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Having spent 18 years in charge of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger is still incredibly reluctant to dwell on past successes. Yet, as an avid student of the game, he would have also been keenly aware of a few key statistics ahead of Galatasaray’s visit to the Emirates in the UEFA Champions League.
<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/30/analyzing-how-arsenal-will-suffer-when-trying-to-overcome-injury-worries/">Arsenal</a> have never lost to a Turkish side in regular time and Galatasaray have yet to record a win on English soil. The glaring footnote being the only other time these two sides have met – the 2000 UEFA Cup final, when Arsenal lost to the Turkish side in Copenhagen on penalties.
Ravaged by injuries, much of the pre-game column inches were devoted to speculation as to which midfield formation Arsene Wenger would deploy. Deprived of the midfield guile and stability that Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta provide, Wenger was also tasked with accommodating Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla in a fashion that would allow their creative talents to flourish without sacrificing the balance required in elite European competition.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, had the luxury of a fully fit squad to call upon but traveled to London on the back of distinctly average domestic form and a worrying defensive record in the Champions League. Galatasaray have recorded only one clean sheet in their last 14 Champions League games and needed a 91st-minute equalizer from Burak Yilmaz to salvage a draw at home against Anderlecht last time out.
Arsenal:
Szczesny 5 – Completely untroubled until the penalty incident when he had little choice but to commit to a challenge for the ball with Yilmaz played through on goal. Replays suggest that could have been braver when diving at feet but can have no arguments about the red card.
Chambers 8 – Impossible to believe that the 19-year-old is playing his first season in the UEFA Champions League. Also showed incredible tactical discipline against superior numbers. An additional half point for somehow not picking up his customary yellow card.
Mertesacker 7.5 – Typically solid and another no-frills display in defense. Once again, his lack of pace more than made up for by flawless positional awareness.
Koscielny 8 – Followed up a superb display against Spurs with yet another clinic in central defending. Also seems to have shaken off a poor habit of diving in on players in the penalty area and was completely unfazed by the extra man.
Gibbs 8 – Wenger may well be ruing how well Gibbs is playing lately as it may inevitably lead to a call-up to the England squad in a few weeks. Dangerous moving forward and tidy in defense, Gibbs is quietly learning which of these virtues is required by his team when circumstances dictate.
Flamini 7 – Followed up a very poor performance in the north London derby with the sort of shift Arsenal need from a holding midfielder. Nothing spectacular, but gladly carried water and provided a platform for the more creative players.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 8.5 – Seems to be on a mission lately to make it impossible for Wenger to drop him. Beautiful assist for Welbeck while simultaneously showcasing the type of engine and industry that should excite every England fan.
Alexis 8 – Amidst increasing speculation that he might not fit into the current Arsenal set-up, never went hiding and dispatched a clinical finish. Also starting to show an eye for a pass that suggests he might be one to watch for assists this season. Deducted half a point for not gratuitously hiking up his shorts. Tease.
Cazorla 8.5- Worked his boy’s department sized socks off and provided a crucial link between defense and attack. Incredibly unfortunate not to score, which would have been no less reward than his overall team contribution deserved.
Ozil 8 – Unabashedly shy in the tackle, the roaming Ozil found space all over the Emirates. Did what he does best and orchestrated the attack with subtle movements and insightful forward play. Clearly benefits with runners ahead of him and not having to do anything that might hurt.
Welbeck 9.5 – Tired towards the end, which is about the only criticism that can be leveled against the England international tonight. Has <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/03/5-reasons-why-selling-danny-welbeck-makes-zero-sense-for-manchester-united/">Welbeck </a>found his spiritual home? Is he trolling his Manchester United mates on social media tonight? If he isn’t, he should.
Galatasaray:
Muslera 5 – Won’t be buying his defense dinner anytime soon. Neither clearly at fault for any of the goals, nor did his cover himself in glory with the kind of saves you need away from your goalkeeper, away from home, at this level of competition.
Chedjou: 5 – Suffered in the same way the rest of the Turkish back line did with Arsenal’s movement and pace. Nothing noticeably deficient in his performance but looked out of his depth in the face of quick passing.
Melo: 4 – Looked more comfortable when shunted into midfield but struggled all night trying to contain an inspired Welbeck. Incredibly lucky not to receive an early bath after a reckless (at best) challenge on Alexis.
Kaya: 5 – Must also share the collective responsibility of an incredibly poor back line and woefully caught out of position too often. Will be lucky if his goalkeeper speaks to him in training this week.
Sari: 5 – Almost impossible to rate because of a pretty anonymous performance. Did very little to contribute to his team’s performance and far too happy to hide when his teammates needed him most. Utterly lost on the big stage.
Kurtulus: 6 – Showed more industry and willing than his counterparts but struggled to contain the mercurial Carzola. Can at least be confident he won’t be the primary candidate of the next dressing room prank.
Dzemaili: 6 – Lively in spurts but suffered from no obvious outlets in the same colored shirt. Often far too frustrated by the additional defensive responsibilities imposed upon him by a very mobile Arsenal side.
Sneijder: 6.5 – Increasingly influential, especially with a man advantage, but not the Sneijder of old that could grab a game by the scruff of the neck. A few pot-shots from the edge of the area hinted at his superior class but not nearly enough on the night.
Telles: 5.5 – Clearly hoped to take advantage of Arsenal’s right flank with a teenage defender ahead of him but rarely troubled a composed Chambers. Plenty of huff and puff but never showing any real likelihood of blowing the house down.

Arsenal vs Galatasaray Player Ratings

Arsenal vs Galatasaray Player Ratings - World Soccer Talk

This leg of our European tour starts in France where Bordeaux revived their Ligue 1 title hopes when Pierre Ducasse’s <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5b9f6_but-ducasse-om-bordeaux-4-mai-2008_sport">stunning 25-metre strike</a> in stoppage time earned them a 2-1 win at Olympique Marseille on the weekend. Second-placed Bordeaux, on 71 points with two games left, are two points behind leaders and six-times champions Olympique Lyon, who drew 0-0 at Nice on Saturday. Marseille now sit fourth, two points behind Nancy, who hold the qualifying spot for the Champions League third preliminary round following their 3-0 thrashing of strugglers Racing Strasbourg on Saturday. St Etienne stay fifth, four points adrift of fourth-placed Marseille with Lille a further point behind.
On to Germany, where there were some mid-week games and of importance was <a href="http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/P6NZ456VRRDW6S0P">Werder Bremen winning 1-0</a> at Hamburger SV despite finishing with nine men. The win clinches a top-three finish for Werder, and at least a place in the Champions League qualifiers, for themselves and Schalke 04. Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart are in fourth and fifth on 51 points, meaning the best they can now hope for is qualification for the UEFA Cup. Bayer Leverkusen, who were beaten 2-1 at home by Hertha Berlin on Wednesday, remain in sixth place on 48 points.
Next we stop off in Romania and say congratulations to CFR Cluj, from the city of Cluj-Napoca, who were crowned Romanian champions for the first time on Wednesday after a 1-0 win over Universitatea Cluj. CFR finished on 76 points, one point ahead of Steaua Bucharest who ended their campaign with a 5-0 rout of Gloria Buzau. CFR Cluj becomes the first team outside of Bucharest to win Liga I in 17 years. A penalty 15 minutes into the second half from Manuel Riccardo Cadu, after Brazilian Correia Edvan had fouled Argentine substitute striker Diego Ruiz, handed CFR victory. Unfortunately it was not all happy times as riot police had to fire tear gas to disperse Universitatea fans who attempted to attack CFR supporters. A special congrats to Canadian goalkeeper 	Lars Hirschfeld after leaving Norwegian club Rosenborg BK.
In Bulgaria, CSKA Sofia claimed their 31st Bulgarian league title finishing well ahead of Levski and Lokomotiv Sofia, both of whom will take part in the Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round. CSKA Sofia are entered into the 3rd Qualifying Round. CSKA had a truly dominant season allowing only 9 goals in 28 matches while scoring 50 times.
In Serbia, Partizan Belgrade recently won their 10th national cup with a 3-0 rout of second division neighbours Zemun thanks to a hat-trick by Senegalese striker Lamine Diarra. Zemun could become the first third-division Serbian side to play in Europe as they are four points adrift of safety with as many matches remaining in the second tier but they will qualify for the UEFA Cup if league leaders Partizan complete the double. They are currently 3 points up on last year’s champions FK Crvena Zvezda. The winner of the league is entered into the Champions League Second Qualifying Round, while the runner-up is in the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round.
The champions of Croatian football are once again Dinamo Zagreb, who won the league title last month with six games to spare. They will enter the competition at the very first qualifying round of the Champions League while runners-up Hajduk Split will be entered into UEFA Cup qualifying.
In the Czech Republic, Sparta Prague are closing in on their 35th league title but dropped valuable points at the weekend after a 2-0 loss to FC Brno. That allowed their bitter city foes Slavia Prague to come within a point after a win over Olomouc. With two games left Slavia’s title challenge is back on after leading the table through much of the early season then faltering in form. In recent weeks Sparta and Slavia have taken turns faltering which has made the run-in quite exciting and unpredictable. Whoever wins the league will get a place in the Third Qualifying Round while the runner-up starts in the Second Qualifying Round.
Next door we check in on the Slovakian Corgon Liga where FC Artmedia Petržalka (FC Artmedia Bratislava) can now claim their first ever league and cup double after taking home the Slovakian Cup (Slovenský Pohár) by defeating FC Spartak Trnava 1-0 in Zilina. Artmedia are sitting six points ahead of second-place side MSK Zilina in the league.
In Turkey, Galatasaray held off the challenge of rivals, and this year’s surprise package in the Champions League, Fenerbahçe. Shabani Nonda led the way for Galatasaray with 14 goals after his transfer from A.S. Roma. Nonda also had a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers before moving permanently away from Italy. The real strength of the team was at the back as they only allowed 23 goals in 33 games in a league that can be quite high-scoring. The backline was bolstered by the emergence of Emre Güngör who pushed former Liverpool defender Rigobert Song to the substitutes bench in the second half of the season. The 23-year-old was rumoured to be sought after by Fenerbahce but he ended up signing with Galatasaray and they will hope to keep hold of him for a few seasons.
Finally we stop in Greece, where the Super League was won by Olympiacos finishing ahead of AEK Athens by a mere two points. Caretaker manager José Segura has done an admirable job guiding the team to the title after Takis Lemonis was fired for sub-par league performances despite a strong run in the Champions League. A special attaboy to Canadian striker Tomasz Radzinski who finished fourth in the Greek league scoring with 14 goals from 21 appearances for AC Skoda Xanthi.

European Roundup: 10 countries in 10 minutes or less!

European Roundup: 10 countries in 10 minutes or less! - World Soccer Talk

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Arsenal vs Galatasaray Player Ratings

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European Roundup: 10 countries in 10 minutes or less!