Alex Song... scoring against Chelsea in December
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Alex Song believes Arsenal need to approach Wednesday’s game against Barcelona the same way they brushed aside Chelsea in December.
Arsène Wenger’s side blitzed their London rivals at Emirates Stadium on the way to a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Song himself, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott.
Arsenal came racing out of the blocks and did not let up for 90 minutes in one of their best performances of the season. The midfielder wants a similar high-tempo performance against Barcelona in the first leg of the last-16 tie.
“The reference point for us has to be the Chelsea match from December, when we pressed them very high from the first minute and gave them no room.
“We need to do that to Barcelona – they have a similar style to us and it should be a pleasure for everyone to watch.
“I can’t wait. Everyone’s talking about it, not just here – a lot of my friends have been in touch wanting to come over and watch.
“It’s a very good tie, I think we took a lot from last year’s matches. Both of us are in good form and if we can keep as many players fit as possible for both legs then we can do something.”
Robin van Persie played 76 minutes of that victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s side but was still finding his feet after a long lay-off. Since then, the Dutchman has scored 11 times in nine appearances and Song knows a firing Van Persie could be key to success against the Spanish champions.
“I’ve always said that Robin is one of the best strikers in the world – he’s had bad injuries but has come back so well.
“When Robin is 100 per cent fit, you know he’s dangerous at any time. He’s scored a lot of goals in the past few weeks and helped the team in other ways; it’s very important to have him fit, because he’s one of the guys who gives you a real chance.”
This interview first appeared in the Official Matchday Programme. You can subscribe to the Matchday Programme by calling 08700 20 20 20.
[Monday, February 14, 2011]
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