Kevin Whitcher
Dortmund were always likely to be Arsenal’s toughest opponents in a Champions League group that is far trickier than those Wenger’s team have faced in recent seasons. Their visit last night did not compare with that of Bayern Munich in February when a football lesson was administered. Arsenal are currently a far better outfit. However, naivety cost them dear on the big stage.
Dortmund’s first goal was wholly avoidable. Aaron Ramsey being caught in possession on the edge of his own box is the kind of cardinal sin you might get away with against a lower half Premier League team, but not in the Champions League against last season’s finalists. Arsenal were not able to get the roaring start they did against Napoli for the simple reason that the visitors had the nous to take the wind out of their sails by controlling the game in the opening period. Arsenal were not at the races, against a better team than they have faced all season.
It took a Dortmund goal to awaken them and they started to play. Rosicky was unlucky not to score before Giroud netted the equalizer. Games at this level are all about spells, and making the most of things when you are on top. Essentially seizing the moment. Top quality strikers can do this, and Giroud is looking like one this season. The ball in from Sagna was delicious. Kieran Gibbs’ crossing on the night was noticeably inferior by contrast. Arsenal’s full backs are crucial to their attacking play when space in the centre is constrained, as it often was by Dortmund’s busy midfielders.
Arsene Wenger acknowledged after the game that the team wanted the win too badly, which led to the counter attack and the second Dortmund goal. I wonder if it might have been prevented had Mathieu Flamini been fit to play? I haven’t seen the TV replays to see who was left upfield as Dortmund stormed forward, perhaps Flamini would have made no difference.
The game was a narrow one, and it could have gone either way. Ultimately Dortmund showed greater composure and experience. They did not have many opportunities, but critically, took enough of the ones they did. Had Cazorla’s effort that hit the bar been a bit lower we may all be in a different mood this morning.
Aaron Ramsey had his least influential game for a while, but he was due an off day. This is a youngster not a machine and it would be churlish to knock him too much for the concession of the first goal. It will hopefully provide a lesson that avoids a repeat.
The formation in the second half after Cazorla replaced Wilshere seemed to be 2-4-3-1, with the full backs pushing on, Arteta holding, Ramsey and Rosicky advanced central and Ozil and Cazorla pushed wide. It certainly seemed to invite the decisive counter attack that resulted in the winning goal.
It was a fascinating enjoyable game in terms of the football played. Top level stuff with Arsenal having to do something a little extra to get any reward. They tried manfully and produced some fine moments. The defeat isn’t the end of the world and I would be disappointed if it adversely affected the players in the coming matches. Wenger is of the view that an away win will be required from the two remaining trips in this group for progress to be secured. With Marseille looking like the whipping boys, this could be true. And Arsenal are capable of getting such a result. Some of their football this season has been of the requisite quality to get a win in either Germany or Italy, although the latter does look more plausible. And of course, you never know if Marseille might pluck something out of the bag and take points off someone.
However, what the players need to remember is some of the result football they played on the run-in to fourth place last season. They started with a basis of not losing (critically not conceding), which provided the platform to work from. To an extent, the team may have got too carried away last night by their good run of form, and gone for the kill against a side they could not afford to take risks against. Arsenal have ambitions to catch up with Bayern Munich. First, they must become good enough to match Borussia Dortmund, a team far more like the finished article than the current Gunners line-up. This Arsenal is a work in progress, perhaps over-reliant on certain individuals in a way that maybe Dortmund or Bayern are not. Hopefully the lessons of last night will be taken on board and we will witness the consequences between now and the end of the group stage.
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