I don't normally post following a midweek game, but there has actually been a clamour (well, sort of...) for an extra post. So here it is:
This was a match that we had been anticipating with glee. A chance for Arsenal to test themselves against one of the giants of European football. A team against whom previous Arsenal sides had historically struggled. A team - like Arsenal - clear at the top of their league; and regarded as one of the very best around. And with the added spice of old nemesis Harry Kane in their ranks. But - and I'm not sure if this was important - without any real sense of jeopardy; because both sides had maximum points from their first 4 league stage matches, and could reasonably expect to sail through into the coveted top 8 of the group. Were it a knockout game, I would imagine that the tension levels would have been considerably higher.
Just two changes from Arteta, as MLS and Mosquera came in for Calafiori (rested) and Hincapie (perhaps feeling a slight knock after Sunday). Madueke, Martinelli and now Odegaard back on the bench; but still no Gyokeres. For Munich, the busy Luis Diaz was suspended, so 17-year-old Wunderkind Lennart Karl kept his place, and Serge Gnabry stepped into their starting line-up.
Interesting to see former team-mates at Crystal Palace, Olise and Eze, lining up in opposition. Two highly talented footballers, playing at top clubs and for top sides as their talent merits. Eze is something of a chess afficionado - actually introduced to the game by Olise - and to my mind the first half was something of the footballing equivalent of a game of chess. The play flowed like the tides with firstly Bayern, then Arsenal, and then Bayern again making the running, and some interesting tactics in evidence. Arsenal kept a close eye on Kane throughout (Saliba looked to track him everywhere - including almost all the way back into his own penalty area as, starved of decent service, he went looking for the ball), and to get the ball out wide in order to create central overflows - as they had done so successfully on Sunday. Bayern have electric wingers, and Karl in the number 10 role is a super talent. They were looking to get in behind the Arsenal full backs as often as they could.
It was pretty even, even if Bayern were seeing a lot of the ball, and most of the decisive action was down to individual errors. Trossard roamed the front line as Merino dropped deep in his usual 'false 9' role, and spaces were evident in the Bayern back line as Arsenal's somewhat longer ball strategy stretched the away side. At the other end, it looked like MLS was due for a long night, as Olise started to exploit the teenager's propensity to move a little too far infield at times. With one of Bayern's major weapons being a raking diagonal ball from Kimmich to both wings, the tactic looked clear.
Bayern have a noted weakness at defending set pieces. Not good when up against Arsenal. And so it was that on 22 minutes Saka's exquisite delivery was flicked into the far corner by Timber, with Neuer nowhere. The crucial first goal.
Upamecano - Saliba's central defensive partner for the French national team - looked to be a weak link, and he went into the book soon after for a clumsy foul on Trossard. The Frenchman is a bit slow and ponderous; his distribution below the required levels in my opinion. And he lacks pace. Whichever of he and Konate gets the nod alongside Big Willy at the World Cup in going to be targeted by the opposition, I reckon. Midway through the second half, a clumsy foul on Madueke could easily have seen him sent off.
And soon after it could easily have been 2-0 as Eze - cleverly slipped in following a superb piece of skill and a 1-2 with Merino - side-footed the ball well wide of Neuer's far post from just 12 yards out. What an opportunity that was!
Yet minutes later it was 1-1. At the end of a prolonged period of keep-ball, Kimmich's raking pass caught MLS out (too far infield and slightly too deep), Gnabry raced onto the ball and played an exquisite side-footed volley back across goal towards the penalty spot; from where the onrushing Karl hammered the ball into the roof of the net. A fabulous goal, that I personally felt obliged to applaud.
The loss of Trossard soon after would not have helped anybody's mood; the Belgian limping off with what looked like a calf strain, to be replaced by the returning Madueke. Thus maintaining Arsenal's carefully cultivated one-in, one-out policy on injuries... The former Chelsea player now looks likely to start against his old club in what is starting to look like a season-defining match-up on Sunday. One can only hope that he continues one of Arsenal's 2025-26 trends - Merino netted against Newcastle, Rice against West Ham, and Eze against Palace... I need say no more...
The momentum had switched in Bayern's favour at that point, but Arsenal held on until half time. Quite how long MLS would remain on the field was certainly a point of discussion at that point - it is starting to look like he is going to need to be developed more as a midfielder than a left back; such is the now obvious drop off from Calafiori.
But no further changes at half-time; but Arsenal came out flying from the first whistle of the second half. A series of chances for Merino from which he was probably unlucky not to profit, before Rice's free kick on the hour - following Upamecano's foul on Madueke - was allowed to bounce and Mosquera's header was directed straight at Neuer. And from the hour mark Arsenal, driven on by a rampant Declan Rice, took the game over completely. One marauding run directly through the inside left position cut Bayern open like a knife through butter, before he forced Neuer into a fine save with his foot and the ball pinballed around the 6-yard box before finally falling safe.
Meantime, MLS was exposed once too often by Olise in a rare Bayern break, and Arteta had seen enough; Calafiori on in his place. His performance was the only Arsenal blemish, in my opinion. It was actually a double change, with Saka also off - rested for Sunday and replaced by Martinelli.
Calafiori made an instant impact at the other end, as following a superb Rice interception (from a misplaced Upamecano pass) and an interchange on the left he whipped in a stunning cross across the 6-yard line for Madueke to caress home for 2-1. Madueke's first Arsenal goal, and the crowd went wild! It was nothing less than Arsenal deserved.
It was all Arsenal at that point, but Bayern are too good a side to be kept down for long. And they did manage a spell of possession soon after. But... it all broke down on the edge of Arsenal's penalty area, and Martinelli nudged the ball to Eze and then set off on a long run, accompanied by Kimmich. With the ball at Eze's feet, I was on mine shouting MARTINELLI! Eze's raking pass set the Brazilian away, he outpaced Kimmich and rounded the onrushing Neuer - fully 35 yards out! It merely remained for him the stroke the ball into an empty net for 3-1. A typical Martinelli goal.
And here's the thing; Arteta wanted a bigger squad for two reasons. Firstly, he never wants to be short of players as a result of injury issues. And secondly, he wants his substitutes to be capable of making a real impact. All of which we saw against Bayern. Calafiori and Madueke combined for the second goal, and Martinelli scored the third. Nailed it.
By the way, here's something else. Manuel Neuer has been one of the world's greatest goalkeepers. But he's nearly 40 now - and looked it! His reflexes don't look too affected, but he looked to be struggling on crosses, and his judgment for the third goal was badly impaired. Not our problem, obviously - but a slightly sad sight to witness.
And that, with 15 minutes to go, was that... a few more changes, with White and Odegaard introduced (but no sign of a rest for Dec). And the crowd serenaded Bayern with a a few choruses of 'Are you Tottenham in disguise?' and Kane himself with 'Harry. Harry. What's the score?' All highly amusing, and with the news filtering in that Spurs were suffering yet another heavy defeat, and Liverpool were being taken apart by the might PSV, the atmosphere was party-like. Reminiscent of the afternoon of Lasagna-gate, or of the afternoon when Spurs let in 4 second half goals to 10-man Newcastle a few years ago, whilst Arsenal thrashed Villa to get into the Champions League in their place.
So how are we feeling? Because this felt like a statement win over a big team, and another sign of Arsenal's progress. There's little doubt that the name Arsenal is casting a cloud over the whole of European football at the moment. Whilst they remain in such good form, and have this momentum, they should be feared. Of course, it's difficult to keep this up over an entire season, and no trophies are handed out in November or December, but if you're not feeling very good as an Arsenal supporter at this point there must, frankly, be something wrong with you.
On to Chelsea. Fresh from a 3-0 win over 10-man Barcelona on Tuesday. This ought to be fun - for the neutral at least. I don't know any Chelsea supporters who are too confident about Sunday, and their defence is nothing like as good as Arsenal's. But we're going to have to keep an eye on an electric, in-form Chelsea forward line. Neto and young Estevao, in particular, may well cause problems. And then there's the much-anticipated midfield showdown between Rice and Caicedo.
I'm quietly confident. How do you feel? COYG!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment