The two clubs may have very different views about finishing fourth last season, but they are more alike than many believe, suggesting a superb contest ahead over the next 10 days
COMMENT
By Kris Voakes
They come from separate countries, have very different reputations and boast hugely contrasting infrastructures, but when Arsenal and Udinese clash at the Emirates Stadium tonight they will be sharing a very common goal.
With a pass to the Champions League group stage up for grabs, the two sides go in to perhaps their most important game of the season having only played one competitive game between them in the campaign so far. However, Arsene Wenger and Francesco Guidolin will need to have their players fit and firing, as both coaches will be more than aware of the consequences should their respective club miss out on the glamour ties that lie in wait for the winners.
However, their desire to reach the elite final 32 is not the only common ground between the two clubs, as Arsenal will look to take a vital first-leg advantage to Udine next week to take on an outfit with whom they can draw countless parallels.
It has always been an aim - nay, an obsession - of Arsene Wenger's that his team must play good football, and it took him little time after his arrival in 1996 before his side became notorious for being the most attractive club in the Premier League.
The trophies may have dried up, and the big name players may be less prevalent in the Gunners' squad these days, but they are as committed as ever to playing their football in the right way.
Over in Udine, the Zebrette have become widely renowned as the best team to watch in Italy over the last couple of years. Though they don't dominate games in the same way as Arsenal, and until last season their win column was nowhere near as jam-packed, their excellent approach on the break, superior command of the ball, and their technical and tactical ability in managing to constantly stretch opponents, has seen many draw comparisons between them and the north Londoners.
In recent times Arsenal have become almost as well known for their defensive issues as they are for their wonderful style of play. Missing Thomas Vermaelen for the majority of last season, the Gunners struggled when choosing between Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djorou and Sebastien Squillaci. The side conceded 43 league goals - 58 in all competitions - despite the comparative lack of possession afforded to opponents.
Arsenal's defensive record in the league matched that of the Friulani, whose 43 conceded tended to come in clusters against sides who were able to ask serious questions of their back-line. They went down 4-0 to Juventus and 5-2 against Fiorentina, while they also squandered the lead twice to draw 4-4 with AC Milan, proving that they can be found out at times. They lost perhaps their best defender this summer when Cristian Zapata was sold to Villarreal, though one bright star last term was Moroccan centre-back Mehdi Benatia. He will be joined in the new campaign by Danilo after his purchase from Palmeiras, but it will be an untried partnership which takes on Arsenal's rapid-fire front-line over the two legs.
While Arsene Wenger's masterplan based around the acquisition of young stars for the future has drawn praise and criticism in almost equal measure, Udinese have built a model over a number of years that is not too dissimilar.
With an excellent worldwide scouting network having been set up, the Friuli side have become known for their ability to groom players and sell them on for huge profit. Even before the summer sales of Alexis Sanchez, Zapata and Gokhan Inler there were names such as David Pizarro, Sulley Muntari, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Asamoah Gyan who came on the cheap and brought in a pretty penny when they left. The great imponderable as to when is the right time to stop selling and start building the club's future around such players is a difficult one to address.
Although Arsenal do not see themselves as a selling club, there is no doubting they have a similar ability to spot and recruit young talent from across the globe. Some recent sales suggest that they are finding the long-term part of Wenger's vision hard to pull off, but while they still have the likes of Jack Wilshere coming through, the justification for the approach remains firmly in place.
| Talismen checking in at Barcelona |
On Sunday night we got our first glimpse of Alexis Sanchez in a Barcelona jersey after his €37.5 million switch from Udinese, while Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas joined him at Camp Nou in a deal worth around €39m on Monday.
The double swoop for the Catalans has left the two sides without their best player going into the new season, and Tuesday's clash is the kind of game in which they would normally have been looking to their respective talismen for a big Champions League performance. As a result, it may well be the side that best fills the recently vacated spot in their line-up who progresses.
Arsenal will look to the likes of Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey to drive the side, while for Udinese it will be down to Mauricio Isla and Giampiero Pinzi to provide the extra support to the right of Antonio Di Natale where Sanchez once caused havoc.
Arsenal are a staple of the Champions League nowadays, having progressed to the knockout stages of the competition for 11 years in succession. Udinese, meanwhile, have qualified for the competition only once before.
The English side were finalists in 2006, standing only 15 minutes away from victory before Barcelona foiled them, and have since made another semi-final in 2009. But their recent trend in the league has seen them slip away as a title challenger, and the result this year is a tricky tie with a club looking to go the other way. Defeat is unthinkable as it would be a major blow to the bank balance in a season when they need to restate their intentions to be title hopefuls once more, or else it may be a long way back.
For Francesco Guidolin's side qualification for the group stage would be seen as a vital step towards justifying their 'long game' model of shopping in the youth market. Now could be the time for them to hold onto some of their better players and become the biggest of the provincial sides looking to challenge Serie A's traditional big three. While Roma, Lazio and Napoli have threatened to break up the triumvirate at the top - and have all even claimed titles in recent history - none have been able to stick around with the bigger clubs.
If Udinese are to ever have any chance of winning silverware, they can't pass up an opportunity like this one. Add to that the lessons learned from Sampdoria last season, who imploded after losing to Werder Bremen in this same fixture and were eventually relegated to Serie B, and it's easy to see the fine lines in Italian football. The Friuli have never known a game this big.
| ALEXIS WHO? | Udinese's biggest threats to Arsenal |
Antonio Di NataleStriker
| Kwadwo AsamoahCentre-midfielder
| Pablo Armero
Left winger
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| Scorer of 57 league goals in two years | Club's best midfielder in successive seasons | A breakout star in 2010-11 campaign |
