It's been a few days, but I'm still reeling after Real Madrid's crushing defeat in London. More than that, I'm frightened about the second leg on Wednesday. Whispers of a comeback have begun to circulate both inside and outside the club.
And why not? Every time Real Madrid were underestimated, they managed to produce the most astonishing comeback. Los Blancos have made several comebacks throughout their history, including many from a three-goal disadvantage. So the anticipation of a comeback as the second leg approaches is not unreasonable. It is only justified.
However, the opposite side is well aware of this fact. They understand what it means to play the second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. They are well aware of what the Merengues have accomplished against great teams in the past and what they are capable of achieving this time.
Mikel Arteta's plan for the second leg doesn't sound too good for Real Madrid
In the first leg, Mikel Arteta made it very evident that Arsenal should not be taken lightly. Let the London club go for a minute, and they'll cause chaos. Arsenal took little roughly a quarter of the game to score three goals against Real Madrid.
But I'm scared he's coming with more this time. In the pre-match press conference for the game against Brentford, the Spanish manager was questioned about a possible Real Madrid comeback. In response, Arteta said, "We know what awaits us. We'll have to win again (to reach the semifinals). We have to take another step forward and be even better than in the first match."
Make of it what you will, but I see the following comment as an open challenge. Arteta has stated unequivocally that they know what Real Madrid will bring them, and he is ready for it. His hint that they must outperform the first match is not just worrying, but also something Los Blancos should think about.
It's a pity that Real Madrid, despite their massive stature, haven't been able to provide a convincing performance in any big game this season. The gameplay is just not present. The only evident strategy is the expression of optimism and well wishes. Any meaningful plan on paper is either entirely missing or is poorly implemented. Arsenal, on the other hand, intends to perform even better in the second leg, despite their comfortable advantage that Real Madrid does not appear to be able to overtake by any conceivable means.
Simply talking about a comeback will not be enough this time. Dressing room speeches won't suffice. Santiago Bernabeu's passion will not propel Madrid to the semi-finals on its own. Carlo Ancelotti must create a strategy to outperform Arteta on the pitch. Starting from the first minute.