Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal: A slender defeat that informed us lots

Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video

Arsenal’s Champions League run is over after a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich final evening. Mikel Arteta made some adjustments to his staff, beginning Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back, bringing Jorginho again into midfield which pushed Kai Havertz up entrance, and utilizing Gabriel Martinelli on the left.

Earlier than the sport, Bayern made it clear they have been going to attempt to play a counter-attacking recreation, so it wasn’t a shock to see them let Arsenal have a number of the ball early on. 13 minutes in, we’d had 70% possession, with a few tame efforts from Kane at Martinelli at both finish. It was cautious from either side, comprehensible with a lot at stake.

Regardless of that, Bayern demonstrated their menace with moments of hazard. Leroy Sane bought behind Tomiyasu, just for Gabriel to dam on the close to put up, and a break down their left noticed Ben White do brilliantly to get again and block what would doubtless have been a sure objective for Noussair Mazraoui. Jamal Musiala examined Raya with a shot from outdoors the field, whereas on the different finish Martin Odegaard’s deflected effort had Manuel Neuer scrambling to make a save.

Our greatest probability of the half, and in the end of the evening, fell for Martinelli within the thirty first minute. He took it first time along with his left foot, however I believe he had extra time than he first thought. Might he have taken a contact and gone along with his proper? Presumably, however I perceive why he did what he did. Sadly, whereas heading in the right direction, it was straight on the keeper.

There have been moments within the first half the place we bought ourselves into good positions, however the combos across the field simply didn’t come off. The ultimate go to set somebody free simply wasn’t fairly there. Nonetheless, I don’t suppose 0-0 at half-time was dangerous by any means, and I think of their planning for this recreation, that was an eventuality Mikel Arteta and his teaching workers would have targetted. In a good European tie away from house, it was an honest place to be in on the break.

The factor is, you want to have the ability to step it up within the second half when the sport turns into only a bit extra open, and for the second recreation working, we have been discovered wanting. I don’t know if the very fact Bayern got here out of the blocks rapidly from half-time performed an element, however maybe it put us on the again foot and we simply didn’t have a strategy to reply. The distinction within the two 45s is clear. The primary was fairly even, they’d 4 photographs to our 7, however within the second we may solely muster 2 efforts to their 11.

Virtually right away they hit the bar with a header from Goretzka after which the put up with a observe up shot. That preliminary effort was a warning, a participant working from deep to get on the top of a cross. There was nearly one other mix-up between Gabriel and Raya, it value us a nook, and the stress felt prefer it was mounting. Then, within the 63rd minute, the deadly blow.

It started with one thing we didn’t see sufficient from Arsenal, a midfield participant driving by means of the traces to open up house. Konrad Laimer’s burst noticed Bayern get down their proper, Sane crossed, it went over the far put up, Gurreiro clipped it again in and Kimmich, who had been concerned the within the transfer earlier, ran off Martinelli to thump house a header. Martinelli’s defensive work all evening to assist Tomiyasu was wonderful (he had tracked Sane’s run all the best way), however only a second the place he was caught on his heels was sufficient for Bayern to get the objective.

Arteta responded by placing on Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard for Martinelli and Jorginho, but it surely made little distinction. We simply couldn’t discover a strategy to harm them. There are issues we may laser give attention to this morning if we actually need. Trossard not placing a late free kick into the field after we had despatched the massive males up; the Odegaard shot which ought to have been an Arsenal nook however was given as a objective kick; Saka’s horrible late nook which didn’t make it past the close to put up.

However these are very a lot within the ‘what if?!’ class for me. It’s doable we may have made extra of them, however that we didn’t summed up our evening. It was considerably chastening, actually. A lot has been fabricated from the advantage of expertise within the Champions League, and with out making any excuses, I believe that was true final evening – because it was within the Porto recreation too. On that event we had simply sufficient high quality to cope with it, final evening Bayern confirmed us we nonetheless have some strategy to go.

Afterwards, Mikel Arteta mentioned:

Clearly very unhappy and upset with the ultimate outcome. It was a tie of very small margins – within the first leg, we conceded two very poor targets and that has an enormous impact within the tie. We have been nonetheless alive, got here right here and I’m actually pleased with the gamers, how they stood up, the best way they tried to play, what they tried to do, particularly within the first half. It was a recreation that you possibly can see both an error or a person or magic second that may determine the tie. The margins are so small. We didn’t defend our field nicely in any respect in that motion and we ended up not having sufficient to attain a objective.

He additionally made some extent which I believe is vital after we analyse this recreation, and the efficiency over two legs:

We haven’t performed within the competitors for seven years, and we haven’t been on this place for 14 years. There’s a purpose for it, and we need to do the whole lot. Quick ahead, tremendous fast in a single season and after we had the capability and the standard to be within the semi-final, as a result of the margins have been very small. However these margins generally are coming from one thing else, that perhaps we don’t have but.

For me, final evening wasn’t about lack of effort, or gamers not making an attempt. I believe they gave it go, and whereas the second half was frustratingly limp, for my part it’s extra concerning the high quality than the applying. Within the first half, it was straightforward to think about a extra dynamic central midfield, for instance – with all due respect to Jorginho. I checked out what Musiala did at occasions, driving by means of challenges and opening up house, and I may simply make room for that type of participant on the membership (like they develop on bushes, however you recognize what I imply).

Because the second half went on, it grew to become pretty apparent from the best way the sport was going that our greatest probability of scoring was both from a set-piece (inherently harmful), or from somebody doing one thing particular – however we don’t actually have that type of particular person within the staff or the squad. Arteta spoke about needing magic moments at this stage, however realistically who can present that? Our three centre-forward choices are Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Havertz – there’s very clearly room so as to add somebody in that space.

Once more, with all due respect, throwing on Eddie to attempt get a objective is a Hail Mary above all else. A participant with 1 objective in his final 23 appearances is unlikely to avoid wasting you in a Champions League quarter-final tie away towards a staff like Bayern. Harsh? Maybe. However true. And past that, when you consider the way you would possibly react to this type of state of affairs in a recreation of this magnitude, you have a look at the bench and if gamers like Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira aren’t thought-about adequate for this stage, not even for a couple of minutes whenever you desperately want a objective, then you need to be ruthless and improve as lots of them as you may.

So, when Arteta talks about what we don’t have but, I perceive it, but it surely’s now incumbent on him and Edu and so on, to handle that in the summertime. I don’t suppose going out of the Champions League on the quarter-final stage is a shame or something like that – have a look at the groups who exited this week – but it surely nonetheless looks like a missed alternative, particularly whenever you replay the primary leg in your thoughts.

It’s important we study from it although, and the fact of video games like this towards opposition of this high quality and expertise, is that they usually inform you what you’re lacking. I believe we noticed that fairly clearly final evening – not least as a result of what you’re lacking locations big bodily calls for on the gamers who’re on the proper stage, which then impacts their skill to contribute since you lean too closely on them.

This week, we regarded like a staff that ran out of gasoline, and there are causes for that. We’ve got gamers in key positions who should play on a regular basis as a result of the supervisor doesn’t imagine or belief within the alternate options. I nonetheless firmly imagine we’re making progress and bettering, however we are able to’t ignore issues we are able to all see.

Proper, I’m going to depart it there for now. We’ll have half an Arsecast Additional for you in a short while. We’ll do half 1, however as a result of James is in Munich and has to do resort/airport stuff, we received’t do questions at this time.

That needs to be out round 10.30am. Till then.