Arsenal were quick to make a perfect start against Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, with Bukayo Saka curling a low shot to beat Manuel Neuer between the sticks.
But the Gunners’ issues were shortly brought to light, as their defence struggled to contain the likes of Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane. The home side had to pull out all the stops after trailing 2-1 at half-time, with a late goal from substitute Leandro Trossard bringing the scores level ahead of next week’s second leg.
Mikel Arteta wasted no time in analysing the game to reveal post-match his belief his side delivered Bayern’s goals on a silver platter.
Let’s take a look into Arsenal’s defence and decipher what went wrong against Bayern.
Dealing with counter-attacks
Arsenal’s defensive efforts are a sight to behold in the Premier League. However, against Bayern, they were often exposed on the counter-attack, providing plenty of time and space for the Bavarian attack.
The Gunners wouldn’t have expected Bayern to play in this way, either. In the Bundesliga, they are often found unable to cover players or fill open space themselves having usually racked up possession. But Arsenal’s tactics really allowed Bayern to profit as their dominance made their opponents’ plans simpler.
Bayern were forced to sit deep and grab what they could when the opportunity arose, earning one goal from a high turnover and one from penalty following a long break.
Jakub Kiwior
Jakub Kiwior looked out of his depth against Bayern, simply unable to handle their powerful runs. Sane in particular posed a problem for Kiwior, who could not match the attacker’s pace.
It was an interesting decision for Arteta to bring him in at left-back, instead of the fit but injury-prone Takehiro Tomiyasu. He was also named ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko – a player with useful Champions League experience.
Arteta realised his mistake, however, and replaced Kiwior with Zinchenko at half-time.
William Saliba
William Saliba made clumsy mistakes against Bayern that ultimately contributed to the visitors’ benefit. His carelessness when trying to poke the ball off of Sane saw the opposition awarded a penalty in the first half, with Kane able to convert with ease.
The 23-year-old lost five duels in the…
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