15 February 2012. AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal.
A night which saw Arsenal record their heaviest ever defeat in Europe served as a great illustration of how quickly the winds of change blow across football.
A little under 4 years ago the story at the San Siro between these two clubs was quite different. On 4 March 2008, Arsenal won 2-0 over the Rossoneri. It was a night where many pundits, journalists and so on evangelised the performance of Wenger's men, claiming it to be a direct example of the English game's superiority over the Italian.
Such arrogance could have been born out of an inferiority complex built over years of looking on in jealousy as Serie A frequently turned out world class players and fantastic teams.
The story was quite different this time around. For starters, out of the 22 players who started the game, only one (Bacary Sagna) remained from the teamsheet in 2008. Only a further two Arsenal players and four AC Milan players remained from their respective squads.
AC Milan's team in 2008 was seen as ageing and in transition, despite being the holders of the Champions League. Players such as Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso and Inzaghi were seen as past their prime. Meanwhile Arsenal boasted the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and a still-promising Theo Walcott.
In 2012, Milan are rejuvenated. Their line is led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a man who seems born to win titles. They have a healthy mix of experience (Seedorf, Mexes, Ambrosini), youth (El Shaarawy, Boateng) and players coming into their prime (Abate, Nocerino). And they are riding high on confidence under the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri.
2012's Arsenal, on the other hand, are a far cry from the conquerors of Milan 4 years ago. Consistently you can look across their squad and see that players who have come through simply aren't any better, or in some cases as good, as those they replaced. Arteta, a decent player, is clearly no Fabregas for example. And the Walcott of 2012 looks nothing like the exciting, pacy forward of a few years ago. He has simply failed to deliver. Arsenal were even so short of quality that they brought in Thierry Henry on a 6-week loan deal from New York Red Bulls, and the 34-year old has scored a couple of vital goals for them that the rest of the team seemed incapable of getting.
Arsenal do have some potentially great players - Ramsey, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain to name a few - but they lack true leaders. Whereas AC Milan can look to the experience and quality of players such as Seedorf and Ibrahimovic, or the skill & trickery of Boateng, Arsenal are often accused of relying solely on their only real world-class player, Robin van Persie. That Van Persie has remained injury-free all season for a change is probably the only factor keeping the Gunners in the hunt for a top 4 place.
Thierry Henry left the field putting a brave smile on as he talked with Ibrahimovic, but inside he must have truly feared what would happen to his old club after he departs again for New York.
In 2008 it looked as though Arsenal were on the up, and AC Milan were in decline. 4 years on, their paths crossed again, yet now it seems the opposite is true.
AC Milan have rebuilt and are taking the high road to success.
Arsenal though, seem to be taking the low road - and their destination remains uncertain.
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