re: Champion's League 1/4 final: Barca vs Arsenal

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questionable PK imo, and definitely not a red card.

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Total BS red card, but I feel it was a penalty.

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yeah that's pretty much how I feel. it was textbook infringement, but the intent to do so seemed to be absent as puyol was moving toward him.

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If the penalty is called it has to be a red card, since puyol was almost the last defender in the box..
It was a harsh penalty though!..

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Maybe we should slot in big Alex Song at CB for the final to replace Gallas in order to avoid Sol Campbell

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that seemed like a good idea last night until he got caught just watching Xavi loft a ball over Ibra's simple run forward for his second goal. He's turned into a helluva DCM, but I don't think he knows the correct tactics and positioning well enough to thrive as a CB. gonna have to rely on one of those bald black bastards to be CB.

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yeah I wish he wouldve let someone else take it and then not hobble around on the pitch for 10 more minutes. who knows what sort of damage couldve been negated had he just left the field when the initial fracture occurred.

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I thought he did it taking the penalty (he came off his standing leg and landed on his weakened right leg) not kicking Puyol, otherwise I can't see how he'd even have made the run up.

ETA: misread your post...

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Wenger has a serious dilemma in choosing his side. Not only in who slides into Center Back to fill the void left by Gallas

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I would tend to agree with the earlier poster about Song not being aware positionally which lead to the second goal, but Sol is so slow I think he'd get destroyed by Barca's front line. I'd so with Song in the back and hope that by knowing he'll be playing CB all game that he would be more aware when playing that role in the Nou Camp than he was yesterday. Another option/more desperate option would be to play Sagna at CB and Eboue at RB. He has played it previously in his career and is adept enough positionally to play the role, the worry there being he'd be outsized by Ibra.

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The available options with Nasri sliding into the center from the wing are: Rosicky, Walcott, and Eboue.
Rosicky is the best choice for out on the left, seeing as the other two are pretty much only right sided players. But the biggest problem is that Walcott usually never starts and only comes on as a late game sub, Eboue can start every now and again, but even be is relied upon as being a substitute. Rosicky, on the other hand, has yet to play a cmplete game. So in those three you have three players who have yet to go a full 90 in important fixtures. And now, two of those three will be tasked with going a full 90.

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Obviously Nasri will start in the Fabregas position, and judging by the form he is in presently, it may not be much of a dropoff. The dropoff will be from who takes Nasri's spot on the wing. Bendtner is a lock to play at one of the up front positions. Does Wenger try to take advantage of an less experienced CB pairing (assuming Milito and whoever else plays CB haven't played together much, if any, and have less comfort playing together than Pique and Puyol not to mention the dip in talent) by putting a fox in the box like Eduardo up front as well? Or does he stick with the more conservative approach and go with Rosicky up top on the left? In an attempt to get more possession (considering Arsenal can't survive at the Nou Camp with Barca holding the ball 68% of the time), I would think Arsene would go with more of a 4-5-1 than an outright 4-3-3. In that case I see the lineup being

Almunia
Sagna-Song-Vermaelen-Clichy
Eboue-Diaby-Nasri-Denilson-Rosicky
Bendtner

In years past a 4-5-1 has been our European formation, so this would not surprise me. Rosicky won't play the full 90 so I could see Eduardo (and Walcott, obviously) coming on late to make the lineup more attacking. Is Fran Merida still injured? If he is healthy, he very well might be the third attacking substitute, which would be another "coming back home" occasion.