Alan Hansen: Holding the line
whyisthis
proved that again against Portugal.
People think it is easy to organise a defence, but it's not and what
Greece did was to make sure they did not defend too deeply.
There was one example of Stelios Giannakopoulos barracking his
defenders for lying too deep when Portugal were about to take a
free-kick. He physically pushed them forward to hold a higher line and
it worked. Portugal were caught offside.
whyisthis
Arsenal's awe-inspiring performance at Portsmouth confirmed they are
the most devastating team in British football history.
Manchester United's great side had incredible pace and Liverpool's
great side had outstanding control - this Arsenal side has got both
This is a big statement and one that must be qualified by the
additional warning that they are still not devastating in the most
important currency of all - namely winning trophies.
They have not won the Champions League and have not won back-to-back
championships, although this may change if they continue to produce
the football that left even Portsmouth fans lost in admiration after
the 5-1 win at Fratton Park.
Passing, movement, touch, pace, technique. It was all on display and
complemented by a resilience that made it almost perfect to watch.
If you look at the great sides of recent times, you look at how
Manchester United had great pace in the shape of players like Ryan
Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis, while Eric Cantona was the brains. They
would fly at you and it was difficult to contain.
The successful Liverpool teams I played in was based more around
control rather than pace before the emergence of Ian Rush.
We had a midfield of Jimmy Case, Terry McDermott, Graeme Souness and
Ray Kennedy who, along with the back four, could control the game.
Arsenal have got pace and control, so it is a real double-edged sword
and they just hit you from everywhere.
Of course, we all eulogised in much the same fashion in September and
October of last season and they failed to win the Premiership, but I
sense a difference this time.
The disappointment about losing the title seems etched on their minds
and I don't think the same will happen this season.
The key to control is options. It is about having at least nine
players that can pass the ball. It is no good having one or two and
Arsenal have got the full quota.
It is about the man in possession having four or five options he can
use, players he can pass to who can play, without having to worry.
Again, Arsenal fulfil all the criteria.
But examining Arsenal's performance at Portsmouth from a technical
point of view, there were other riches to admire.
In the first 20 minutes there was a lot of physical contact. Harry
Redknapp rightly sent his side out to discover what Arsenal were made
of, and this was a test they passed as comfortably as all the others.
There are a chosen few players in history you don't want to get
caught one-on-one with and Henry is one of them
They were away from home in the FA Cup sixth round, challenges were
flying in and conditions were filthy.
Arsenal's side had lots of foreigners in it, and I'm always very
reticent and wary about how many foreigners you have in your side.
But make no mistake: all the foreign players in Arsenal's side were up
for the challenge.
This is a credit to manager Arsene Wenger, who has assembled these
quality players and got them performing like you would never believe.
Their style is also so adaptable, aided by the burning pace of Thierry
Henry.
We can rightly say that their style is to play it into feet, but six
times in the first half at Portsmouth they looked for Henry over the
top and nearly got him in.
It is a defender's nightmare.
Henry is the key to Arsenal's attacking game, but occasionally when
Dennis Bergkamp is playing he is the first man they look for - as we
said, so many options.
But Henry is frighteningly quick. There are a chosen few players in
history you don't want to get caught one-on-one with and he is one of
them.
Arsenal are, as I said, devastating in terms of style, but now they
must be devastating in terms of substance and add the silverware to
their plaudits.
They have the pace and control to make them the most devastating
attacking team these isles have ever seen, but you need that last,
most important element before we can up the ante about how good this
Arsenal team is.
Liverpool won four European Cups and reached five finals in eight
years. In 1982 Italy won the World Cup with 14 Juventus players in a
squad of 22, beating a brilliant Brazilian team on the way - the best
Brazil team never to win the competition.
And yet Juve did not win the European Cup that year; Aston Villa did.
But for now let's just take pleasure from the enjoyment we get from
watching this Arsenal team.
We all watched in awe at Fratton Park, and as I said at the time, when
I get a video of that match I will enjoy it every time I watch it.