The Gunners were left pointless after two Champions
League games following an embarrassing 3-2 home
defeat to Olympiacos on Tuesday - is it all over
already?
COMMENT By Greg Stobart at Emirates Stadium
The loudest noise of the night was reserved for the
final whistle, when the Arsenal fans still here gave
their side's performance the reception it deserved.
Boos rang around the stadium at the end of a farcical
90 minutes as the Gunners lost 3-2 to Olympiacos to
leave them already on the brink of elimination from the
Champions League.
Arsene Wenger's side usually wait until the last 16 stage
before their inevitable exit to a superior side.
Bayern Munich could complete the job a few months
early this time as the Gunners now prepare for back-
to-back fixtures against the German champions.
With no points from their first two games, it is possible -
indeed probable - that Wenger's men will be pointless
after four matches in this season's competition.
On current form, it will take a miracle for Arsenal to
collect any points against Bayern. They would do well to
finish third and qualify for the Europa League given
the way they have played against Dinamo Zagreb and
Olympiacos.
It was comical in so many ways, but the highlight of the
match belonged to David Ospina when he inexplicably
dropped the ball over his own goalline as he attempted
to claim a corner five minutes before half-time.
Yet why was Ospina in the Arsenal goal in the first
place?
Petr Cech was bought over the summer to offer
reliability and a proven winner between the sticks in the
big games.
He was Arsenal's only summer signing, in fact, because
Wenger deemed his squad so strong that he could not
find any outfield players to improve them.
The Frenchman's big call has backfired spectacularly
and has sent Arsenal hurtling towards European no-
man's land.
"I make the decisions and selections for the team and
I am responsible," Wenger said in his post-match press
conference. "I know many things that you don't know
or you ignore. You can't select a team by taking a poll
before the game and taking everyone's opinion."
Surely, though, the Arsenal manager will feel a huge
sense of regret over his team selection in a match he
described as "must-win" before kick-off.
Arsenal were punished for a decision that suggested
that Wenger underestimated his opponents - just as he
took Dinamo Zagreb far too lightly in the Group F
opener two weeks ago.
The level of naivety on display here was shocking,
particularly after Arsenal had drawn level in the 65th
minute through Alexis Sanchez's header.
With 25 minutes still to play to find the winner, it was a
time to regather and stay patient. It required a leader
to remind the team not to make the same mistakes as
their home defeat to Monaco last season when they got
caught chasing goals.
Yet a minute later, Olympiacos re-took the lead as
Arsenal's defenders stood still in the box and Alfred
Finnbogason turned in the winner from close range.
"It leaves us in a bad position but we are still in it,"
Wenger said in hope rather than expectation. "We have
to get a result in our next game against Bayern at
home."
That's a Bayern Munich who have won all 10 of their
matches this season. A Bayern Munich who have scored
34 goals this season. And a Bayern Munich who have, on
current form, the deadliest striker in Europe at their
disposal.
Arsenal's hopes are hanging by a thread after yet
another disastrous night in Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment