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Arsenal can exploit this Barcelona man for victory

By Rucker Haringey

Javier Mascherano of FC Barcelona during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between Barcelona and AS Roma on August 5, 2015 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Javier Mascherano of FC Barcelona during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between Barcelona and AS Roma on August 5, 2015 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal must take advantage of Javier Mascherano to defeat Barcelona

Arsenal does not enjoy many advantages heading into their Champions League matchup with Barcelona, but they do have an opportunity to exploit Javier Mascherano. Gunner attackers must exploit the Barca centre back if they have any shot of winning the match.

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Lost in the glitz and glamour of the Barca attack is what has been a decidedly average centre back pairing for the La Liga giants. Gerard Pique has enjoyed a good season, but his performance has been weighed down by his Argentine partner.

Mascherano has looked a step off the pace all season long. At 31 years of age it’s entirely possible that he’s past his prime. It’s not that he’s been awful, he’s just been below average. For Barcelona, that sticks out like a sore thumb.

The statistics show how far his game has fallen. He’s the only Barcelona starter who possesses a Whoscored.com player rating average below 7.00. This represents a .22 drop over his play last season. It hasn’t cost his team very often this season, but it could be the weak link in Barcelona’s armor that Arsenal can exploit.

After all, Arsene Wenger’s club does possess a few world-class attackers. The likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil must pierce Barcelona’s defense at its very heart if they are to have a chance to advance against the Champions League favorites.

That pair will have to use their skill, quickness and guile to destroy Mascherano. If they can manage to isolate themselves against him in space, it will represent Arsenal’s best chance at scoring. The Gunners may well need to manage this several times to compete with Barca’s ballyhooed attack.

Ironically, it may be the much-maligned Olivier Giroud who holds the key to Arsenal’s chances. He is the best suited Gunner to take advantage of Mascherano’s chief weakness. The Argentine defender has been particularly suspect in the air this season. That’s just where Giroud thrives.

The challenge, of course, will be for Arsenal to enjoy enough possession in the attacking third to truly take advantage of Mascherano. His partner, Pique, is a strong aerial threat so they will need to find a way to isolate Giroud against Mascherano only. Clearly, Barcelona will do everything they can to avoid that scenario.

That’s why Ozil and Sanchez have to be sensational to even give Giroud the opportunity to be a hero. They have to be creative enough to pull Pique all over the pitch. If he’s allowed to sit back and grapple with Giroud, he can nullify the Frenchman’s threat.

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Arsenal must play a near perfect match if they want to take an advantage to Camp Nou in their Champions League matchup versus Barcelona. To achieve perfection, they will need to take advantage of Javier Mascherano’s below average form to score enough goals to keep up with the La Liga giants.

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