Player Battles at the Emirates:

With the Champions League all set to return to action this week, 18 Yard Box takes a look at one of the most anticipating clashes of the round. The promising clash has the Gunners facing the giants from Munich, who are still reeling from their defeat in the final to Chelsea in last years' edition .

Presenting the key player battles that could decide the match.

Bacary Sagna v/s Franck Ribery:
 
This is one battle that could prove to be the most vital. Ribery's form is vital to Bayern's penetration down the left flank and Wenger, aware of that will certainly warn Sagna about his fellow Frenchman.
 

The French Connection

Ribery, whose absence in the Final last year proved disastrous to the Bundesliga leaders, seems to get better and better all the time and with full-back David Alaba to back him up, Sagna will surely have a lot to do on the night. If he is able to cut off the provisions to Mario Mandzukic from this talismanic winger, Sagna will claim to have done his job well. For that to happen though, he will not only have to maintain his concentration at all times, but will also need to be positioned properly. Further assistance from Walcott who hardly tracks back will surely be needed. 

The 5’ 7’’ Frenchman’s pace, skill and vision could well prove to be Arsenal’s undoing, and Sagna, one of the best RBs in the EPL, will surely have to put his best performance till now this season to stop him. On the face of it though, in current form, this clash is Ribery’s to lose.

Lukas Podolski v/s Philip Lahm:

If on one flank we will witness a irresistible a French battle, the other flank will showcase the two German's, Podolski and Lahm. Podolski, who will be facing his former team, where he never really settled, will look to prove himself with good creativity for the Gunners. 
 

An all German Affair

In his short span as a Londoner, he has not only endeared himself to the fans with his fantastic displays upfront,but also with his able assistance while defending. Against one of the best right-back's in the world, though, he will have a far tougher time than he has against his domestic opponents. 

Philip Lahm, on the other hand, will also surely be wary of Podolski as he goes about organizing his sides' defense which, in realty is not the strongest in the world, but are yet putting stubborn performances on display. 

Rest assured, he himself will be confident of his adept passing and positioning skills as he attempts to thwart Podolski. It may finally boil down to a test of speed, skill and guile for both and only a rather unusal off night from either of the two will throw up a clear winner.

Jack Wilshere v/s Bastian Schweinsteiger: 

Schweinsteiger will look to control the flow of play from the centre of the park

Regardless of the fact that Arsenal midfield does not click every single time and has to deal with inconsistency every now and then, it still is a midfield to die for. Not every team has the luxury of creators like Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere along with the ball winning defensive shields like Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby. 

Arsenal, who have to deal with the attacking threat of Toni Kroos, while still needing to get past the Spanish- German duo of Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger, have to get the combination in the middle of the park right. With immaculate passing and vision, Schweinsteiger could be the danger man both in attacks and also in defense, being the Bavarian mid-field’s heart for close to a decade. 

The only way to nullify his presence in the game will be to run each of his passes down and there can certainly be no better man to do this than Wilshere. It will surely be a fight to savor as the young Englishman will have to prove his might against a midfield which has conceded only 15 times while scoring 84 goals in all competitions. The outcome of this clash could very wellbe dependent on which teams' midfeild comes out on top. The strength, height and experience will give the German only a slight edge.

Written By,

Abhishek Karandikar.

Abhishek is a contributor at 18 Yard Box.

Player Battles at the Bernabeu: Los Blancos v/s The Red Devils

18 Yard Box has a look at the various battles on the pitch in this gigantic clash of the titans.

Its the biggest match this year. A ‘Clash of Titans’ as Real Madrid faces Manchester United in their own backyard in a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 face-off.All eyes would be on the two as they both try to fight each other out of the competition in the Santiago Bernabeu. All 22 players would be fighting their hearts out but the tie might just be decided on some specific individuals and their dominance and excellence on the pitch.

18 Yard Box analyses the player battles ahead of the mouth-watering encounter.

Cristiano Ronaldo v/s Rafael da Silva

Ronaldo, the prodigal boy returns to face his former club, Manchester United and his real-life mentor Sir Alex Ferguson and nothing but bitter memories would be made if he were to play the best game of his life. Currently on a frantic run of goals, Ronaldo just cant seem to stop at the moment and it will  be a tough task for Rafael to get a good hold of him. Rafael,currently playing the best season in his career, has been quite influential in Manchester United’s league wins but hasn’t been that influential at the back helping out central defenders .He faces a huge task of man-marking Ronaldo, who is known for hunting down weak defences and in this case, Rafael. Ronaldo’s dribbling abilities and an eye for goal will be a great test for the young Rafael as the short Brazilian will have to match Ronaldo toe to toe. Excellent in going forward but lacking defensively, Rafael just might be the weaklink to the United defense as Ronaldo would like to exploit his former team mate and trick his way past him. Going into the match, Ronaldo bears the upper hand in this duel.

Mesut Ozil v/s Michael Carrick

Real Madrid wont be banking solely on the contribution of Ronaldo but also the passing and playmaking qualities of Mesut Ozil. Ozil, known for his quality dribbling, passing and scoring talents, would be looking for the forward runs of Ronaldo and Benzema. His closely crafted through-balls might pose a threat to United’s defence.  But Michael Carrick on the other hand has been quite good at keeping midfielders at bay preventing passes through to the strikers and other square passes. Carrick himself has been good enough for United, contributing to a lot of goals this season. His pass-accuracy and pass-frequency has been over the top and his contributions would be important to the course of the game. However Ozil has been accused to be blow hot and cold and might one can never tell which Ozil they might see on the night. On the other hand Carrick has been way too consistent for Sir Alex’s team and will be looking to block Ozil’s attempts to penetrate United’s defence. Ahead of this match, going by form, Carrick edges Ozil even though this duel would be one of the most eagerly and elegantly fought out battle.

Xabi Alonso v/s Wayne Rooney

Rooney would be the one grabbing eyeballs for United. One of the most complete and versatile players for United, Rooney, would be the key figure in United’s attack combining with Robin van Persie and the midfielders. It will be a tough task for the midfielders and the defenders to hold back Rooney and his combinational play with van Persie might prove dangerous for Mourinho’s troops. Xabi Alonso, who has been allotted a much deeper role in Madrid’s midfield would be the one monitoring Rooney’s movements and his job to stop Rooney from creating chances would be worth noticing. Alonso is also the backbone of Madrid’s midfield and his man-management skills in the middle of the park would be tested in this encounter. Alonso, a natural midfielder by trade, has an advantage of being more experienced amongst the two and might just prove to be Rooney’s nemesis. On the flip side, Rooney has proven himself in the CAM-cum- One behind the striker role time and again and stopping him would take the best out of the Spanish international. This match is closely fought on paper and is too difficult to predict. But based on the experience, Alonso might just edge it.

Written By,

Rishav Ghosh

Rishav is a writer for 18 Yard Box.

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Real Madrid v/s Manchester United: Preview

18 Yard Box has a look at the clash between the Galacticos and the Red Devils.

February, a month everyone waits for. A month, usually for lovebirds, always brings an excitement amongst the football fans who claim that football is their love partner. Come the 13^th, two of world’s best teams would lock horns in the Santiago Bernabeu, all eager to knock each other out of the competition. Both teams with world’s finest footballers would fight their hearts out to keep their hopes of a Champions league glory high and dry.

It is a day when the prodigal son takes on his former club. Real Madrid v/s Manchester United is “a clash which the whole world waits for”. Our writers, Rishav Ghosh and Pranav Shenoy, analyse this tie completely.

Real Madrid

9-time European Champions, Real Madrid would be gunning for their 10^th title this season after having missed out last year. Having being knocked out of the tournament for the last 11 years, the ambitious Galacticos are prepping to pull out a major coup by knocking out English leaders Manchester United. With a team filled with extraordinary individuals, its now or never for the Spanish giants else they would be just a spent force. 

After the high of doing the Double last season, Real Madrid has not been in the best of form this season in the La liga where they lie 3^rd behind arch-rivals FC Barcelona and local rivals Athletico Madrid. However, the champions' League has been a different cup of tea for the Galacticos as they successfully qualified from the Group of Death which boasted the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax. With the league title out of their sight, the only possible chance of a title would be the Champions League and to achieve that Mourinho needs to come at United with all guns blazing.

Strengths

All hopes hinge on Ronaldo

Real Madrid, like every other Spanish teams are very good passers and this trait might be enough to trump heavyweights like Manchester United. With quality midfielders like Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, Madrid has an outright chance to break down United’s defence with their quality passing on the encounter and their perfectly crafted through-balls. However, Real Madrid’s strength lies in the former United winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Quite arguably one of the greatest players of his time, Ronaldo, with exhillerating pace, quick feet, ambidexterity and powerful pile-driving shots, would be the key to unlock any defence.

Alongwith this, their bench which has players like Luka Modric and Kaka is another positive. The cherry on the top is their coach Jose ‘the Special One’ Mourinho who has won this competition with FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2009.

A player who deserves special mention here has been their new centre back Varane. He is the only CB for Real Madrid who has performed consistently well and could be used instead of the ailing Pepe or the unstable Ramos.

Weaknesses

The duo will be under much scrutiny

Despite the almost unlimited resources at his disposal, Mourinho’s side is 3^rd in the la liga table and there is a reason(s) for it. The biggest cause for concern has been the Madrid defense. Pepe and Sergio Ramos have been highly inconsistent at the back. The goal-keeping department has been Real Madrid’s biggest strength but Mourinho recent experiment of replacing Casillas with Adan has not gone down well with players and fans alike. Fabio Coentrao has been the only defender who has been consistent while attacking and defending.  The sudden dip in form of their front men has been a worrying factor for Mourinho. Benzema and Higuain have had a dry spell of late and Ronaldo has been the only saving grace for Madrid. The fringe players like Modric and Kaka have not seen enough playing time of late and look rusty. Youngsters like Callejon and Moratta lack big game experience to tackle the red tide.

On-field issues apart, Real Madrid have been facing other problems as well. Cristiano Ronaldo’s alleged dissatisfaction with his team has been a talking point n the media. When all members of a team are superstars there is are bound to be ego clashes in the dressing room. The Ramos-Mourinho clash has left a depleted morale in the dressing room.

Tactical Approach

A Galaxy of Stars

Real Madrid would be looking to capitalise on their attacking prowess to bag a win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. With quality attacking talents in the form of Benzema, Ozil, Ronaldo and di Maria, Mourinho would be likely to play a formation of 4-2-3-1 with Benzema up ahead of Ozil and Ronaldo and di Maria marshalling the flanks. Ronaldo, who is known for hunting down weak defences, might swap wings with di Maria to create a breakthrough. Khedira and Xabi would most likely be playing deeper just ahead of the defence line.

Close observations of Madrid’s strategies this season suggests that they might drop deep to invite the attack. Once with the ball, Madrid’s counter attacking speed might be the key to open an unstable United defence. Should Khedira fail to start, the attack minded Luka Modric might get a place in the starting 11, as Madrid would want to take home advantage and take the attack to the opponents.

Players to watch out for

1 .Cristiano Ronaldo

Arguably one of the best players in the business, Ronaldo just might be the one separating both the teams. Having scored at will after having lost out on yet another Ballon d’Or to Messi, Ronaldo is the trump card of Mourinho against Manchester United.

2. Mesut Ozil

The vastly talented German midfielder and Real Madrid’s playmaker, Ozil would be the one pulling the strings in Real madrid’s attacking moves. With his vision and passing skills he might spell Manchester United’s doom come this 13^th.

Chances

With the quality individuals Mourinho has at his disposal, it would rather be a surprise if they were not to win this tie. However, with their poor defensive record and Manchester United’s attacking talent, the chance of a win might be compromised.

Manchester United

Sitting pretty at the top of the league table and almost assured of a league title win, Sir Alex Ferguson would be looking forward to pulling off a spectacular season, bagging the 3rd Champions League title for United. Having played rather poorly in the last edition of the UEFA Champions League, crashing out in the group stages, Manchester United would be looking to capitalise on last year’s debacle and get their Champions League glory ride a boost against Real Madrid.

Strengths

A fearing strike force

Manchester United has been, over ages, known for its ‘free flow’ football, a systematic and disciplined approach to the game. Like Madrid, United’s attacking line bears a lot of sting as Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney would be looking wreck havoc in Real Madrid’s defence. Moreover, Carrick and Cleverley partnership in the middle of the park has really paid off for Sir Alex Ferguson this season and both would be looking to orchestrate a Manchester United win away from home and tilt the entire tie in United’s favour.

The return of Ryan Giggs to goal scoring form and also the availability of Paul Scholes gives United the experience to turn the tie.

Weaknesses

They need to step up

Going into the match, Manchester United’s primary concern would be preventing attacks down the flanks and that’s what has been bugging Sir Alex Ferguson in the past few games. Rafael is good going forward but he is sloppy in the back and Ronaldo will certainly use that opportunity to exploit United’s defence. Moreover, Ferdinand and Vidic’s performance at the back hasn’t been that convincing this season and that might be the worrying factor for Sir Alex Ferguson.

In Johnny Evans Sir Alex has found a stable defender but his inexperience alongwith Smalling and Jones’ might tempt Sir Alex to start with Vidic and Ferdinand at the back.

Tactical Approach

Men to look out for

Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest tacticians, would be playing his cards deftly against a strong opposition like Madrid. Ferguson would be all out to play his trump cards Rooney and van Persie in a most likely 4-4-1-1 formation with Rooney playing just behind van Persie in a support striker role and Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley and Young most likely to don the midfield area. However the question remains whether Sir Alex would play Jones or Rafael in the right back position up against Ronaldo. Rafael is good while attacking but a bit rash whilst defending. On the other hand, Jones is a good defender and he might be the one facing Ronaldo.

Carrick will the key man in the middle of the park. Intercepting plays and spraying the balls forward, the Englishman will have his work cut out. He will be the person who will sit a little deeper and help Cleverly and Valencia bomb forward.

Players to watch out for

1. Robin van Persie

The talismanic Dutch and Manchester United forward has been enjoying the time of his life and every defence has nightmares facing a talent like him. Having notched up 23 goals and assisting 7 already this season, he might be looking to add to his tally against Mourinho’s men.

2. Wayne Rooney

The English boy, Wayne Rooney, would be the player to reckon with as the matchday approaches. With his bag of skills and expert finishing abilities, Rooney might be the one orchestrating his team’s win.

Chances

Who will have the last laugh?

Manchester United’s low tally of Champions league titles might be proof of the fact that United often do give away under pressure but this Wednesday, the onus would be on Manchester United to win the match. With a phenomenal record in the league, playing against Madrid would be a whole new ball game and with Ronaldo in tormenting form, United could easily come out 2^nd favourites to win this tie.

The Final Verdict

A tough one to call, one would have to go with Madrid based on their class and quality. But Manchester United are no pushovers themselves. If they defend properly, United could turn the tables.  We leave it to the readers to decide the outcome of this tie.

Written By,

Rishav Ghosh and Pranav Shenoy

Rishav and Pranav, both, are writers for 18 Yard Box.

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Player Battles at the Etihad: Citizens v/s Kops

18 Yard Box has a look at the 3 key battles on the pitch which might turn the game around.

Its Super Sunday as Manchester City face Liverpool in an enthralling encounter at the Etihad Stadium. Both set of teams have their own good reasons to win this duel with Manchester City looking to close down the gap on the league leaders Manchester United and Liverpool trying to wrestle back into an Europa League qualification spot. With both teams boasting of quality talents, the match would be a feast to watch as both teams lock horns in the mid-day kickoff.

18 Yard Box analyses the epic player battles ahead of the mouth-watering encounter.

Vincent Kompany v/s Luis Suarez

It will be an intensely hard fought battle as Vincent Kompany looks to hold Luis Suarez at bay. Luis Suarez, with 17 goals this season, 1 shy of top scorer Robin van Persie, has this golden chance get to the top spot if he keeps up with his record and scores past Hart. With the introduction of Sturridge in the team, his combinational play with the ex-Chelsea striker has been phenomenal and his movements in the opposition half is sure to give Kompany problems. Kompany has been a rock in the heart of defence and his role in keeping Luis Suarez would be huge. Suarez who has a tendency to wiggle past defenders and beating them at will may find it hard against Kompany but having already scored against him in the previous fixture, Suarez is most likely going to be on top in this duel.

Sergio Aguero v/s Daniel Agger

Manchester City has a class finisher in the shape of Aguero and Liverpool’s talismanic defender, Daniel Agger should have to be on top of his game to keep Aguero from influencing the game. Aguero and Tevez, one of the lethal attacking combinations, might give Liverpool a headache but Agger, the backbone of Liverpool’s defence should perform well enough to restrict forward movements of Aguero. Aguero hasn’t hit prime form this season and coming back from injury. it will be tough for him to compete against one of the most hard-tackling defenders. Having already hit 8 goals this season, he would look to improve on his goal tally and Agger, on the other hand would be looking to keep a clean sheet to bolster confidence at the back. However, Aguero with all his skills and qualities might edge past Agger in this duel.

David Silva v/s Glen Johnson

David Silva, the midfield magician has a trick or two up his sleeve as he looks on to demolish Liverpool’s defence by his impressive dribbling and intricate passing. Glen Johnson, who is most likely to play on the left side of Liverpool’s defensive four, has a major job at hand trying to keep Silva from getting a foothold in the game. Silva, on any given day, may wreck havoc in opposition defence if he isn’t kept at bay and Glen Johnson has just to do that. Good going forward but poor while coming back and defending, Johnson needs to set up his game a notch if he is to prevent his team from losing to City. Mancini’s trump card David Silva holds the key to unlock Liverpool’s defence unless Glen Johnson steps in to prevent that. It all comes down to the match to see who wins the duel but on paper David Silva has an advantage over Glen Johnson whereas in the past matches Johnson has been the key to unlocking the City defence. Silva will have to take care of his defensive duties as well. All in all, based on quality, Silva might overpower Johnson in this one.

Written By,

Rishav Ghosh

Rishav is a writer for 18 Yard Box.

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Manchester City v/s Liverpool: Preview

18 Yard Box has a look at the Super Sunday clash between the Sky Blues and the Reds.

Liverpool, with possibly the most testing pair of mid-week and weekend matches for this gameweek, travel to the Eastlands for the return leg against the defending Champions. They must be disappointed at letting Arsenal claw back into the game after a first half lead through Suarez and Henderson adding on the hour, though they did well to withstand Arsenal’s barrage of attacks after the equaliser. Whereas Manchester City could not finish the job against the league bottom QPR. 

The two teams play a very important match at this crucial stage and 18 Yard Box has a look at it and predicts the outcome.

Recap

Last time they ended the night as equals

The 1^st leg at the Anfield was a pretty entertaining match which ended in a draw, though the reds could have easily taken home all 3 points. Skrtel’s stunning header of a corner by Gerrard took Liverpool to 1-0 lead through the break. Yaya Toure then responded in the 63^rd minute to bring parity, for all of 3 minutes. Jack Rodwell conceded a free-kick which was promptly dispatched into the net by Luis Suarez with a beautiful curler. Skrtel, high up the left flank, made the most unbelievable defensive mistake, assisting (for want of a better word) Tevez to an open shot at goal. The game ended a 2-2 draw.

Signings and Injury Update

Reds’ manager Brendan Rodgers has the relief of an almost injury free squad, barring Kelly. The return of the sorely missed Jose Enrique is a major defensive boost. In an official statement, Liverpool have stated that Coutinho, who is in Italy, won’t start the game. That apart, Rodgers has the full squad at his disposal. Manchester City have been surprisingly quite in the transfer window, only sold Balotelli to A.C. Milan. They have made no additions to the 1^st team as such. The loss of captain Kompany, along with Maicon and Micah Richards, is a severe blow to the Citizens defensively.

Manchester City

After a long unbeaten streak, they tasted defeat first (in the league) in the Manchester derby. Till then, they had looked set to defend their title. They have since lost to the likes of Sunderland and drawn plenty. Mancini would be looking at this opportunity to act as a spring board to cut the gap down to 7 with United snatching a victory against Fulham on Saturday night.

Strengths

The trio can demolish any defence

If City have a notable strength, apart from the miserly defence, it has to be the set of proven match-winners who can turn almost any match on its head. In the form of the Silva, Tevez, and Aguero, the Citizens have a formidable attack. Super-sub Edin Dzeko adds another dimension to the attack scoring late and often seemingly impossible goals. The back 4 are statistically the best in the league, having conceded the fewest goals (19). Matija Nastasic has been the find of the season, being touted to take the place of Vidic after his retirement. Joe Hart lends dependability between the sticks.

Weaknesses

City will miss the midfield powerhouse

Ironically, this expensively assembled squad has been a weakness by itself. Except for the defence, the show of most other players has been lacklustre when compared to their class. David Silva’s form has been patchy to say the least. Opposing teams have found ways to keep Tevez and Aguero quiet, largely. Gareth Barry has shown nothing of note to justify his transfer from Villa Park. The midfield has failed to click at the level it was expected to after last season. Joe Hart too has not always been at his best. This hasn’t meant a dearth of goals, they have scored 45; and in terms of title challenges in the league they lag behind their neighbours by 10 points. But this indifferent form has seen them unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League. Their recent form guide shows wins against teams in the bottom half of the league, but QPR managed to hold them at home in a scoreless match. In short, they just haven’t looked a team set to retain the title in far too many matches for their liking

.

To add to this City will miss their midfield mountain, Yaya Toure, who is away on international duty in the AFCON for Ivory Coast. The midfielder has been a major force for City ever since his arrival and his strength and burst to get goalside of the opposition defence has been a treat to watch.

Importance of the Win

A win will take the Citizens to 55 points. United have already did their business in the weekend and a win is greatly needed to keep United in sight. A win and the points would be worth their weight in gold, as the business end of the league fast approaches.

Liverpool

After dominating in the first half, they simply lost the plot in attack against Arsenal. They were unable to cope with the Gunners resurgence within minutes of their lead. This has exposed their fallacy against sudden counter-attacks. This has been the case with Liverpool the whole season and they, due to their inconsistency, have been on the receiving end of some shocking results. Brendan Rodgers has bought well in  the transfer market and this should galvanize the team and re-instil their belief.

Strengths

Suarez oozes class

Former Ajax man Luis Suarez has been the one player in the team, every opponent is wary of. With clinical displays in front of the goal, he has relished the service from the midfield. He has been to Liverpool the talisman, as van Persie was last season for Arsenal. Young star Raheem Sterling has impressed right through the season. The addition of a striker like Sturridge has filled, at least temporarily, the void in the Reds frontline. Gerrard and company have recovered well from Liverpool’s worst start to a season since 1962, and are surely looking more assured of themselves and the new passing style that Rodgers has brought.

Weakness

The duo need to step up

Oddly enough, inspite of having top class defenders in Daniel Agger and Skrtel, the defence is a big worry for Liverpool. Jose Enrique gives his all on the field, and has the penchant for a foray up field too. Against Oldham, simple regulation crosses were not handled with. They seem overawed when faced with players of Giroud’s or Toure’s ilk, with height and heading abilities. It has been a big chink in their armour all season. Add to it their inconsistency, and this team is uncertain about itself during matches. Over-reliance on their star players like Suarez and Gerrard is dangerous during matches. That apart, in the midfield, the deep-lying pivot position of Joe Allen does not provide enough cover for the back four. Though Nuri Sahin has since left for Dortmund, no player has been signed to be the defensive mid-fielder. New signing Coutinho is himself an attacking midfielder. This has seen even their strikers and wingers tracking back quite a few times.

Importance of a win

A win will keep the Reds in the hunt for a decisive Champions League spot. A loss will well and truly end any Champions League hopes which they might harbour. A draw will only see them helping the cause of old arch-rivals Manchester United.

The Final Verdict

Manchester City are seemingly clear winners, again on paper. But writing off a Liverpool surprise is tantamount to foolishness. With their backs to the wall, they might bring out an unbelievable performance, maybe from the Liverpool of old. However, City are favourites to start this one and might come out on tops with a probable 3-2 scorline.

Written By,

Abhishek Karandikar

Abhishek is a writer for 18 Yard Box.

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Player Battles: Gunners v/s The Reds

18 Yard Box looks at three key battles on the pitch that might change the game.


Two teams, both of whom seem to have left their glory days to the past, battle to get back to the same stage. As the race for the Champions League place hots up, this battle comes at a very crucial period of the season.  Arsenal play Liverpool at the Emirates and here we look at the key battles that will decide the tie.

Thomas Vermaelen v/s Luis Suarez

Even though the Dutchman at Old Trafford hogs all the right headlines, Suarez has been incredibly good this season. After Michael Owen did it years back, Suarez is the first liverpool striker to have scored more than 20 goals at this stage of the season. Luis continues to silence a lot of his critics with his performances on the pitch. Brilliant in turning, picking up balls from the deep, running at the defence and scoring long rangers, Suarez has everything in his kitty to trouble the Arsenal centre backs. But having said this, Arsenal have got the better out of him in the past two occasions. Thomas Vermaelen has had a strange season. Ever since he has been handed the captain's arm band, he has had an on off performance. When good, he has been very good and when bad, he has been waytoo average. The crucial thing from an Arsenal perspective is, he is getting the consistency and performances back. The lunging tackles, last minute interceptions and a huge header of the ball, Vermalen's dynamism is hugely required and he might be key to stop Suarez This would have been a close contest but with the kind for form Suarez is in and with Vermaelen coming back from an injury, the Liverpool hitman is the favourite in this contest comfortably. However, Vermaelen has been getting the better out of the Uruguayan international and this could ultimately boil down to who has more will to win the tie.

Olivier Giroud v/s Daniel Agger

The Frenchman is running riot in the opposition defence off lately. 4 goals in 2 games has seen him be the leader of the Arsenal attack. His excellent hold up, a decent running speed and a steel-like left foot has seen him score 13 goals in Arsenal colours in only his first season. When he came, many doubted but ever since his early barren spell for the Gunners, he has never looked back. However, he will be against a quality defender and his real test will be then.  Daniel Agger has been Liverpool's best defender so far. Great in heading and tackling, the defender has all the characteristics of making a Premier League great. However, his form has dropped but when at his best he can break up the best of attacks. Liverpool will look at this talisman to help solve their defensive problems and solve their inconsistancy.  The two gentlemen will have a close encounter between them when they take the field on Wednesday night. Form backs Olivier Giroud whereas experience of having more Premier League games under his belt backs Agger. Giroud might just lose out here when it comes to outrunning his opponent. However, his menacing headers needs to be kept under check. All in all it is a tough one to to call and they might end the night on equals

Jack Wilshere v/s Steven Gerrard

The prodigy meets his idol. 2 players who define their clubs. Fan favorites, they carry their emotions on their sleeves and ask for no quarter or give an inch. Leaders, orchestrators and some times carrying the whole team on their backs, this fight gets as intense as possible. Jack Wilshere has come back and how. People tend to forget he has come of an injury after 20 months and it seems as if it never happened. The passion and the never say die attitude that defines him makes him cut above the rest. With a more advanced role in the set up, Jack has shown his creative side with aplomb. Getting his burst back, Wilshere's eye for picking out a perfect pass and his ability to run at the defence with such ease has left many in awe. However, inexperienced still, Wilshere needs to keep his head cool when he goes against the Stevie G. The student still has to learn alot. Steven Gerrard is Liverpool. He is there everywhere. He gives it all every single game and and he is the driving force for a Liverpool team which continues to look up to him everytime. In this game he goes against a player, who has himself admitted Gerrard to be his idol. Gerrard, in his prime used to torment the defence. But now his job is to sit back and others to the talking on the field. A true leader on the pitch, Steven Gerrard's eye for a 'Hollywood Ball' has been the one to watch out for everyone when he steps on the field. This is to close to call but for once one may feel that the prodigy may out shine his illustrious idol.

The game has a lot of sub plots as well but in the end the game could well hinge on who has a greater hunger to win. Time will tell.

Written By,
Vinay Prabhakar and Rishabh Ghai

Also read our the preview of the match by clicking here.

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box .

Vinay is a writer for 18 Yard Box.

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