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Crib Notes

Arsenal v Udinese: A rough study guide

Ahead of this evening’s Champions League qualifier at the Emirates, Paul Ring does the homework so you don’t have to.

History

THIS SUBJECT STARTS tonight between these two.

They have never met in this competition which is no surprise considering this is only the second time Udinese have qualified for the Champions League preliminary stage. Their first was in the 05/06 season when they qualified for the group stage before finishing third behind Werder Bremen and eventual winners Barcelona.

Should Arsenal progress, it will be the 14th consecutive season in which they have competed in the Champions League group stages. Wengerball does have its uses.

Both clubs share an unwelcome connection in having their best players snared by Barcelona this summer. The Catalans used their lure over Alexis Sanchez to nab him for a relatively cheap €26m from the Italians, while Arsenal also lost a player to the European champions. His name escapes me.

Economics

This is the primary subject for tonight. Not even Standard and Poor’s have the cheek to downgrade Arsenal’s credit rating after nearly 15 years of profits, pretty football and a new stadium. But a slip tonight could have drastic consequences for the Gunners.

The prize money that UEFA dish out is significant enough. Whoever emerges from this tie is guaranteed €3.9m on top of the €2.1m already in the bank for reaching this stage.

The prize money though, is merely the icing. The television revenue from Champions League games is vast and to a club with such a regimented budget as Arsenal, it is nigh on essential. Thursday nights are a pain anyway.

Udinese’s need is just as great. Not only did they lose Sanchez this summer, but they also had to sell Christian Zapata to Villarreal and Gokhan Inler to Napoli. They share many similarities with Arsenal albeit on a much smaller scale, by buying young talent and moving them on for profit. It is an admirable policy especially in the often financially fraught Serie A but as ever, silverware is hard to attain.

Maths

We are back to your standard European fare tonight. An away goal for Udinese will spell unrest in the Emirates stands and sleepless nights in the boardroom.

Drama

The narrative is set for Arsenal. The dawn of a new, non-Cesc era. But the murmurs of discontent from Gunners fans have grown louder as the summer drags on with only Gervinho’s hair band to show so far. Should Udinese strike first or keep Arsenal quiet for an hour then encouragement will quickly turn to abuse.

Philosophy

We all know and appreciate Arsenal’s philosophy. They are the purveyors of the passing game — intricate triangles, flamboyant flicks and no shots.

Udinese also like to play, but as ever with an away team in Europe, they will try to slow the game and quieten the crowd.

It will be fascinating to see what side Wenger puts out tonight in the absence of Robin van Persie, Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri. Marouane Chamakh has been devoid of confidence since last season and Nicklas Bendtner remains Nicklas Bendtner. The only real option appears to be Theo Walcott up front with Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin flanking him. That may suit Udinese however, as the Italians favour a 3-5-2 system.

They’ll end up knocking it long to Vermaelen.

Attendance

Possible line-ups.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Rosicky, Song, Ramsey, Arshavin, Walcott, Gervinho.

Udinese: Handanovic, Domizzi, Benatia, Larangeria, Pinzi, Asamoah, Isla, Armero, Doubai, Barreto, Di Natale.

Further reading

This is from last April but read how Billy Beane compares Wenger to Warren Buffet.

Kevin McCarra of the Guardian wonders if Arsene still knows.

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail says Wenger daren’t fail this test.

ESPN has an extensive look at the two teams.

Sam Wallace says Wenger’s false economics must end.

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