JESUS AND BOSSARD SAVE THE TIE

Well that was a very weird evening. Arsenal heads into the second leg of the Bayern game with a 2-2 draw and a sharp reminder that top teams, with top players, do not roll over to the new kids on the block.

Things started well, Bukayo Saka created a wild piece of individual brilliance when he received a Ben White pass with his back to goal and with one smooth turn, managed to front up to goal and bang an unstoppable missile past Neuer.

Everything was going well, Bayern had no answers, until they had two.

Bayern did well to capitalise on two very dopey mistakes by Arsenal. For the first, David Raya was out of position, that threw Big Gabi into making a mistake with a pass that missed a flatfooted Kiwior, Bayern broke in transition, Goretzka turned Mesut Ozil and slipped the perfect ball into the diagnol run of Serge Gnabry and the rest is history. Last time I saw Serge do something in the Champions League it was when he was a teenager and he gave the ball away allowing Schalke to score. No such luck last night.

The second goal was a Sane masterclass in power, pace, and tight control. He mugged off Kiwior, then zipped into our box uncontested until Saliba decided to smash him over.

Kane, Arsenal, an inevitable goal.

The changes flowed pretty fast. Zinchenko came on to give us more control and bravery out the back. Then Trossard and Jesus were brought on to bring more chaos and aggression in the final third.

Those moves paid dividends when Jesus found his way out of a four-player crush, finding Trossard who did Trossard things with a perfect low finish. No player in Europe has scored 6 goals from the bench. What a way to spend £25m.

Bayern still had time to hit the post late on, but that was it.

Two shots on target, two goals… that was the night for Arsenal.

So what did we learn? Champions League is really f*cking hard and we’re not equipped with the maturity to deliver like other clubs that remain are. Our manager lacks experience and so do our players. People don’t like that comment, but it’s a reality. Cup comps at this level are really, really tough. Don’t believe me? Look at this.

That is the record of Manchester City since 2010. The most over-funded club in the world. The best players. The best manager.  Taking 5 attempts to get to a semi final, taking another 5 attempts to get to a final (no semi finals during that phase), then taking another two attempts to win the whole thing.

‘Pep is a Galaxy brain’

Whatever, he’s the best in the business, and it took him a very long time to get City to where they needed to be with unlimited funds.

That’s not an excuse for last night, it’s perspective for the crew of people who think football is easy, and we should be smashing Bayern.

We are under-dogs for the return leg. Their ground is an outrageously rough place to go. Their big players will fancy themselves and not see us as invincible. Our players might have concerns after Bayern asked legitimate questions of us.

But we still have to be real: They managed two shots on target and both came from Arsenal mistakes. We are more than capable of doing some damage at their gaff because if we’re focused, we can beat anyone on their day.

A few additional notes:

Thomas Partey looked like the bad dream I’ve been having about Arsenal choking the season. He was messy, off the pace, and very errant. He did not look ready. Not his fault, but it did leave me wondering if he’s going to be any use for the run-in.

Zinchenko, whether you like his political views or not, was a big upgrade on Kiwior. He was calmer, better on the ball, and he gave us a bravery out the back we lacked in the first half. People need to stop hammering him, he wasn’t perfect, but he was relentless and he didn’t hide.

Big Gabs and William Saliba didn’t look like the best two centre backs in the world. Regardless of Raya’s positioning, the panic on the ball wasn’t great for the first goal… and despite Johnny giving him a pass on the penalty, I didn’t think Saliba needed to give away a penalty in that moment. Let the forward work for the goal, don’t gift Harry Kane a goal with a silly challenge.

Declan Rice did not have his best game. He looked part tired, part concerned about his yellow, part not very good. He’s played all the games this season, is he suffering from the realities of human physiology? Who knows.Get him in a cryogenic chamber and get Edu to heat up some BBQ’d horse placenta.

PERSPECTIVE FC SAYS: We’re still in the mixer, don’t be too downbeat, plenty to play for.

P.S. There was some unsavoury action in the comments last night. Thanks to those who let me know. We’re a blog for all, and shitty behavior will come with a suspension order or a ban.

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