Arsenal’s Champions League bid comes to a Messi end

Lionel Messi scored his fourth hat-trick of the season as he single-handedly reduced Arsenal’s Champions League aspirations to dust last night. No reflection on current and former Man U forwards Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo – world-class players both – but there can be little doubt he is currently the best footballer in the world. By a distance.

If last week’s game at the Emirates was akin to the Blitz as Barcelona peppered Manuel Almunia’s goal with shot after shot, then the return leg was more a succession of surgical strikes. Messi’s goals aside, Almunia had a surprisingly untroubled game – although not as much as Victor Valdes, whose only meaningful participation all night was to pick the ball out of his net after Nicklas Bendtner’s opening goal. Messi equalised within two minutes with a thunderous strike from 20 yards, and it was all downhill from there as he delivered a masterclass in the art of centre forward play. (Although – and this should take nothing away from the little Argentinian’s performance - it must be said Arsenal’s defending was, at times, extremely accommodating.)

In his post-match interviews, Arsene Wenger was more downcast than I have ever heard him, showering praise on Messi and acknowledging that his side simply weren’t good enough in the face of markedly superior opposition. For perhaps the first time, he is now talking openly about the need to strengthen a young squad which – Sol Campbell aside – was not added to during the January transfer window. There is a clear need for one (probably two) centre backs (Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre are all out of contract this summer, and the out-of-favour Philippe Senderos is likely to be sold), goalkeeper, holding midfielder (as backup to Alex Song) and centre forward (although this already appears likely in the form of Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh).

Having said all that, the state of the current squad – which, let’s remember, is just three points off the top of the Premier League – is hardly shambolic, just a fraction short of that combination of quality and depth you need to be there rather than thereabouts. Some of the fans who phoned in to 5 Live after the game last night were well wide the mark in making such ludicrous suggestions as the squad needing a complete overhaul, or that it is time for Wenger to leave the club. A sense of perspective is important here. An Arsenal XI in which injury and suspension robbed Wenger of half his preferred starting line-up – captain Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Gallas, Song and Andrey Arshavin – as well as a number who would probably have travelled as part of the squad (Aaron Ramsey, Campbell, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs) – was beaten by the Spanish, European and World club champions. There is no shame in that.

If any criticism is to be levelled at manager or team, it should be directed at the tactics employed when Arsenal did have the ball. Too frequently Theo Walcott was stranded out on the right touchline when perhaps he could have ventured inside; not often enough were quick, speculative balls played over the top behind the Barca defence for him to exploit with his pace. Bendtner’s control let him down on occasion. Almunia’s kicking was, as usual, woeful.

But it is easy to be too harsh. Arsenal found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being starved of possession and having to chase shadows, and over both legs consequently played like a team who don’t know how to hassle and harry effectively as a collective unit. It was a tough lesson, one of a number which hopefully will be absorbed by all at Arsenal. When we look back, the shame will not be in the fact of the defeat, nor even the manner of it – it will be if there is no learning or development resulting from it. We may all be surprised how a little wisdom and a little reinforcement (and some better luck with injuries) may be all that is required to turn this Arsenal side into one which can stand toe-to-toe with the very best England and Europe have to offer.