If ever there was an opportunity for Arsenal to establish themselves as a genuine contender to win this season’s Champions League, the first leg of their quarterfinal fixture against Bayern Munich was exactly that. With their Bavarian opponents at their weakest point in more than a decade and struggling for form ahead of their trip to the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal had a clear chance to capitalize and take an important lead going into the second leg in Munich.
Instead, the Gunners came up short as they only managed a 2-2 draw. Arsenal actually got off to a strong start with Bukayo Saka opening the scoring in the 12th minute, only for Serge Gnabry to score against his former club six minutes later and bring the score to 1-1. Then, as he had so often done during his legendary 12-year stint at Arsenal’s North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Kane put his name on the scoresheet - this time via a penalty earned by Leroy Sané. Substitute Leandro Trossard would later score Arsenal’s equalizer to ensure that Arsenal would not enter the second leg a goal behind.
For Arsenal, this result can’t be described as anything other than a blown chance. Having a home match against one of the pre-tournament favorites who happened to be in turmoil on and off the field just then while Arsenal themselves lead the Premier League heading into the home stretch as they edge closer to a first league title in 20 years should’ve been exactly what they needed to get the jump on Bayern ahead of the second leg.
Instead, for large portions of the match, Arsenal were clearly outplayed. Arsenal’s back five, goalkeeper David Raya included, were rather shaky for most of the match and could certainly have done more to prevent Gnabry from having the goalscoring opportunity of which he took full advantage. In addition, Saliba’s foul on Sané to concede the penalty capped off a sequence of poor defensive play, particularly from Brazilian centre-back Gabriel.
Up until Arsenal brought in some of their substitutes, things weren’t going so well on the offensive front either apart from Saka. Kai Havertz looked more like the player who consistently underwhelmed during his three years at Chelsea than the player he’s been this season - someone who’s having a “comeback” season in what’s been his best year since leaving Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. As for Gabriel Martinelli, Bayern’s defense had him in their pocket from opening kick-off until he was unsurprisingly yanked in the 65th minute.
The biggest positive that Arsenal can take from this match regards their strategic and tactical adjustments. Mikel Arteta easily outcoached his Bayern counterpart Thomas Tuchel (to be fair, that isn’t a difficult thing to do these days), bringing in Trossard and Gabriel Jesus at just the right times and ultimately ensuring that Arsenal would head to Germany on level footing. The two substitutes would go on to combine for Arsenal’s equalizing goal.
Spearheaded by Arteta who at one point was almost fired from his position, Arsenal’s turnaround over the past two seasons has been impressive indeed. However, Arsenal’s sub-par performance on the biggest stage when the moment arrived highlighted how far Arsenal still have to go to become bona fide Champions League title contenders. The only consolation for Arsenal is the fact that this is the first leg, allowing them to regroup and potentially beat Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
Based on their respective levels of play throughout this season, one would expect Arsenal to take the win in the second leg and advance to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 season. However, the first leg clearly showed that while Arsenal are definitely capable of beating Bayern away, the real question is if they will have the mental wherewithal to do so as well. It also has to be mentioned that fatigue could play a role - unlike Arsenal, Bayern are already out of contention for their domestic league title and thus can afford to rotate their squad to keep their best players fresh for the second leg.
Of course, with the aggregate score still tied at 2-2, Arsenal can’t be written off by any means. However, should they lose to Bayern in the second leg and exit the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage, this first-leg draw will undoubtedly be regarded as a golden opportunity blown.
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