‘When you give them a chance to play, then you’re dead’

ARSENAL midfielder Alex Song has conceded that Champions League opponents Barcelona can play football “from a different planet” — but insists the last 20 minutes of the game when the teams met at the Emirates last season has convinced Arsenal they can cause a shock tomorrow night.

Barcelona also fell behind at the Nou Camp before Lionel Messi’s master-class produced four goals to secure a 6-3 aggregate win. But Song, who played at the Emirates but missed the game in Spain, is adamant there will be no repeat this time around.

“It’s all about how we attack the match, and if we set about things in the right way, there are plenty of reasons for us to be confident,” he said. “We showed another side to Arsenal in the last 20 minutes of that game: we pressed them further up the field, we got tighter, showed more aggression, more desire and everyone saw what happened. We came right back into the match and we scored twice.

“But we had allowed ourselves to be surprised in the first leg last season: they came out of the blocks really fast and we almost got swept away. Those first 20 minutes, it was as if we were still asleep: when we woke up, we said to ourselves, ‘What’s happening here?’ We didn’t start the match as we should have. When you play against a team like Barcelona, and you give them a chance to play, then you’re dead.”

Song also pointed to the injuries that decimated Arsenal’s squad last season — they were without Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas while William Gallas was playing with an injury — as another reason to be confident this time around.

“There are times when you watch Barcelona on tv and you think they’re playing from a different planet, but these are the kind of games you want to be involved in, these are the games you want to play,” Song told Canal Plus last night. “Ever since the draw, that date has been marked in my mind and we’re looking forward to it. I think anyone who loves football will be looking forward to these games. If we play to the best of our ability, like in some of our recent matches, it promises to be a very open tie. Both teams can score lots of goals.

“Barcelona is a team we will respect but when any club turns up at the Emirates, it’s up to us to show them who’s boss, with the idea of sending them away with unhappy memories. We know it’s a tough draw, but we honestly think we have every chance.

“We’ve learned from what happened last year, when we came up against a very special player in prime form [Messi]. We’ve talked about it. We need to be primed right from the off, just as we were against Chelsea at the Emirates this season. We have to get hold of the game. We’re all a year older now and more mature. And we really believe in our chances.”