On Wednesday night, Arsenal travel to Germany to face Bayern
Munich in their Champions League Round of 16 second leg tie. The Gunners lost
the first leg 3-1 at The Emirates Stadium after a very poor performance against
a deadly Bayern side and leave themselves needing to score at least 3 goals and
hoping the home side score no more than 1 to be in with a chance of reaching
the Quarter-Final stage. The question is can this travelling side low on
confidence pull off a miracle against a team that is full of it playing in
their own backyard?
Since Arsenals last game was on March 7th against Tottenham
Hotspur, the team will have had more than enough time to rest and fully prepare
for their biggest challenge so far this season. However with that last game
against their biggest rivals ending in defeat, momentum and morale might not be
on their side and will make the task ahead an even harder one. Bayern won their
league game at home to Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-2 on Saturday which sent them 20
points clear at the top of the table. As well as that, the team continue their
100% win record in all competitions in 2013 and remain unbeaten since late
October. So while all the odds appear to be stacked against Arsenal, can they
still pull of the unthinkable?
To stand any chance of leaving the Allianz Arena with
something, Arsenal will have to be organised and avoid making costly mistakes
as Bayern will look to pounce on any slip ups the visitors make. The Gunners
will likely spend most of the game in their own half defending Bayern attacks
and any real chances they get may well come from a counter-attacking move. When
that chance comes all the players involved will need to get everything right in
making sure they get those all important away goals. One thing for sure is that
the players need to go into the game believing they can get the right result
and not walk on that pitch at the start of the game thinking the tie is already
lost or it is going to be a miserable night for them and their fans.
Many people will say that it will be the performances of
players like Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere that will be key in determining
whether or not Arsenal can win the game or not, and while I would agree with
them, I don’t think the responsibility lies completely on their shoulders.
Captain Thomas Vermaelen will be in charge of making sure everybody gives their
all that night and he pushes his teammates on to do their best. Other players
such as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott will want to make the headlines by
playing the biggest part in a hopeful turnaround by grabbing the goals up
front, but I also think the experience of players such as Per Mertesacker and
Lukas Podolski will be crucial for Arsenal. The reason I say this is because
both men have featured in the Bundesliga and for the German National Team many
times and so will have plenty of experience playing at the Allianz Arena.
Whenever I watch games take place there, the fans play a huge part in how the
game takes shape from the noise they make and can make it tough for opposition
players to play there. Having been on both receiving ends in the stadium many
times for club and country, these two players will play a huge part in telling
their teammates exactly how to play in the heated atmosphere and not let it
prove to be a costly distraction.
Whether or not Arsenal can pull it off a shock is all down
to them and the coaching staff. Arsene Wenger knows exactly what his team have
got to do, but whether he can inspire them to do it or not remains to be seen.
All I know is that one big mistake and Bayern Munich will punish them and it
will be game over for sure. The Gunners face a team with the potential to go
all the way and win the tournament this year having gone so close last season.
The heartache of losing last season’s final in their own stadium to Chelsea
will surely push them to go one step further this season and win it at Wembley
in May.
I will be watching on Wednesday night with great interest
hoping for an entertaining match with a few surprises in store. Arsenal remain
the only British side left in the Champions League this season after Manchester
United and Celtic’s departures last week, so they will have the backing at home
from their own supporters who have not travelling to Germany for the game and
those who want the last remaining side from their country to keep going in the
tournament. While I may have made out that Arsenal have a great chance of
winning from the points I’ve made, it will also take a shocking performance
from the home side to help see the visitors all the way through, but I don’t
think given how well they’ve performed this season that Bayern are in any real
danger of throwing it all away in this upcoming match. Being a realist now, I
could see Arsenal sneaking a win in this match if they get everything right,
but even if they do that I think winning the overall tie is a real long shot
and I predict that when the referee blows for full-time, it will be Bayern
Munich celebrating progression into the Quarter-final stage.
Andrew.
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