Arsenal naïve but still in the tie after topsy turvy night of drama at the Emirates

Arsenal 2 Bayern Munich 2   
Champions League Quarter Final, 1st leg   
Tuesday 9th April 2024  8pm    

Although it’s been 14 years since Arsenal last experienced a Champions League quarter final, they’ve certainly met Bayern Munich a few times since then, normally in the last 16 of this competition, with subsequent elimination every time, often with a massive dose of humility. There was much greater hope that, given the respective form of the two teams, this time it would be different. Yet the sight of the German side scoring at the Emirates last night felt all too familiar. 

 

There was no shortage of action at either end, and the complete absence of all but a handful of club picked Bayern supporters (who sat in the posh seats) meant that Arsenal’s home advantage had an extra edge. The crowd supported the team loudly, but in honestly, the opposition players didn’t seem intimidated in the slightest. 

 

So yes, by their own high standards, Bayern are having a disappointing season, but man for man, there is serious quality throughout their line-up. Arsenal went for it, and arguably played with less caution than a typical premier League game. Defensively, they have been largely superb since their Dubai break in January, yet last night at times, they went to pieces. Bayern could have been 3-1 up by half-time and hit the post in the second half. Yes, Arsenal had plenty of attacks of their own, but for the most part, once Bayern equalised, you rarely felt the home side were in control of the game.

 

The team selection looked on point for defensive solidity. Kiwior came in for Zinchenko and Jorginho started. However, Kiwior had a nightmare game, unable to cope with Leroy Sane. He struggled a little against Bernardo Silva at the Etihad, but with the team more stretched against Bayern, they paid the price. Kiwior has done well since he was given a run in the side, but hindsight suggests Tomiyasu might have been the better option to start this game. As it was Zinchenko replaced the hapless Pole at half-time as the Gunners chased parity following a first 45 minutes that didn’t go to plan at all. 

 

It all began so well. Saka put his side ahead with a fine strike into the corner of the net, and then Ben White had a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-0. He short straight at Neuer. Then things took a turn for the worse and due to the kind of defensive errors that we thought had been ironed out, Bayern scored twice, the second time through Harry Kane from the penalty spot. 

 

Arsenal had been controlling the game before Bayern’s equaliser, although the opposition pressing was intense and effective. The last time the Champions League final took place at Wembley, Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund played Bayern and I recall the intensity of the first half was off the scale. Neuer was the only survivor from that team (Thomas Muller started that game but didn’t get on last night), but the principle was the same – get in the faces of the opposition and don’t let them settle. Arteta’s team seemed to panic and got themselves into the kind of trouble that they managed to avoid with a more cautious approach at the Etihad. Yes, they were at home, but even so, going hell for leather to put the game to bed before half time of the first leg did not work out.

 

By half-time, they were fortunate not to be two goals behind. The second half saw some productive changes. Zinchenko did offer far more composure in midfield, allowing Rice to play further forward. Bayern were continuing to play on the break so Zinchenko wasn’t as exposed as he might have been and he couldn’t do any worse than Kiwior. Trossard and Jesus replaced Martinelli and Jorginho three quarters of the way through the game and ten minutes later combined to level the scores, Jesus outstanding to keep the ball and guide it to the Belgian to score.

 

It was all too frenetic. Then again, in Madrid Real and Man City were playing out a 3-3 draw, so who is to say how these matches should be approached? What is certain is that Arsenal do not go to Germany next week with the tie already decided, which tended to be the way when they met Bayern in the past. Sure, the home side will be favourites, but Arteta’s team can offer them problems too and with away goal no longer a factor, they do not have to win the match to take it to a penalty shoot-out. They can consider a safety first approached.

 

There were no shortage of controversial moments. Harry Kane should have been sent off for his elbow on Gabriel, but as was said to me by a friend, he has those elbows down to an art form so as to leave enough doubt in the minds of the officials. As for the Saka incident at the end, ultimately, he tried too hard to ensure it was a penalty, and it looked like he was trying to con the ref. It didn’t help that the ref blew the whistle for full time when the ball was still in play. He should have allowed for it to go out and then a proper assessment might have taken place. As it was we had coaching staff and substitutes on the field whilst (I imagine) he was listening to the VAR officials. It was complete chaos, but he could have still awarded the penalty or even just checked the monitor if informed to do so. It’s happened before. 

If Saka had tried to avoid Neuer’s outstretched leg, he might have been foiled by a Bayern player running back before he could score, then again, he might have also been genuinely clipped by the keeper. It’s all a matter of What Ifs anyway. In truth, Bayern deserved a draw based on the chances. Arsenal really didn’t play with the control and composure they have shown in the past, and questions still hang over Mikel Arteta’s abilities on the European stage. 

 

Hopefully he can answer those next week, but if his players lose possession as often as they did yesterday, they will be eliminated. In Europe, sometimes you have to make sure you don’t lose the game before you try to win it. It’s certainly a different beast from the Premier League and you do feel that even if most of the Arsenal players are full internationals, as a team they are still on something of a learning curve. 

 

Last night was certainly awash with lessons, but fortunately the Gunners are still very much in the tie and can put things right in the second leg. They are certainly good enough to beat any side anywhere on their day, they just need to manage these big matches better.

 

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