Impotent Arsenal felled by sucker punch in Porto

 

Porto 1 Arsenal 0    
Champions League Round of 16, 1st leg   
Wednesday 21st February 2024  8pm    

It’s 14 years since Arsenal were last in the quarter finals of the Champions League. A long time. We all remember the humiliating exits at the hands of Bayern Munich and Barcelona, as well as slightly lesser lights like Monaco. Might Porto join the list of teams that accounted for the Gunners in the round of 16? After last night, you wouldn’t back against it. Porto were long odds to win this match, which did a bit of discredit to them given their generally excellent record at home. And in the end, due to some poor work at the death of the game in Arsenal’s own half, they secured a one goal lead to take into the second leg. The way they nullified a great deal of the visitors’ attacking play, you wouldn’t be too surprised if they defended their way to a victory in the tie.

 

Arsenal were unchanged from the last two matches, but the convincing displays that took care of West Ham and Burnley on the road were not replicated in Portugal. Arteta’s men had the vast majority of possession as Porto worked hard to deny them space once their opponents crossed the halfway line. There were a number of fairly decent opportunities from headers, but nothing that worked the keeper. Arteta’s team finished the match with no attempts on target. This was due to a combination of their own lacklustre display and the tenacity of the opposition.

 

Porto had the best chance to score in the first half when Galeno volleyed the ball against the inside of the post, and it came straight back to him, only for him the have another go and put the ball wide. Arsenal really should have gone behind then. As it was, the stalemate dragged on, in what was a frankly dull affair, as two-legged European knockout ties can sometimes be. 

 

As the second half progressed, the only change Arteta made was bringing on Jorginho for Trossard after 73 minutes, which suggested he was content with a draw. The attacking options on the bench were Nketiah, Nelson, Nwaneri, Smith Rowe and Vieira. With hindsight, one or both of the latter pair might have sparked something. None of Arsenal’s forward players were getting any joy. 

 

I was a bit mystified that Porto didn’t go for it a bit more, but their patience was rewarded deep into second half injury time when Arsenal made a hash of clearing the ball, not helped by Raya passing the ball to the opposition and his team-mates never really getting control as they struggled to win it back. It was a wonder shot by Galeno from distance that beat Raya, but the opportunity should never have occurred. It was a lapse in concentration that might prove costly.

 

We’ll find out in March, but failing to beat Porto at the Emirates by more than a single goal in normal time would lead to extra time and likely a shoot-out. I think the Portuguese side would take that now if you offered it to them, but come the night, they’ll simply work to achieve the same defensive resilience as the first leg and deny their hosts anything.

 

European football is a different beast from the Premier League. Arteta has had three stabs at it, the most successful being a run to the last four in the Europa League where he was outwitted by Unai Emery. Last season his team exited Europe at the round of 16 stage in that competition at the hands of Portuguese opposition in the form of Sporting Lisbon. It felt like Porto’s coach Conceicao had prepared his team well to counter Arsenal’s threat, which is why there was so little threat from the flanks and through balls that tried to break any high lines were read and dealt with comfortably. Crosses – mainly from set pieces - were all that really concerned Porto and the referee was giving fouls to the home side that a Premier League ref wouldn’t fall so easily for. In the penalty area, it really felt like a non-contact sport when Arsenal had a set piece. 

 

Clever teams read a situation and adapt. It felt like the Gunners didn’t have the experience too. Arteta has to find a way to unpick the lock of Porto’s defence if he is to see his team make the last eight. Maybe if Jesus is fit, there might be less predictability, who knows? And to pile on the misery, Liverpool won their Premier League game against Luton convincingly to move five points ahead in the table. The pressure mounts ahead of the Newcastle match on Saturday night, but hey, at least the team are playing in matches where there is more at stake than we saw for many a season. Let’s hope they can turn things around in this tie. A one goal deficit is not the end of the world, but they will have to play better in the return game.

 

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