Did they go for it? I believe they did, you know
When Arsenal entered the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in February 2006, they had long exited the FA Cup with a single goal defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers. Three weeks earlier, Wigan had shocked everyone by knocking the club out of the League Cup semi-finals on away goals. Sitting fifth in the table, they trailed fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by five points, a further five behind Liverpool in third whilst leaders Chelsea had the comfort of another fifteen on top of that. It was February and the title had long been out of reach. It was deemed a hopeless position, coming into the tie on thee back of two wins in the previous eight games.
Real Madrid had won the previous six games and were built up as unbeatable, invincible. Los Galacticos.
Tonight Bayern Munich arrive at The Emirates, runaway leaders of the Bundesliga, one defeat domestically all season, unbeaten away from home, with a goal difference of fifty to compliment their fifteen point advantage. Unbeatable. And yet they lost in the group phase at BATE Borisov in the second game and drew with Valencia in the Mestalla.
Anything is possible.
Whether or not glory beckons depends on which Arsenal turns up; the flaccid, timid side of some recent first halves or the rampant tearaways of most second periods? The former and the game could be gone before you know it; the latter could have those who’ve written the side off before a ball is kicked in anger, munching on their words. I wonder if Arsène might be inclined to this being his team talk, “Gentlemen, we are four goals down from the first leg; if you believe you cannot retrieve the deficit entirely, remember Milan, how we nearly did it. Fly my beauties, reach for the stars and the universe shall be yours“. OK, so the last sentence ran through my head in the voice of Montgomery Burns but you get the drift.
As the media obsess over public displays of anger and others pontificate on his future, did Arsène himself chuckle last night? Was this all a calculated response, a planned outrage to fire up the players? It struck me as very convenient in its timing and the reaction garnered certainly for an astute man, would be exactly that which he would have wished for. The PR equivalent of rope-a-dope, convincing in its delivery, designed to snap anything other than determination to win out of the players? Simply put, We’re not having that, no-one talks to the boss like that. We owe him a big performance. With Mikel Arteta sat alongside him when it happened, you can be sure the venom in Arsène’s delivery would have been relayed to the squad; the hurt and anger, with the right touch of bewilderment at it all.
They tell me that Arsène isn’t that calculating but this is football management, where a lot of the game is won inside players’ heads. He would not be the first to use such tactics, he will not be the last. He certainly is ruthless enough. And this train of thought will be careering through the minds of the coaches of Bayern.
Maybe the ire was genuine and I’m too cynical. Fair play to him in either circumstance.
And a reaction is what he needs. Of the starting line-up on Saturday, it is hard to look beyond Szczesny, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Arteta being involved at kick-off tonight. The initial plan was probably to play the Belgian at left back but suggestions from Wenger yesterday that his French centre back is struggling to be fit would put Sagna on the left, Jenkinson in his normal position. That could be swapped but the more experienced player would probably be better suited to handling the pressures of playing on the wrong side of the pitch, especially against experienced wingers such as Ribery and Robben.
The cup defeat against Blackburn will have stung pride, you could see that in the reaction of Walcott and Wilshere at the final whistle. Some of the other players may not have understood the impact of the FA Cup on the psyche of the English football fan; they will have understood the boos at the final whistle. Whilst footballers freely admit to operating under the premis of There but for the Grace of God go I, that shallowness has limits. Few of the regular starting XI will be concerned about their immediate place in the side, they will be keen and eager to consolidate their own position. Selfishness can reap benefits for the greater good.
And for others, the motivation will be proving doubters wrong. Making a point that having been discarded, they are good enough and more patience shown. Lukas Podolski’s spell in Bavaria was not successful by any stretch of the imagination and the German international has displayed enough on social media to suggest that this evening is an opportunity to prove detractors wrong, is not something he will want to waste.
The line-up for this evening I expect to take to the field is:
Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen (or Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Sagna); Wilshere, Cazorla, Arteta; Walcott, Giroud, Podolski
The quandry for Arsène is whether he believes Bayern can be undone by pace. Walcott playing centrally offers that option, dropping Giroud to the bench for a late run out if needed. To accommodate, Oxlade-Chamberlain would come in on the right. However, the French striker has been effective in the central position recently and it seems unlikely that the manager will tinker with the line-up.
German sides do not have the happiest of records at Arsenal. Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke are the only ones who have left with victories whilst Bayern forced the only draw a decade or so ago. The reverse holds true in Germany but that is not the issue tonight. As Arsène pointed out, a goalless draw is not a bad result tonight. The only bad result is one that leaves Arsenal chasing victory in Bavaria in a fortnight’s time.
Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it.
’til Tomorrow.
Scared to shoot. I detest seeing the ball in the final third come all the way back to the keeper who boots it long and we lose possession with little Theo, Jack, and Cazorla fighting for headers!
Birdkamp.
Keep the faith. I honestly hope you are right about next season. I really think if we keep what we have and bring in a top quality goalscorer we will be significantly improved. However, it gets back to what Moe said in that post. IMO, I just don’t think we will ever really be anything other the a team that is less then the sum of our parts with Wenger ball. We are unorganized and continue to make mistakes, and we are inconsistent. When you are disorganized you tend to fall apart in pressure situations and its been the same thing now for as long as you and I have been together on the blog. Oh well. At least we have been able to drag up the mental strength to hold on to 4th place and hopefully that will happen again this season
And Arsene priorotized the CL over the FA Cup for THAT?
The left back position was our undoing. But we knew it didn’t we?
The team is raw. No cohesion in the midfield, no covering on the flanks, no confidence at the set plays.
I’m wondering how much of that is down to the frequent changes in the personnel, and how much due to the manager’s “let the players develop first” approach.
And we do miss one or two quality additions to compete at this level.
The problems would be understandable and the struggling acceptable as long as the improvement happens. But the overall trend is still downhill. And the worst thing is that Arsene seems to be in denial about that.
The good thing about the cups is that unless it’s a final I don’t think the results affect the team much.
Of course they dream of winning, but I don’t think any club truly expects anything until they get to the semis. Only one team can win the CL (well, dur!), so there’s disappointment at poor results – yes – but not lingering regret or inhibition…well, hopefully, but I’m confident that’s it’s true.
Bradford didn’t stop us improving. And I think our game had reached a good level at Sunderland. There has been progress and I don’t see why we can’t get back on the horse this weekend. A decent result and we’ll have already moved on.
Tbh, we could have done with Santos at LB!!!
But the players really care about the CL. They also know that the whole world is watching the CL. I think this led us to play with real pride v. Milan. Hopefully we’ll do the same, at least to make our elimination more respectable, though it would be wonderful to pull off a miraculous upset with a 3-0 performance.
Bayern were a different class in the first half and more or less sat back in the second. I don’t think you can criticise our players for the shift they put in, at least we kept it fairly respectable and we worked hard.
We can’t forget that we are currently 5th in the premier league, while Bayern are probably in the top 3 in Europe. That’s quite a gulf really and I’m surprised that people on this blog think we actually had much of a chance.
SV- I know what you mean, as we have little chance of winning the CL, but there was always the potentional to get embarassed in this tie against high-quality opposition and the CL is much higher profile.
Bad result.
We played pretty well in parts, but sloppy is the only word which really describes the overall performance.
OOU – “Different story if Giroud had put that chance away – not that I blame him. ”
An off the cuff comment, but an interesting one all the same.
To plays devils advocate; is that not a chance which you would expect a top level striker to score? He had just come on the field granted…..but still?
Life at the top is all about small margins.
I don’t think Giroud is a top level striker YET, but perhaps he has the potential to be
I believe
Very disappointing.
Hate to admit it, we just arent good enough at the moment. Bayern didn’t need to do much. They took their chances, weren’t vulnerable to a counter attack, and were very solid.
I think the only Arsenal player who would make their starting 11 would be LJW.
We played with tempo at times, but then we would slow it down, making it vey easy for them to defend their lead.
As an aside to Harry,
You are right, my comments were a generalization, and don’t apply to you.
A reality check!! The Germans were super efficient in taking their chances. I was quite impressed by the way they shut shop in the second half, showed good footballing intelligence. Our guys really tried in the second half but lacked the quality to get past a team like Bayern. Also think fans were quite supportive today, nobody can blame them for this defeat!
When some fans begin asking for Jose Mourinho – the King of ugly football – you can tell that we’ve hit rock bottom!
Chin up fellows. One leg to go. Granted an uphill fight but still in it and it isn’t over. Keep on your support levels high. That team need you now
More than when they’re doing well. Don’t let it get you down too much.
GUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!
In fairness, it was on his weaker foot and he had only just come on, GA. Giroud’s done more than enough in his first season…which is why I’d have preferred him to start.
As LG also said above – I can’t bear the sight of Walcott competing for clearances. I get the thinking behind wanting to test two slow CBs, but I don’t like him as a striker for us. I mean he’s not particularly hard-working either – some smaller CFs make up for their physical disadvantage by harrying defenders, chasing lost causes. Walcott doesn’t have it in him, which isn’t to deny that he’s a very effective player and a first choice – in the right position.
Walcott would be more of an option if we had the confidence and understanding to pass our way through trouble every time. But we’re not there yet. The movement isn’t happening, which will take a lot of time to perfect too.
I would expect a top class striker not to miss a tap in from two yards
Like the little Dutch boy did in last year’s Milan game at 3-0
Still that’s strikers for you
Heroes when it hits the back of the net
Lazy rancid shite when they miss
No point slamming strikers for missing chances. It’s bit of a numbers game.
Unless ofcourse they always miss the opportunities.
Not Giroud’s fault he isn’t RVP. he’s done his job this season.
Agree with Birdkamp, Giroud to start with Theo on the right gives us more options.
OOU – Yeah, I agree. I would have liked him to start as well.
I have difficulty blaming Giroud for one early, difficult chance (a full volley hitting across the ball iirc).
What I would have liked to see is him get a few more chances like that. A good striker has about a 20-23% conversion ratio if I remember correctly, so imo we should have provided more of the same, not blame him for not burying one difficult chance.
I think our problem has been the same for a while. We retreat into our shells, endlessly passing backwards and sideways, allowing the opposition to solidify and organise their defence.
How many shots did we eventually end up having at goal? How many of them were in the first half if any?
Basically, if you don’t shoot, you are unlikely to score.
In the days before that pig allardyce claimed he had worked out how to stifle us (when in reality ferguson had told him how to do it), we used to break at speed. The team used to practice breaking with 5 players, any 5 five players, and getting a shot on target within 6 seconds of crossing the halfway line.
Once allardyce started getting his players to foul us early and high up the pitch, ala Germany circa ’80′s, and the refs allowed it, Wenger had to find an alternative.
Unfortunately, the alternative appears to be an “absolute” once again, i.e. that’s the way we now play, and there is very little deviation.
What struck me last night was how, when we (eventually) arrived at their box, there just wasnt a way through, whereas when they arrived at our box it was Custer’s last stand.
We do have very good players, we are just not playing to our potential.
Yes, we could do with one or two key additions, but to my mind the issue is what is happening at the training ground. Something there is not working, and hasn’t been for some time. what’s frustrating is that it’s not being fixed. Is that because our coaching can’t or won’t fix it? Personally, I don’t know, but the manager is responsible, there is simply no ducking or diving away from it, and if he can’t or won’t fix it, someone else has to be brought in to do so.
My take on things is this arsenal team is talented but seriously inept without the ball we really could learn a thing or two about how bayern defend as a team not individuals.
If we continue to give away soft goals we will never win anything this has to be sorted or I can’t see a way we will return to title winning ways. Now I’m not saying we return to the graham days but a lot must be said of our defensive cohesion then.
MikeSA, 3 shots on goal, 10 overall. But I can hardly remember our shooting as we had so little genuine threat.
Hard to say what the problem here is–lacking quality or not getting the team to play well together
What must AW be thinking right now?
*sigh*
For what it’s worth I thought we got our lineup wrong. Too negative. We showed we were weak and got spanked.
Theo was isolated and even with a packed midfield we could not keep possession.
We should have started our normal first 11 and not fucked around like pussys.
Sorry.
Difficult reading . . .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21516576
Maybe, Markus, but I thought we played reasonably well in attack, just without the final quality and confidence needed to score often enough. The problem was that we needed to adjust the shape quite quickly after going down, especially after the second went in. There wasn’t going to be space for Walcott to run into centrally and we kept conceding possession by failing to play through the midfield but rather going back to the keeper to boot long for Walcott, Cazorla and Wilshere to fight for the ball in the air. Too long to bring Giroud and Rosicky on.
On Giroud I agree with the general consensus that he should have started we would have carried more threat going fowards.
I understand why he took podolski off but surely we carried more of a threat with him on the field for me the player to give way yesterday was arteta when we were chasing the game but hindsight is a mother.
My team if everyone is fit for the return leg.
————-Giroud, Theo
Podolski ——————– Santi
——– Wilshire, Rosicky
Vermealen, LK, PM, sagna
————– WS
A team full of attacking intent but u just know we won’t see it.
Flexiblity is key in modern day football, the ability to have options and read games is very important which all goes down to tactics, selection and substitution, yesterday all this came late or were not applied, every football team has players who combine effectively with each other and yesterday one such combination was missing, Giroud-walcott, when both play they create chances for each other and on a good day they can both get on the scoresheet. Bayern themselves were not so fantastic either, the goal we scored was an example of that, but because we were not sharp in attack there was no way to expose their flaws. Wenger has said he has quality players, the question is what is the quality of the tactics, we are not improving as it stands.
I don’t think we played well at all last evening, to be blunt I thought we were awful. Totally outclassed and out of our depth.
Our ‘turnaround’ in the first 15 minutes of the second half was more a reflection on how utterly crap we were in the preceding 45 minutes. We put in a small bit more effort as the Germans relaxed a little, the crowd made a bit more noise but ultimately we were gifted a goal on the basis of refereeing error and calamity defending – it was in no way down to improved play from us. Apart from that there was Giroud’s miss and a shot at the keeper from Wilshere.
Anyway there is no plaudits to be taken from playing well for a short period in the second half, football is a game of 90 minutes. See also Chelsea and Man City in recent matches.
Last night taught us a lot about our true level. No shame in losing to a very good Bayern Munich side. We’re simply a second tier CL side. We might not even be that next season.
Limestonegunner
“I thought we played reasonably well in attack, just without the final quality and confidence needed to score often enough”
I dunno, we were tentative in attack I thought. Too much probing without any penetration. Sagna had no support, and any time a player was in position to cross there was nobody to receive it.
Too many players shifting position made us a little disjointed I thought. Vermaelen to left back. Jack pushed further forward alongside Santi. Theo into the middle. Another player sharing Arteta’s role.
All had knock on effects. Sagna no support on right. Arteta and Ramsey sharing duties with neither thus taking full responsibility for it. Ditto Jack and Santi. Theo isolated. Poldi didn’t have a natural left back and so also had a lack of support on the left.
Nobody played badly, I just felt it was too much change for us to click into gear properly.
The domestic Cups are stepping stones of achievement to where we all want to be: Champions of the Champions League. This is a new team though which, probably through lack of expectation management, is too often measured against the achievements of a now long passed era – nearly 10 years. The engine is new, the brains are new, the guts are new.
It seems a terrible mistake to prioritize what is an impossible task for this new group, namely winning that trophy, especially at the expense of achievable steps and rewards. The danger is too, that we are only serving to tarnish a group of football players, in our minds and theirs, who are really very good.
AW, this is not the side that took you to the final, it is not the same side that you won all those cups with, it is a good side, but they weren’t there with you then. Please let them win again what you have already done yourself, they need to feel the success of walking, before holding our expectations for winning the marathon.
Maybe then, they will be able to take you there.
We aren’t good enough across the park, starting with the GK.
We are poor at shutting down the opposition when they have the ball.
Our heads drop so easily. ( the famed mental strength has disappeared)
We dont defend as a team
We don’t have enough striking options when needed.
Our tactics are predictable
Our 70 minute subs are predictable
I hope inquest this morning, and a grim dissection of the corpse it will be, focuses on what we did wrong – and clearly our collective performance in the opening quarter was unsatisfactory (again)
I trust also players, managers and coaches will look carefully at what Bayern did well, which was to play fast direct football, to pass accurately, to always have numbers available at both ends, and a man available to take the ball
Simple effective control
So if 1% of that percolates in it may not have been the senseless slaughter some imagine
No doubts, Bayern were good and efficient. Just a shock to see how big the gap has become between the best in Europe and ourselves.
I don’t think you can be too hard on the team, they worked hard, but we are just not at the level of the top European teams anymore (and haven’t been for a few years). We are a last 16/last 8 team now
Our form and our current league placing demonstrate this. I agree with arse in the Gamb though, we are still stuck in the mentality of the mid noughties when we genuinely challenged for the league/CL/FA cup, etc.
We need to reset our priorities and do our best to win a domestic trophy. From this base, progress can be built. Is AW the man to do this? Not sure anymore…
The other (unfortunate) lesson we will learn from the tie and from Bayern is that unlike Milan last season when the teams step out in three weeks time at the Allianz they will not assume the tie is over
Sets jaw defiantly and sniffs loudly
Markus, perhaps my expectations have been so altered that keeping possession and working hard have come to seem to me like they are playing reasonably well, I.e. for our current squad. But you are probably right that the players didn’t click in their slightly altered positions. But they should be able to have some tactical flexibility. The idea seemed to me to exploit their high line and slow CB, van Buyten, with Theo’s pace. Something different, tactical and designed to get an early goal. And it almost worked as Jack fed Walcott twice in the opening minutes for breakaways behind the Bayern line. But as usual our defending was poor and we gave up a bad goal from a good Kroos strike because no one out pressure on that left side crosser or got to the ball or was covering Kroos closely. After the second we needed to think about changing shape.
The difference was four goals not two. So this gap could be made up with a 3-0 second leg away rather than 5-0 at home. Marginally easier for us. Too bad. If we’d conceded another and failed to score, we’d have had them right where we wanted ‘em, overconfident, right Anicoll?
I fancied a 1-1 last night so a 2-2 would not have killed me LG lol – some opponents even 1-3 you might fancy a chink of opportunity even with the second leg away – we bashed Inter in 03 by a good margin when it was called for
Sadly unlike the flakey Milanese those Bavarian buggers probably really believe it is just half time in the tie
My suggestion for the second leg is Munich being 2 up within 20 minutes killing the game completely stone dead at which point I will switch over to something else.
But that is not the Arsenal way Steve is it ?
WE will be two up in 20 minutes
And then spend the next 70 fruitlessly beavering away for the 3rd that never comes ………………………
You will not be able to turn off or turn over
No sir
Better late than never
http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=10664
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