Arsenal Get the Job Done

Going into Wednesday's game up 2-nil on aggregate, Arsenal knew the task at hand. A draw would be good enough. In Turin on Wednesday night, the Gunners stayed composed, did the job defensively, and even made some timely counterattacks. Juventus was never threatening. In fact, the "Old Lady" looked, well, old.

With a 0-0 scoreline in Turin, Arsenal have progressed to the Champions League semifinals for the first time in the club's history. The Gunners will meet Villarreal, the attack-minded upstart from Spain.

Much like the return leg vs. Real Madrid in the Round of 16, the story on Wednesday was not so much Arsenal's effectiveness, but rather Juventus' ineptitude. Juve never mounted a serious challenge. The Juve attack, as has been the case in recent weeks, was stagnant. The Gunners' young defense locked down Ibrahimovich, Trezuguet, and Nedved. Towards the end of the game, Ibrahimovich and company were getting mercilessly jeered by his home crowd.

For the first time under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal seems to have a plan in European play. In the first leg, Arsenal has put the foot on the accelerator from the start. In the second leg, the Gunners play solid, smart football. On Wednesday, the Gunners didn't bomb forward with reckless abandon, but instead play with intelligence and composure.

It is remarkable how this young Arsenal team has found its legs in recent weeks. Early in the year Arsenal looked its age. They had trouble penetrating opposing defenses, got easily frustrated, and were susceptible to lapses in their own half.

But now, it's an entirely new Arsenal team. The Gunners have learned to attack from the left (Reyes), the right (Hleb), and down the middle (Fabregas). The passing has been superb. And the defense has been even better. Arsenal has not surrendered a goal in over 700 minutes in the Champions League.

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal can keep it up on Sunday at Manchester United. The Red Devils are arguably the hottest team in the Premiership. It should be a fascinating battle. Arsenal still has a lot to play for in England with 4th place and a Champions League place on the line.

Juventus, on the other hand, haven't much to play for these days. They pretty much have locked up first place in Serie A. They are now done in Europe. They will face a very hungry Fiorentina at week's end. It will be interesting to see if Juve can pull it together, or if they will continue to look old and passive. Most of the Juve squad may soon begin turning their attention towards Germany.