Arsenal were unable to learn from the mistakes they made in the first leg against Bayern Munich and were forced to bow out of theis season’s European campaign early after ultimately falling to defeat against the Bundesliga side.
This was just the seventh time in history that the Gunners had reached a European Cup/Champions League quarter-final and the first since 2009/10.
Under Mikel Arteta, fans had begun to believe that this would finally be the year that Arsenal could win the Champions League. They came closest in 2006, losing to a late Barcelona comeback in the final following Juliano Belletti’s 80th minute winner.
But Arsenal’s European dreams are at an end once more. These are four of the reasons why…
For many of Arsenal’s young squad, this season was their first competing in the Champions League. That lack of experience was clear on the pitch, often making them look naive against Bayern.
It may have been partly due to their 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, or the 2-2 draw in the first leg a week earlier, but the Gunners looked very conservative on Wednesday night, almost scared to take risks and go for chances, especially in the second half.
They seemed much more interested in keeping the shape, rather than getting on the ball. Although, this did make things difficult for Bayern, causing them to make a few individual errors.
The squad looked green on the pitch. If they had taken a chance or had the confidence to break their conventional play, they may have earned something back.
Mikel Arteta addressed it is his post-match chat, but Arsenal lacked a “spark” in the box, meaning chances were few and far between.
This may be a harsh criticism for a game that only had one goal scored in 90 minutes, but Arsenal only managed eight shots, compared to Bayern’s 15.
When they did make it to Bayern’s box, the Gunners lacked the skill to make anything of it. Chances came, but no one had the power or the confidence to finish them.
When you’re handed opportunities against a team like this, it is criminal not to take them. Gabriel Martinelli had the chance to put his name onto the scoresheet, but did not take advantage.
The word clinical is often thrown around, but that is a vital attribute in games like this.
The good thing about reverse fixtures is teams are given the chance to take what they learned from the first leg and implement it when they face their opponent again.
It seemed that Arsenal simply did not take advantage of this, certainly not in the same way that Bayern did.
When Bayern returned for the second half, they looked hungry and all-knowing. They had worked out Arteta’s squad, and were confident enough to play how they wanted to for the final 45 minutes.
Thomas Tuchel’s side played defensively, but that worked for them against a team who made short passes and tried to build up play through the middle.
Bayern were able to stick to their defensive formula in both legs, but Arsenal were unable to change their play for the better in Germany.
Arteta made substitutions that made sense at the time, but ultimately did nothing to impact the game.
He brought on Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard shortly after the hour mark and then gave Eddie Nketiah a few minutes towards the end.
Jesus may have been the answer if Arteta had brought him on earlier to play on the wing. The squad would have been instantly bolstered with more experience the Brazilian offers.
Jesus’ Champions League stats are pretty fantastic, and his time playing with Manchester City in the competition equipped him with vital knowhow.
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