Kevin Whitcher
Arsenal started this tie very well, with shots raining in and the visitors rattled enough to concede a penalty. It was an opportunity spurned. The spot kick was created by Mesut Ozil’s trickery, but what followed looked plain casual. The lack of a run up meant that his effort looked very lame, presumably an attempt to outwit the keeper that went wrong. It was the kind of chance you really cannot afford to miss at this level, and so it proved. More than one fan remarked that it was just our luck to have the one German who can’t take a penalty. Ozil missed with a similar style against Marseille earlier in the tournament.
Bayern, in turn missed from the spot later in the half, but critically, Arsenal were down to ten men as a consequence of Szczesny’s foul. The task was hard enough as it was, but even though the miss was a let-off, one feared what might develop as the game wore on.
Credit to Arsenal, they battled valiantly given their ability to attack was so minimal. On that level, time for the Yaya Sanogo debate. Olivier Giroud was fit enough to make the bench on Sunday and last night. The story is presumably that he is being rested. Yeah, right. There seems little doubt that the striker is being punished by Arsene Wenger for his 3am transgressions before the Palace game. Players having sex the night before a game is something that can’t be tolerated by the manager, and there used to be a ban on the hotel porn channel for his players to ensure there was no physical activity of any nature. However, times have moved on, and players now access porn on any number of devices that Wenger can’t control. So Giroud had a woman in his room when he should have been sleeping. Well fine him two weeks wages then. But to drop him from this game seemed incredibly churlish, especially given the alternatives.
Opinion about Sanogo’s performance was mixed. I don’t think anyone is going to criticize the player, given the situation he was thrown into (and Nicklas Bendtner will have his own thoughts about this development). For me, he was simply not up to the task being asked of him, especially when the side were reduced to ten men. He did get a shot in while the team had the full complement, but he did not impress me as much as some others. I think they were being generous. It would be far more valid to question the transfer policy that led to the situation of him being the alternative to Giroud for a game as big as this, but that is a long worn debate. Most people agree. It is madness to be relying on this kid. Arsenal got away with it v Liverpool last weekend, at Bayern, his inexperience was more exposed.
The goal, when it came in the second half, was a cracker. The amount of space Tony Kroos enjoyed was a direct consequence of being a man short and the team chasing shadows. The sending off and an injury to Kieran Gibbs meant Arsenal only had one more sub to make. There is an argument that Giroud, for his hold up play, would have been a better option to bring on, but Rosicky instead entered the fray for the Ox. Ozil pretty much disappeared after missing the penalty. It’s not really working out for the player currently, in spite of Arsenal still remaining in the hunt on two domestic fronts. His early season form seems to have gone to pot. There is a feeling that due to his price tag, the manager can’t really afford to drop him. However, just at the moment, it’s worth considering whether the team might play better with Cazorla in the hole and Podolski wide left. Let’s see what happens against Sunderland.
That Arsenal held the current champions to a one goal lead was due partly to tenacious defending, and let’s face it, a bit of luck when it came to the German side’s finishing. In the circumstances, 1-0 would have been a very acceptable defeat and left some hope for the return leg. However, a rather aimless and unconsidered free kick near the end which saw Laurent Koscielny further advanced than Sanogo led to the defender trying to make it back into position as Bayern scored again to kill the tie. Lahm, now moved into a midfield position after starting the game at right back, floated a cross in that Moeller gobbled up and it was 2-0. Shades of the home defeat to Dortmund, where the team went a little too gung ho. It might have been worth it if the Arsenal free kick that led to the goal had been a little more thought out. But its quality left the Gunners vulnerable. Call it naivety. The feeling after the game was that Wenger’s team still have a lot to learn about European knockout football.
The positives? It was a much improved display on the same match last season. Arsenal were not humiliated. The fans were marvelous, getting behind the team. A substantial enough amount of people did get in early to make the card display that welcomed the teams worthwhile and visually effective. Sure there were latecomers, but not as many as normal. And now the manager can focus on the FA Cup with a little more conviction. No-one expects the team to overturn this tie in Germany, but the FA Cup represents a real chance of a trophy and with the final taking place after the Premier League is completed, there are only two matches that will distract from the Gunners’ league programme.
As for Europe, Arsenal had a go, went toe to toe with arguably the best team in Europe until the sending off, and we could have had a very different outcome if Ozil had converted his spot kick and made it 1-0. However. It wasn’t to be.
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