first leg… They thought it was going to be easy.

Closing Points:

·         Arsenal attacked Milan’s weak point focusing most of their attacks down the right (Milan’s left), which is what they should’ve done in the first leg as well.

·         Mesbah had a terrible Champions League debut. Walcott and Chamberlain beat him almost every time. He failed to block the cross that led to the second goal, and had his back to the ball as he conceded the penalty. Mesbah also added no value when he pushed forward, lost the ball a few times and exposed his team to dangerous attacks from his side.

·         Koscielny and Vermaelen had a great game and were successful in limiting Ibrahimovic’s danger, but the striker looked tired and wasn’t having a good game; He was caught offside 6 times and lost the ball on many occasions. This was partly due to the unnatural position he was required to play in for most of the game.

·         Van Bommel’s yellow card in the 5^th minute of the game tamed him for the rest of the match as he couldn’t use as much muscle as he’d like without the risk of getting himself sent off.  This gave Arsenal a good advantage in midfield.

·         Robinho is not effective when he plays in the center of a 4-3-3. Ibrahimovic in the center, with Robinho and El-Shaarawy on either side would’ve been a much more suitable strategy.