Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video
Good morning from a London lodge room the place I’m going to attempt to piece collectively the 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich final evening. I haven’t had an opportunity to look at all of it again, though I do have the sport downloaded, so I’ll attempt to do it by way of the important thing incidents.
Pre-game + early phases
I’m not somebody who goes each week, however I’ve been to loads of video games on the Emirates, and I’ve by no means heard noise like that earlier than. It was so loud, and so spectacular. The group have been effectively and actually up for this one.
The Bukayo Saka purpose, curled in after a Ben White cross, sparked big celebrations, clearly. It was a stunning end, Kai Havertz did effectively to get a foot in earlier than the White cross, and that was simply the beginning you’d have wished. It ought to have settled us, and it most likely ought to have been even higher when White had an opportunity to make it 2-0 however shot straight on the keeper.
If you take a look at what occurred subsequent, that was an enormous sliding doorways second on this sport. I’m not saying he has to attain there, he’s a defender ready the place you’d usually count on to see a ahead, however only a bit extra composure and bit extra precision within the end, and I believe this may have been a really completely different evening.
Serge Gnabry equaliser
This was careless. I do know we ask our goalkeeper to play excessive up the pitch, however I believe Raya is simply too excessive, and it causes confusion. Gabriel’s first contact isn’t good, and his cross to Jakub Kiwior catches the Polish internationals on his heels a bit. Declan Rice makes a step in direction of the ball which permits Goretzka to run past him, and the ball to Gnabry sees the previous Arsenal man slot dwelling between the keeper’s legs.
This was a present, a reminder that regardless of pre-game speak of how Bayern aren’t what they have been, they’re nonetheless replete with high quality gamers who can harm you when you make a mistake. It additionally fully killed the environment, like a balloon going pop, all of the vitality appeared to exit of the stadium.
1-2, penalty
Bayern performed a hopeful ball up the road, and Sane will get away from Kiwior too simply. You simply can’t get turned like that, he needed to be stronger and, if obligatory, take a yellow card. That’s his job, and whereas I don’t wish to go in too exhausting on him, I discovered his choice a little bit of an odd one to be sincere. It additionally convinces me even additional that regardless of having loads of choices, Arsenal want a left-back. Not somebody who can simply play there, however a left-side equal of Ben White. Perhaps that’s Jurrien Timber, however for me it’s a place which must be addressed correctly in the summertime.
From there, Sane drove into our field, Jorginho lunged in and didn’t get the ball, Gabriel pulled out of a problem, earlier than Saliba, who appeared nearly caught off guard by the actual fact the Bayern man had come that far, bumped him over and the ref pointed to the spot. It’s 100% a penalty, and Harry Kane did precisely what you anticipated him to do, making it 2-1.
Sane was harmful once more a couple of minutes later, tearing in direction of our field after an absence of precision excessive up the pitch allowed them to interrupt by way of on purpose. Just for some good defending from Ben White, that will have been 3-1.
Second half
Oleksandr Zinchenko got here on for Kiwior on the break, the change itself wasn’t a shock, however I had thought it could be Tomiyasu. He didn’t precisely calm the nerves, defensively he all the time appeared inclined to the ball in behind, and whereas I do know his power is on the ball greater than defending, his determination making at occasions was irritating.
Bayern suppose they need to have had a penalty when Raya took a purpose kick within the 66th minute, and Gabriel picked the ball up and took it once more. I imply, they might be proper, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a bit complicated. Arsenal had simply introduced on Jesus and Trossard for Martinelli and Jorginho, the ref blew his whistle, however there’s one other whistle after Gabriel picked it as much as take it once more.
I suppose it might be a penalty however I can’t take Bayern’s complaints too severely, as a result of they need to have been down to 10 males at that time. Ten minutes earlier, Kane has a take a look at Gabriel, swings an elbow which catches him within the throat, and solely will get a yellow card. For me that’s a purple all day lengthy. If it was unintended, yellow can be high-quality, nevertheless it wasn’t so it ought to have been a sending off. You’ll be able to see him verify the place Gabriel is, understanding full effectively what he’s going to do subsequent.
Harry Kane sees yellow for a excessive elbow on Gabriel 👀 pic.twitter.com/IhOFnlw1Nt
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 9, 2024
2-2, Trossard
I believed Jesus did effectively when he got here on, and added a little bit of drive to our assault which simply felt a bit too static at occasions. It was beautiful work from the Brazilian to discover a little bit of house of their field, and to offer the cross for Trossard, and the end from the Belgian was glorious to equalise and produce the stadium again to life. That’s 13 objectives in all competitions for him now, and this might show to be an important purpose within the context of this tie.
The ultimate phases
Bayern hit the put up, a fortunate escape, after which there’s the Saka penalty incident. Thomas Partey performs the ball by way of, Manuel Neuer comes out, there’s a collision as Saka leaves a leg out, and down he goes. For me, that’s way more a penalty than not, however I also can kind of see why it’s not given. You see them given for a lot, a lot lower than that on a regular basis, however there’s not a lot level dwelling on it now, even when I believe if Kane had executed what Saka had executed the ref would have had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
General
On the idea of our efficiency, which was effectively under our greatest, a draw was most likely a good outcome. If you reward the opposition two objectives, as we did, you need to dig in and ensure you get one thing from the sport, and I don’t suppose 2-2 on the evening was unfair. The carelessness in our passing was evident just about all evening lengthy, even within the remaining 10 minutes we coughed it again as much as Bayern with a frequency you not often see from this iteration of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
It was irritating and disappointing, however we did present sufficient character to get again in it. As the opposite quarter-final demonstrated, heaps occurs at this stage of a top quality knock-out competitors, so to enter subsequent week’s second leg stage isn’t dangerous. I believe it was actually necessary that we acquired one thing from our dwelling tie, so credit score to the subs for serving to to discover a means by way of within the second half.
Mikel Arteta mentioned:
We’ve given them two objectives immediately and when you’ve gotten this example they’ll punish you. The margins are actually small on this competitors, it’s actually tough to penetrate the opponents and create large high quality possibilities towards this stage of opposition, ensure you don’t give them something however i believe the crew confirmed a number of composure particularly after 2-1 as a result of you may throw your toys away and generate a number of areas for the opponent and lose the tie in 20 minutes.
We haven’t executed that and I believe the subs made a big impact and the way in which they got here on the pitch, the physique language, the angle, the initiative to make issues occur made an enormous distinction to the crew.
I believe we will play a lot better than that. Perhaps Bayern can too, but when we lower out the silly stuff subsequent week, we definitely have a good probability of profitable the sport. The primary leg towards Porto was robust going, however we realized lots from it. We’ve acquired to do the identical once more with this one.
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If there’s one thing I’ve forgotten, I’ll attempt to catch up forward of this night when James and I’ll have an Arsecast Further for you. I’ve gotta get again to Dublin from London, he’s heading again to London from Philadelphia, so we’ll catch up in a while and choose the bones out of this sport in podcast format.
For now, have one.
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