Arsenal advanced to the Champions League semifinal with an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Sporting CP. But it really doesn’t matter how you get there, just that you get there. The Gunners have advanced to the semis in consecutive seasons for the first time in club history. Y’all know as well as I that our club has a long, storied history. You don’t get a trophy for making the semifinal but to get there in consecutive seasons for the first time ever (and with an injury-limited side both times), is something.
It was not an enjoyable watch, but at this point of the season, the result is all that matters. And hey, when you’ve held the opposing team to 0.3 xG in a match in which they had to score to stay in the competition, you’ve done something right. Arsenal’s brilliant defense lends itself well to knockout competitions. The defenders (and the midfielders in front of them) deserve all the praise for a scintillating performance that kept Sporting, one of the more free-scoring sides in Europe, at arms length for 90 minutes today and 180 in the tie. Before facing Arsenal, Sporting had been shutout once all season. Now, they’ve been shutout three times.
The attack still needs a shot in the arm, but you can’t say enough about the overall response from the team. There have been some body-blow results lately — the loss in the Carabao Cup final, going out of the FA cup, the loss to Bournemouth at the weekend — it’s not tough to imagine the team crumbling under the combination of the psychological hits from those results, the injuries, the fatigue, and the weight of expectation. But this bunch are fighters, man. Under the bright lights of the Champions League, they took care of business.
Cristhian Mosquera (who is Spanish, if you know you know) and Piero Hincapie were magnificent. You cannot say enough about how well the backup fullbacks played. With Declan Rice clearly not at 100%, Martin Zubimendi stepped up and had his best outing in a while. The central midfielder looked re-energized and much more involved than he has in weeks. The Spaniard’s job was made easier by Ebere Eze shouldering some of the tempo-setting and ball-progressing load, particularly in the first half. Arsenal with one of Eze or Ødegaard are a completely different side than Arsenal without either of them.
Gabriel Martinelli worked tirelessly, as he always does, without the ball. Noni Madueke had bright moments going forward before being forced off with what looked like a knee issue in the second half (sustained on an uncalled foul). Gabriel Jesus played as well as he has all season in a 20-minute cameo. The ball stuck to him like glue, which helped Arsenal keep the ball in the attacking third, and he created a couple decent chances turning the corner in the box.
The team played as if they understood the task at hand: keep Sporting off the board, book a place in the semifinal. The onus was on Sporting to make something happen, and they didn’t. They hit the post with an incredibly difficult volley that turned out to be a mishit slice off the shin that I maintain one of David Raya or William Saliba would have blocked had it been on frame. They put a shot at least 6 inches wide with the final kick of the game that, again, I’d bet David Raya had covered. And that was it. Speaking of David Raya, he had two egregious giveaways, one of which nearly created a gilt-edged chance for Sporting. The less said about those, the better. He’s gotten them out of his system for Sunday, right?
Sporting were constantly turned away before they could reach their attacking third by a combination of Arsenal’s pressing and middle-third structure. When they did find a way through, a defender slowed the attack down, the rest of the team recovered, and the Arsenal goal wasn’t much threatened. It was a reassuring turn towards the obstinate, stalwart Arsenal side we’ve come to expect.
The side is still well off their level from the fall, when they were the consensus best team in Europe. They’re probably not going to get back to that this season given injuries and fatigue. But tonight’s performance showed they’ve got more to give (somehow) and that they’re going to keep battling. This was a gutsy, impressive performance and the response I was desperate to see. It’s all about the results. Hopefully they get a few reinforcements before Sunday!
