Arsenal Vs Atletico Madrid: Confidence the absolute minimum

Alex Iwobi has stated that he and his Arsenal teammates are ‘very confident’ ahead of the second leg against Atletico Madrid. That is the absolute minimum that they need to be.

The second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid is upon us. You could very easily make an argument that it is the biggest game that Arsenal have played since the Champions League final in 2006.

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It is one that sees the Gunners as fairly considerably underdogs. While they were the better team for large portions of the first leg, largely due to the numerical advantage they had for 81 minutes, the away goal that Antoine Griezmann nabbed for the Spaniards heavily swings the pendulum in their favour.

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But that does not mean that this tie is over. Arsenal may have to score a goal against a team that haven’t conceded a home goal since January 20th and have only conceded four goals at home in the league all season, but they still have a chance. And Alex Iwobi, in an interview with Sky Sports, is keen to express his and his teammates’ confidence entering the second leg:

"“We are really motivated – especially by what he has done for the club. We are trying to make him end the season on a high. And not just for him but for ourselves as well so we are doing our best to get the result. We are very confident. We were unfortunate not to get the result we wanted against them in the first leg but we are very confident and believe we can go to the final.”"

That is nice to hear from Iwobi, though not totally convincing. Confidence, for this team — for any team, for that matter –, is an absolute necessity.

Arsene Wenger has consistently stated that you can tell when Arsenal are playing well early in matches because of the pace, the precision, and the surety of their passing. When they play passes with that fizz and tempo, shifting the ball through the middle quickly, changing the angle of the attack, moving the opposition in and out of their positions, they are comfortable and assured; when their play is ponderous, lethargic, a little sluggish and aimless, lacking ingenuity, drive and directness, then their form is not quite as explosive.

That ability often comes from a confidence in both the collective system and individual form. Iwobi himself is a player who suffers great fluctuations in confidence, as are many of his teammates — Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Hector Bellerin, just to name a few.

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So the confidence that is allegedly in this dressing room prior to an extremely difficult second leg is absolutely essential. It is also the starting point for everything that they must do. It is the minimum required. Let’s hope, then, that it translates on the pitch.