Will Wenger's reverse psychology work on his own players?

It was unusual yesterday. Something that didn't happen often, happened. Gilberto, Arsenal's lynchpin in midfield and World Cup winner, gave an interview to UEFA.com stating that he thinks the Highbury pitch size will work in Arsenal's favour tomorrow night against Real Madrid.

The official Arsenal website then posted an interview with Arsène Wenger himself, with Wenger stating that the Highbury pitch size would actually suit Madrid more than Arsenal.

Player and manager contradicting one another – was the game plan for tomorrow really that different? Did Gilberto have a different view of the match than his boss?

The Arsenal manager, usually full of praise for his own players, made an interesting submission during the interview yesterday. He said that the technical ability of Real Madrid's players would carry them through the match, with the size of the pitch working in their favour because "they can control the game in tight spaces".

Was the Arsenal manager telling his players that although they were playing at home, Madrid had the technical ability to control the match at Highbury, and that on a technical level, Madrid are better than Arsenal?

It's a classic David v Goliath clash, in relative terms. The richest club in the world against a club tied to a 30-year debt; a team of superstars – Galacticos, they call 'em – against a young team where the midfield orchestrator is only 18-years-old, and played for Barcelona; 9 times European champions against a team that has never even reached the semi-finals of the European Cup before.

Wenger doesn't usually focus on the opposition in his pre-match interviews, preferring to state that Arsenal would play their usual game and allow the opposition to worry about Arsenal. With Real Madrid, Wenger has come out praising "the two best passers of the ball in the world", Zidane and Beckham.

If Wenger is insinuating to his players that Madrid are technically superior, and that they [Madrid] can out pass Arsenal at home if they wanted to, is he preparing his players for a match where the majority of the possession will belong to the opposition, and that Arsenal would have to make the most of limited chances?

Madrid couldn't penetrate Arsenal's midfield in the Bernabeu. I suspect that the tactics for the match at Highbury would be different, and that Madrid will be looking to exploit the space behind the high back line that Arsenal always employ.

The size of the pitch may be small, but Wenger knows that with the passing ability present in the Madrid team, any one of the Madrid full backs can outpace Senderos and possibly Touré, drawing them out wide and leaving gaps in the middle in front of Lehmann, gaps that Ronaldo can exploit if the threaded through-ball or the cross is right.

Wenger is telling his players that home advantage only counts for so much if the tactics are right. The job may be half done, and the tie is in Arsenal's favour, but there is no reason to be complacent and Madrid can easily score at Highbury to bring the scores level.

If Madrid score twice, the tie is back in their favour and Arsenal would have to score 3. If Arsenal are having problems penetrating teams that pack the penalty area and hoof the ball forward, what can they do against Madrid, with the two best passers of the ball in their team, when they pack their own penalty area?

It is interesting then, that Wenger also highlighted that the one advantage Arsenal would enjoy the most would be the crowd at Highbury. Highbury is not known as the "library" for nothing, and with Wenger expecting Madrid to enjoy the majority of the possession, will the Highbury crowd rise to the occasion, realise it's Real Madrid, and cheer their hearts out?

The Arsenal players have in the past resorted to arm waving towards various crowd sections to liven the atmosphere, but perhaps now the manager himself is asking for a wall of noise to dampen any hopes Madrid think they have, and at the same time remove any doubts in the minds of his young Arsenal side?

I've got my ticket. And I am going to make sure I go home with a very sore throat. Wenger is calling for the 12th man at Highbury.

Let's be that 12th man.

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