Arsenal - Villarreal: Let's Talk

[RiverPlateHincha]

I'll start by saying that I'm definately a Villa fan, I've been following them ever since I found out the strong Argentine influence they have (since I'm from there), but I'm also a fan of good football so I'd like to get everyone's input on this matchup.

I know a fair amount about Arsenal; the obvious fact of how much of a threat Henry is. What about Cesc? He's been hot lately, and I know Reyes can do a lot but he's banned for the first match. Are Cole/Campbell going to be back by then? What the hell happened to them, injuries? And even if they're fit, would Wenger even play them since the youngsters have been doing such an amazing job (Juve/Madrid couldn't score 1 goal on them, incredible).

Arsenal from what I hear love to keep the ball and play with it, and I know Villarreal is also a very technical team so this should be good. Villareal loves to attack, especially from the wings, and Arsenal has a good counter-attack, I'm not sure how much of a factor that will be.

Talent-wise, I personally think Villareal has just as much, if not more, then Arsenal. Obviously Arsenal has a lot of inexperienced youngsters (even though they've been playing great in the CL thus far), while Villarreal has plenty of experienced players. Arsenal have one of the best forwards, while Villa have one of the best midfielders. I think it's a very even battle in all 3 areas of the field, so the match will come down to how efficient the teams can be.

The key IMO will be how the Arsenal defense can keep their ground. If they do the job they have been so far, they should be able to keep a cleansheet or allow 1 goal, and score a few in the counter. If Villarreal can get a few past, they are more than capable of keeping their lead.

Should be good; even as a Villarreal fan, I think either Arsenal is going to run all over them, or Villareal will pull a historic one. Can't wait.

[billyireland]

I'll start by saying that I'm definately a Villa fan, I've been following them ever since I found out the strong Argentine influence they have (since I'm from there), but I'm also a fan of good football so I'd like to get everyone's input on this matchup.I'll try to give you a quick rundown...

I know a fair amount about Arsenal; the obvious fact of how much of a threat Henry is. What about Cesc? He's been hot lately, and I know Reyes can do a lot but he's banned for the first match. Are Cole/Campbell going to be back by then? What the hell happened to them, injuries? And even if they're fit, would Wenger even play them since the youngsters have been doing such an amazing job (Juve/Madrid couldn't score 1 goal on them, incredible). Cesc is an extremely talented player. Arsenal got him from Barca's youth team a few years back, and despite the fact he is only 18/19, his strengths are usually those you see from players in their mid/late 20s. His reading of the game, vision, and long-range passing is immaculate at present. Hew works hard and covers a good deal of the pitch for them, too. doesn't score a whole lot, though. Still a great player.

Campbell has had a good few injury problems over these last two seasons, and those combined with age and some rumours about his sexuality that reportedly almost made him retire have led to him being a shadow of his former self. He, along withb Nesta & Stam, was one of the top 3 CBs in the world for a good number of years, but those days seem to be over.

Ashley Cole is out injured, and has been since December, iirc. His backup (Gael Clichy) is also out injured, but central midfielder Mattheiu Flamini has filled in quite well there, recently.

Arsenal's long-time RB (Lauren) has been out for most of the season with an injury too, but watch out for the guy that has taken him place in Emmanuel Eboue, who has been unreal. Watching his pace against Sorin's experience is going to be a great battle.

Arsenal from what I hear love to keep the ball and play with it, and I know Villarreal is also a very technical team so this should be good. Villareal loves to attack, especially from the wings, and Arsenal has a good counter-attack, I'm not sure how much of a factor that will be.Arsenal love to play short, quick passes at an extremely high pace... sometimes to a fault (they have often been criticised for 'wanting to pass the ball into the net' and 'trying to score the perfect goal). Your defenders will need to be at their sharpest, or they might just blaze right by you.

I'll leave it to the Arsenal fans from here. ;)

[ilovefotball]

Arsenal and Villarreal both have fair chances in this game. Both of them play very good football and Both of them have class players in henry and riquelme who can make all the difference, it is all about who is going to have the day.

[Sothis]

I don't know very much about Villareal except that they contributed to putting Manchester United out at the group stage and put out Inter, so they deserve a measure of respect immediately for that.

Arsenal have a combination of youth and experience in their squad and have hit form at the best possible time. They outplayed both Real Madrid and Juventus and any claims that Henry goes missing in big games... well, I refer to the goals against Real and Juventus.

I'd certainly have to favour Arsenal based on their current form and the sides they've played and beaten so far in this competition.