Arsenal: Let’s not underrate or overlook Atletico Madrid

After the Europa League draw, Arsenal fans should prepare for the worst. Has the European endeavour come to an end with Champions League’s hopes dashed? Here is why Atletico Madrid should absolutely not be underrated.

Arsenal have reached the semi-finals of the Europa League after an utterly typical 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow, traversing the tide of what seemed to be a wave of surprising comebacks throughout the last week of European football. However, the Gunners’ next hurdle, Atletico Madrid, could spell the end of the cup run.

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I would prefer, like most, to have seen Atletico in the final. In 90 minutes, anything can happen. Over 180, the chance for a blistering Arsenal performance to blow the Spaniard’s out of the water is far less likely. And this is certainly not a Madrid side that should be overlooked or underrated.

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Personally, I think that it’s quite naive to assume that Arsenal will be at their best for this game. With Henrikh Mkhitaryan out with injury and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cup-tied, they are facing a massive blow to what they can do offensively. With the double threat of the Armenian and Mesut Ozil effectively gone, the same dynamism and creativity that we usually see from the midfield might not quite be as potent or effective.

And that is especially concerning considering the attacking struggles of the team and the relative strengths of Diego Simeone’s side. Currently, Arsenal have relied on the defensive frailties of their opposition to counter-attack with pace. Sure, Danny Welbeck has been good in the past couple of games, but can he be relied upon to break down one of the best defences in world football?

Moreover, there has been a lack of crosses and threat from wide areas. Attacking full-backs such as Sead Kolasinac have not been playing.

Instead, Arsene Wenger’s side have relied on tricky through-passes in tight and congested areas. This plays directly into Atletico’s hand. Like Stoke City a couple of weeks ago, Atletico defend in a tight 4-4-2, leaving wide areas open to eliminate danger in the centre-field. It is not all that easy to see how they will score too many goals.

And that leads me to the most concerning aspect of this team. Prior to the Stoke City win, I dubbed the Gunners as a “toss of the coin” team. This is the most prevalent thing about the defense, and just the team in general. It is this notion, this idea, that fans have experienced for however long. No, one game is not representative of the quality of a player. As the saying goes “form is temporary; class is permanent” and Arsenal’s poor form away from home is already definitive proof that their defense is poor. It is difficult to see how, at some point, Atletico will not take advantage of that, especially away from home.

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And so, this is a game in which Arsenal may struggle to score and struggle to defend well. Atletico, then, are not a team to be underrated or overlooked. They should, indeed, be seen as firm favourites.