UEFA Champions League - Arsenal vs Marseille: It's Gunners' biggest test of the season so far

Arsenal vs Marseille

It’s Arsenal versus Marseille. A game which will see two sides fight until the bitter end. On the one hand, it’s the pastis-swilling, strike-planning socialist renegades of Marseille, against the coffee-drinking, spelt-munching Islington elites of Arsenal. Cliches aside, there’s very little to write about either side, so let’s stick to them for the rest of the preview.

Marseille will be looking to get some points on the board and make a late burst for qualification. They’ve so far picked up zero points, lulling the opposition into a true sense of security. They have indeed left it so late to pick up any points, that is mathematically impossible for them to qualify. But this is Marseille. This is a team known for its fiery nature, for its commitment, for the sheer passion of its supporters. Will they let something as minor and piffling as mathematical impossibility prevent them from qualifying?

Yes.

However, they do still have the silver spoon made of really, really horrible silver – the Europa League, that they might be able to qualify if they win the rest of their games and Dortmund get two absolute pastings. So, if Dortmund’s opponents suddenly become as good as Bayern Munich for the last two games, and Marseille manage to beat two sides, they are as good as guaranteed qualification for the Europa League. Will Marseille fail at the first hurdle and lose to Arsenal?

Yes.

And that’s despite Mesut Ozil’s transformation from Mesut Ozil into Just Another Arsenal Player, Impressive in his first few games, increasingly lacklustre thereafter. Yes, he provided the pre-assist against Dortmund, but that was a rare moment of success in a poor performance. Obviously he’ll recover his form – he’s only just moved to Arsenal – but for now it is still a problem. They could rely on Steve Mandanda to do an Artur Boruc, but he’s actually a competent goalkeeper. Or is he?

Yes.

With Mathieu Flamini coming back from suspension, Arsenal will probably be solid, and the creative players will have more space and freedom with which to work. It is no coincidence that Flamini’s return led to an upturn in Arsenal’s fortune. He provides the cynicism and threats of violence that so many sides in modern football miss these days. Squawka so far do not provide a metrics for threats issued per game, but it something that they can be lobbied on. Other suggestions – number of people punched in the run up to a free kick, yellow cards earned by just being stupid – are also welcomed.

This is a real test of Arsenal. Top of the group, and with the power entirely with them to qualify for the group stages. In the past, that would have meant they would lose the match today 2-0 and Jack Wilshere would get sent off for being violent, and the fans would applaud him for the nebulous concept of commitment. If they manage to avoid that today, then they might actually be onto something, even if Olivier Giroud isn’t really good enough. Is this too harsh?

No.