Beautiful enough for Milan on night of frustration

Marc Fox

While Tuesday was certainly another chastening night in the Champions League for Arsenal fans, there was a creeping feeling come Thursday morning that the Gunners were not the only team without a Plan B.

Indeed, as Barcelona dinked the ball back and forth on the edge of Milan's penalty box during their 2-0 loss to the Italians, there were increasing references to their Champions League exit to Chelsea at the semi-final stage last season and to their inability to alter tactics in the face of looming adversity.

Of course, such a fixed-wheel tactical plan throughout - regardless of the perilous state of the game - has been frequently lauded as Barca's premier attribute over the past five seasons of utter European dominance.

But an approach so set-in-stone looks fallible when a Champions League exit at the quarter-final stage now appears a distinct possibility, despite assistant coach, Jordi Roura, stating that he is "absolutely convinced" his side will still go through.

Milan executed their tactical plan to the letter: keeping the runaway Spanish leaders at arm's length in the first half before scoring twice, through Kevin Prince-Boateng and Sulley Muntari, in the second period.

It was beautiful enough for Milan fans, despite the assertions of their captain Massimo Ambrosini.

"We played in a certain way tonight but against Barcelona you have to play like that. Maybe it's not aesthetically beautiful, it's not very nice to watch, but they force you to play like that," he told uefa.com after the match.

"History tells you that Barcelona have been eliminated in this competition only by teams who faced them in this certain way."

Again, Chelsea's stoic but unspectacular victory last year was a clear reference point for Milan's game plan that restricted the visitors to just two shots on target the whole match and left Lionel Messi impotent.

Massimiliano Allegri, the Milan coach, somewhat skirted the subject of the approach of his side by urging the players to "enjoy this beautiful night" ahead of the Milan derby on Sunday and the next leg in Camp Nou.

That - despite a two-goal advantage - is certain to be a stiffer challenge. "We know we will have to play a certain kind of game at the Camp Nou because if you only defend there sooner or later you concede a goal. We will have to try to be more positive than tonight," said Ambrosini.

Arsenal, by contrast, take a two-goal disadvantage to Munich after a battering at home in the first leg tie.

While Arsene Wenger's waning side are by no means certain of capturing a top four finish in the Premier League this year, the form of Bayern, the Bundesliga leaders by some 15 points, is ominous - and that's before the Bavarians welcome Pep Guardiola next season.

Arsenal, despite the class of Mueller, Kroos et al. on show for the visitors, are a shadow of their former selves, and questions of Wenger's rigid tactical plan, not to mention his motivation skills, are rightly being asked.

"They are one of the best teams I've faced. We were always chasing the game," said striker Theo Walcott, while captain Thomas Vermaelen speculated about Arsenal's work ethic and tactical acumen.

"Bayern are disciplined and work hard as a team. That's the key," the Belgian defender said.

"They are a strong team, they all know their jobs and they did that perfectly."

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