Gunners run out of steam in Munich

Bayern Munich 1 Arsenal 0   
Champions League Quarter Final, 2nd leg  
Wednesday 17th April 2024  9pm (local time)    

If you’d said at the start of the season that Arsenal would make the last eight of the Champions League on their return to the competition, and remembering the last time they managed that was 14 years ago, you’d have thought, fair enough. As it is, Arsenal join a quartet featuring Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. So there is no disgrace in the exit to Bayern Munich, as these are exalted levels which the club have not really had any exposure to for longer than anyone could have foreseen in the days when Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin were still pulling on the red and white shirt. 

 

However, some of the excellent football played since the turn of the year raised hopes that this could be a remarkable return to the top table, and with the final at Wembley, a place Arteta has never experienced defeat, people were understandably dreaming. As it is, the experience should benefit a team that it still developing and will get another shot next season.

 

It was a tight tie, but ultimately Bayern won their home leg and Arsenal didn’t. That was the difference. The Gunners were defensively exposed in London last week and paid the price. Having started the first leg so well, Ben White’s inability to convert a relatively simple chance and make it 2-0 was a turning point in that game, and in the end it was Arsenal who had to come from behind to salvage a draw. Fine margins can decide these things and a different referee might have given Arsenal a last-minute penalty when Saka went down, but that’s history now. And in truth, Bayern could have scored more than once in the return leg, most notably striking the bar and the post in one attack when the game was 0-0. 

 

Mikel Arteta decided to play Tomiyasu in what has become the problem left back position – a problem because of the danger of Leroy Sane. Martinelli started instead of Jesus and Jorginho returned to the starting eleven after being a sub at the weekend. Much as a 0-0 would have suited Arsenal as the away side, making the game a 50/50 affair in a penalty shoot-out, they did not play defensively. At times in the first half they seemed the dominant team, but the game ebbed and flowed. Martinelli had the best chance of the match for the away side during the first half when Saka’s ball into the middle was met first time, but rather than be able to place it wide of Neuer, the Brazilian steered the ball straight to the Bayern keeper. 

 

Apart from that the home defence did a good containing job – Saka rarely looked like he would score and Odegaard was far less influential than we have seen so many times in recent weeks. Later it transpired both had late fitness tests before the game. The winning goal saw Kimmich steal a march on Martinelli by running into the box from deep to convert a header. His momentum made it difficult for the Arsenal attacker to do anything, although a more savvy defensive player might have tried to block him off. There was enough time for Arteta’s side to rescue the tie, but they rarely seriously threatened to do so, with some near things turning out to be offside after the attacks had failed to produce the much-wanted goal.

 

One thing that does need to be looked at is the tendency of Arteta’s team to experience a bad run of results every April – habitually. The only year it didn’t happen was 2020 when, because of Covid, Arsenal didn’t play any games in that month. The potential saving grace this year is that, if they can pick themselves up, then two of the three bad results will have been in the Champions League, and the title challenge does not have to be jeopardised. That means beating Wolves away and Chelsea at home to get back on track. 

 

The problem is that some of the players are starting to look weary. This is understandable given their age and the fact that many of them have rarely been rested. It points to the reality that Arteta’s squad does not run deep in terms of his trust in more than three or four of his back-up players. Both Manchester City and Liverpool have more options, although in City’s case, financial superiority is obviously a key factor behind that. 

 

As City were also eliminated last night, after a penalty shoot-out by Real Madrid, it could mean that fifth place in the Premier League does not mean a Champions League spot as was widely anticipated. Germany have leapfrogged England in the UEFA co-efficient, with Italy in top spot. The other two European competitions contribute to this. This means that Villa and Spurs may have to decide who is in the Champions League and who is in the Europa League between them. It also means that they have something at stake when they both play Liverpool and when Spurs play Manchester City. So just maybe the title race is not done and dusted yet. 

 

Much as it was quite nice to see Manchester City go out, for the simple reason I am bored of seeing the habitually win everything and really didn’t want them to win the Champions League again, it does mean that the pressure is off in terms of squeezing in all of their fixtures, and the FA Cup is not going to be a huge distraction with the final being after the Premier League concludes, assuming they beat Chelsea next weekend. 

 

Back to Arsenal and their exit and it was a relatively even contest that was decided by moments – at least it was an improvement on what had previously happened too often against Bayern, when the tension never lasted because the German side were out of sight too soon, the tie a dead rubber after only one leg. Manchester City and Atletico went also out on narrow margins, whilst Barcelona were two up in their tie against PSG and playing at home until a red card turned things in the French team’s favour. At this level, small moments often decide things and the best teams become experienced at handling them. It’s something that the Gunners need to learn before this stage next season.

 

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