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Anorak News | Arsenal remain hopeful of beating Bayern

Arsenal remain hopeful of beating Bayern

by | 16th, February 2017

Arsenal were thrashed in the Champions’ League. Again. Tonked 5-1 by a lively Bayern Munich side, Arsenal were limper than a post-coitus slug. The reporting has been fierce, with much of the chatter concerned with the timing of Arsene Wenger’s departure. The Arsenal manager’s inability to inspire his side is clear.

 

arsenal lose

 

But Wenger remains the Arsenal owners’ dream man. He delivers big cash pay outs and high returns for the money men that run the club. In the boardroom everything is fine, a mood reflected in the match report on the Arsenal website, which begins thus:

We are facing a mammoth task to turn around our Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich after conceding four times in a disappointing second half in Bavaria.

Arsenal conceded five times in total. The Pollyanna-ish notion that Arsenal will some how ‘turn things round’ is laughable. It was not ‘disappointing’. It was terrible.

 

bayern arsenal

 

The site adds:

Laurent Koscielny’s injury at the start of the second half seemed to disrupt us, and we conceded twice in the space of six minutes.

When Koscielny went off, the entire defence wilted. Kieran Gibbs was made captain. A player with marginally less presence than the sixth official was picked to galvanise the team and keep the defence tight.

 

arsenal bad

 

And a word on Bayern:

Bayern, meanwhile, were without Franck Ribery and Jerome Boateng, but fielded a star-studded team containing the likes of Lewandowski, Douglas Costa and Robben.

Arsenal fielded the likes of Ozil (£41m), Sanchez (£35m) and two players bought in the summer for in excess of £30m each. Aren’t Arsenal now also star-studded? None of the three Bayern players name-checked cost more than £20m.

So how does Bayern Munich report on the match that Arsenal were ‘disappointing’ in? Their official website tells us:

On-fire Bayern thrash outclassed Gunners

The five goals ‘handed the German record champions a near-unassailable advantage in the first knockout round tie’.

The Gunners’ goal came after a penalty. The Arsenal website says Koscielny was ‘tripped’ . The Bayern site calls it a ‘debatable penalty’.

The other debate is on Wenger. Will he now leave Arsenal – after all, it looks like the players have already left him?



Posted: 16th, February 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink