Sometimes Arsenal can be like a library...

Arsenal lost to Barcelona 2-1 yesterday in the Champions League finals. The Gunners played well considering that they were playing with ten men. I had thought for a moment that they could pull off the upset. They didn't.

My blog's epigraph is Every library is an arsenal. Watching the game, I had the thought that sometimes Arsenal can be like a library.

Libraries, unfortunately, have been familiar with budget cuts. The Gunners lost their #1 goalkeeper and a midfielder when Jens Lehmann got the red card early in the first half. Robert Pires had to leave so that Manuel Almunia, the backup goalkeeper, could replace Lehmann.

Libraries and librarians work to be creative, to do the best that they can based on the support that they have. Arsenal was also creative, scoring off a set-piece late in the first half thanks to a Sol Campbell header.

However, when you're outmanned, when your opponents press the issue by replacing more defensive minded players with attackers, there's only so much that can be done. I had hoped though that the defense could hold for another twenty minutes.