Bayern 1–1 Arsenal: Penalty Escape
Arsenal left Germany with a 1–1 draw after a night that was very far from convincing but ultimately keeps the tie alive heading back to the Emirates. The Gunners struggled to find rhythm for large spells at the BayArena and needed a late soft penalty to escape with something to take back to North London. With the return leg still to come and Everton next up in the league, the result sits somewhere between relief and frustration.
First....the tweet.
RT @bayer04_en: WE SCORED FROM A CORNER!!!!!!! - X
I had to laugh at the irony of the satire from the Leverkusen social media team. Fair play to them. Good banter all around and it’s nice to see the football world can still dish out light-hearted jokes without everyone going to war over it.
Unto the game proper.
That wasn’t the best of performances at all. Arsenal went to the BayArena knowing we had a job to do and we almost left there empty handed. In the end the Gunners were bailed out by what many would call a soft penalty on Madueke. Arsenal started reasonably well, taking the game to Leverkusen from the off. We had a couple of early sniffs, Martinelli smashing one against the upright and another promising moment around the nineteenth and twenty-fourth minutes. But beyond that early spell the performance became very slow and ponderous in fits.
I want to believe Mikel will rip into a couple of players after that showing. Bukayo Saka in particular was not at the races at all. His form this season has quite a few of us raising eyebrows even allowing for the injuries he has had to manage. Eze wasn’t incisive enough either, while Martinelli simply didn’t run at his defender nearly enough. Too much hugging of the ball and not enough direct running at defenders.
This was the type of game that needed Martin Ødegaard’s probing dictation. Our captain can be annoyingly slow at times but he knits things together in a way Eze cannot quite replicate. That said they are different types of creators. Eze is the one who cuts you where it hurts without you even seeing it coming, while Martin is the one who does you in by a thousand cuts.
Now all that said Leverkusen deserve credit as well. They kept Arsenal at bay by refusing to come flying out all guns blazing. Christian Fofanii of Cameroon gave our defenders something to think about all night, particularly in his duels with Saliba. They sat in a disciplined shape and did not give us the spaces between the lines that Arsenal normally exploit through those little triangles of passing.
Our midfield dynamism also looked blunted. Rice is not looking his sharpest right now and Zubimendi looks far from it as well. Mikel may need to give those two a breather somehow and that probably means more playing time for Nørgaard. Mikel rightly substituted Saka for Noni Madueke, who had been in my predicted starting line-up. He immediately showed why. He tried to take on the left-back and eventually won the foul that led to the penalty. I call it a soft penalty because in another game with another referee it might easily have been waved away. I understand the arguments from those who thought it shouldn’t have been given because the angles weren’t crystal clear. But there was contact and the referee pointed to the spot.
The referee had a strange game overall. He didn’t show a second yellow for the shoulder barge on Gyökeres which many felt deserved it. At the same time I can understand the discretion given how early in the match it happened, . Referees often hesitate to reduce a game to ten men inside five minutes. That said, I really dont understand his cards for Havertz and Zubi though and as much as I didn’t like the irony of that same player later scoring instead of being off the pitch, I also prefer the eleven versus eleven contest he allowed. On the whole though, when you step back and look at the bigger picture, Arsenal fans can still take a little comfort from the result. A draw at the BayArena isn’t ideal but it’s far from the end of the world either. We take the tie back to the Emirates where you would expect Arsenal to finish the job. We’re entering squeaky bum time now and Mikel needs to make sure the players stay switched on.
#EPL In The Mud?
Looking at the broader landscape, the performances of English clubs in Europe this week didn’t exactly help the narrative that the Premier League is the best league in the world. Across the first round of knockout matches most of them struggled badly. Aston Villa were the only English side to win, taking their match away at Lille. Arsenal, Newcastle and Palace managed draws while others lost, most notably Manchester City and Chelsea who both lost by three goal margins.
City’s defeat to Real Madrid was the most surprising result. Many people expected Manchester City to tear Madrid apart, especially with the Spanish side missing players like Mbappé, Rodrygo and Bellingham. Real Madrid haven’t been particularly impressive this season even by their own sometimes relaxed standards but they turned up with a workmanlike attitude and the result showed it. Trent once said the Champions League is simply different and teams raise their levels for it. That might explain what we saw. Don’t be surprised if Madrid turn around and drop points in La Liga against Elche this weekend. As for Manchester City, it’s hard to see Pep Guardiola’s side turning that tie around in the return leg. But this competition has produced some unbelievable comebacks over the years so I won’t completely rule it out yet.
Chelsea against PSG looks finished though. PSG took things personally and Chelsea unfortunately played right into their hands. At 2–2 they should have shut the game down. Even when their goalkeeper gifted PSG a 3–2 lead they still kept pushing forward in a naive way and PSG punished them through Kvaratskhelia, who by the way is some player.
Looking at it all together it seems likely that only two or three English teams might progress to the quarter-finals. Sure, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle still have work to do because nothing is ever won on paper.
Everton Preview
Back to the league now and Arsenal have an opportunity to create a little more daylight between themselves and Manchester City this weekend when David Moyes brings Everton to the Emirates. A win puts the gunners 10 points clear of ManCity, albeit with two games less played. The Gunners haven’t exactly been tearing down trees recently but they have been grinding out victories. Everton’s away form is surprisingly strong as well, fourth best in the league, so Arsenal could easily find themselves in another scrap for the three points. I’m not expecting a scintillating game but football has a funny way of surprising you. Everton under Moyes are a difficult team to break down. They sit deep, stay organised and rely on a hardworking midfield. Arsenal cannot afford to approach this match casually. This might actually be the type of game for players like Eze, Noni and Dowman. Players capable of creating a little chaos in structured defensive setups. Martinelli may find it tougher against a side that will likely sit deep and try to counter through players like Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye. Winning the midfield battle will be key. Rice and Zubimendi must stay disciplined and squeeze Everton into mistakes while Eze demands the ball and looks for those gaps for our runners on the wings.
Gyökeres could also be useful as a physical presence against defenders like Keane and Tarkowski. Arsenal may need someone willing to be a battering ram when the game gets scrappy. Set pieces may not be the best route either. Everton actually defend corners very well according to the numbers. But if one drops our way we’ll take it. And if certain pundits or podcasters Like Mikel Obi or Schmeichel decide they still don’t recognise Arsenal goals then that’s their business. As long as the scoreboard says Arsenal won and the Premier League table confirms it, they can keep their opinions. On the podcasting note, watchout for our 'youtube shortcast'.
Thierry Henry said it best. 'You don’t have to like how Arsenal play. But you will have to respect it.'
Nuff said.
At this stage of the season with eight games remaining all fans really care about is one thing. Find the will to win. Its become more and more mentally psychological than physical now. The players must understand this and tune out all the noise, however difficult it may be. My team sheet would wring in a couple changes to be more attacking as shown below.
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| #ARSEVE |
