By Walter Broeckx
The only thing that was really disappointing for me is the final score. Of course there have been a few other things that one can not really be happy about. But that is the way it goes. In a very even match between the two teams and on a moment when we seemed in total control we lost the game.
Sometimes one can say that not committing yourself completely could have been better. But we wanted the win and at the end we lost the game. And it’s always easy to talk with hindsight.
The opening goal for Dortmund came out of the blue one could say. Both teams were holding each other at a distance and apart from a few harmless shots from distance nothing really happened. Until Ramsey was a bit too careless just outside our own penalty area and lost the ball and the Dortmund player Mkhitaryan took the chance that was presented to him. One could say that this was the result of the high pressure that Dortmund played the whole 90 minutes. It don’t know what they eat over there but a statistic coming on my screen some 15 minutes before the end said that the Dortmund team in a total ran 10 kilometres more than the Arsenal players.
It was a blow but gradually Arsenal took the game in hand. The best chance albeit a difficult one and a well taken was for Rosicky who had beaten the keeper but a defender could hook the ball away just before the line. A sign of things to come?
Was their first goal a result of a mistake, the same could be said of our equaliser. A Sagna cross, a defender and the keeper messing things up and Giroud blasted the ball in the net. 1-1 at half time. A just result from what was to be seen on the pitch.
The second half started also rather even but the longer the game went on the more Dortmund was pinned back. We held them in their half for long periods. And we scored a goal when Mertesacker headed a corner but the ref had seen a push before. And he might be right. I think this would have been a goal that no English ref would have ruled out. But in Europe you can’t push as we are used to in the PL. One for Riley.
Cazorla came on for Wilshere who had twisted his ankle in the first half but continued for a while in the second half. And he had an impact. It was surely a sign that lady luck didn’t have the best intentions for Arsenal when his thundering shot hit the crossbar with the keeper stranded. You could feel that if anything bad could happen, it would happen.
And 8 minutes from time the bad thing happened. A counter, too many players from Arsenal committed forward and Dortmund could break on the right hand side. And the cross found the unmarked Lewandowski who fired it past Szczesny.
Totally against the run of play. And that is where we might have been a bit more careful and had a bit more cover to make sure we took that point we had in our hands. But I can understand that as we were so in control that we really wanted to win the game and pushed for it. As it wasn’t to be, we lost at the end. After that and with time running out we didn’t really get our act together and Dortmund managed to keep the ball far away from their penalty area for a very long time.
We didn’t deserve to lose the game but that is the way it goes. If this was a test it was bad result wise. But if it was a test that we are even with one of the best teams in Europe, we were better I feel over the 90 minutes but the score line didn’t show it. In the CL every mistake against a top team will be paid for. And that is the main lesson we have to learn.
Against Bayern Munich in February we were outplayed for a large part of the game. This time we were the better team and didn’t deserve to lose.
With the other result Napoli winning in Marseille we are now with 3 teams on 6 points and the name group of death is living up its reputation. It will be a tight affair till the last game I think.
But the game has finished we have to look at a few things and most of all remember that this result was not of Arsenal being bad or being outplayed at all. It was about being attentive and not make mistakes.
So what next? Well very simple. From what I have seen today I think that we can take at least a point in Dortmund. And hell all and everyone predicted we would get trashed at Bayern Munich last season and we won there. So why couldn’t we do the same thing in 14 days? This team has done rather well away from home so far so let us stay calm and get our act together in 14 days and do what they did today: steal the 3 points at their home.
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Recent posts
- How will Santi-Özil develop this season?
- Happy Birthday Arsène Wenger
- Picking the Arsenal team for Tuesday is simple…or is it?
- Why Arsenal don’t need to buy anyone at all
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- The Anniversary Files: January to June
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The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
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The sites from the same team…
- The Arsenal History Blog from the AISA Arsenal History Society
- Arsenal Managers
Last year we lost in the Capital One cup on my birthday.
Today we lost on Wenger his birthday.
Ok, from now on: no more games on our birthdays.
Unlucky tonight, we deserved a draw at least.
I wouldn’t mind a pound for every time we are going to be gleefully reminded that we have failed our first real test. I think I already heard it a couple of times on television from a couple of our ex players.
From what I was able to see on my Internet stream, Dortmund really pressurized our midfield into uncharacteristic mistakes. I won’t invoke the excuse of the Norwich game being only 3 days before, as Dortmund played the same day. They just looked sharper than us at times. Santi’s shot hitting the bar can also be considered bad luck. Fingers crossed this was our share of misfortune, the team is capable of overturning the result in the away leg.
why is it always in big games, the german section of fans games out sing our home fans, all the way through the game.
They didnt sit, we didnt stand, something is got to do to fix this out. I dont know but maybe the type of fans who go to big games, with higher ticket prices, are not the diehard ones who maybe most of them couldnt afford it since the transfer from highbury?
Am just asking for an answer and not criticizing
Yassin,
I think that we had the regular PL crowd tonight. As the CL games are in the season ticket games I think it will be not much different to any other midweek PL match.
I have the same view. Not a massive disappointment.
Sagna look tired need rest I guess.
It is the case that at the high level mistakes are punished.
Tonight I learn as well that all the fancy names that usually linked to Arsenal. The likes of Lewandowisky if I take as example apart that goal for almost the entire game was in the pocket of koschelny. While Giroud was terrorising the Dortmund defence. Same goes to Bender Reus and all the rest. By no means are better from the one’s we had.
Yes Florian, ans imagine we were more in position, better in attempts i guess, and they scored second on the counter, while we were playing last year finalist, and with our weakest game, and still lost 2-1 in a game that could have went either way.
No problem mates, its now our job to get the team back on the track by cheering them.
We are going to lose one day, and i wouldnt mind to have it against dortmund.
And what an Arteta he is. Today he was back to his best. How could the spain coach choose busquets and alonso in front of this man? I wouldnt mind though.
But German fans are very loud and I think the Dortmund fans are one of the best in Europe. But we will keep them silent in 14 days. Nah. Well I will try anyway
A double feeling over this game.
Could/should have won, would have been happy with a draw before the game. And then we lose but didn’t deserve to lose the game.
@walter
Thanks for replying, just want our fans to be the best, in reality i felt like i want to be there just to out voice those dortmund fans, but i cant, and then i see our fans setting on the chairs, i just want them to rock the stadium, to give our team believe, to sing ramsey name so he know he still got our support no matter what he did wrong. This is how the team will come back, remember milan game, they were brilliant bavk then.
I kniw our fans have my thoughts in
Their minds, but they need to show it.
Dont say you will try Walter, say you will keep them silent.
Will you should know we depend on you man.:)
In addition to the post we hit, there was this corner which the ref then called for a foul ok mertesacker, although it was a collision between two dortmund players, then Ramsey scored, that was unlucky too, but it feels good to know it was only a mistake by the ref without an intenst, we can handle this.
Good write up Walter, fully agree with you view.
We just missed walcott and chamberlain alot coz there were alot of spaces on the wings especially on the right wing i think walcott/ox would av utilised those spaces so well. Can any body remind da returning dates for walcott/ox?.
It hurts but I’m sure the players feel it more..We’ll bounce back though..We are The Arsenal
Disappointing but not a disaster, we will beat marseille and silence Napoli. We are still top of the league, we can bounce back at the weekend. Luckily this Dortmund team are superior to anyone we will face in the prem. Yes a couple of silly mistakes. Anyone know why the ref gave lewandowski a yellow for elbowing kos? Should the scorer of the winning goal have even been on the pitch?
It’s funny, I saw highlights of Dortmund’s game at the weekend, which they won by 1 goal. Highlights never tell the story but I didn’t think they looked all that great. Tonight Dort were good, I thought. I also thought we weren’t quite dynamic and perhaps a bit tired. (lots of stray passes). I would love us to have scored the 3rd goal – but we didn’t. I don’t feel too bad. It was a good and interesting game I thought.
I was at the game 2 years ago, which was great (was it really 2 years? How time flies). The Dortmund fans were just as loud then. Fair enough.
It’s time for Arsenal players to regroup and get ready for the weekend. Good piece Walter. Thanks.
I started following the BBC commentary early. And they were just setting things up for the Arsenal loss. Even had Phil McNobrain at the Emirates. And the AAA were constantly “cheering” for Arsenal throughout the game. One of the last comments, was that Arsenal were positively outclassed by Dortmond. A 1 goal game? The only 1 goal games which seem to make class statements, is when 1 team plays a 9-0-1 and parks the bus. That sure didn’t sound like the game Arsenal was playing to me.
Sigh… we can’t ever take the easy route, can we? Yet I maintain hope that in a month’s time everybody will put this game in the same category as the opener: a blip. And I also hope Aaron has learned he can’t treat all teams in the world like Norwich. Lessons learned are as good as cash in hand, as I’ve never said before until now, but it sounds good.
14 days till we meet again so we must learn a lesson and do a job over there, a point for us is a point off them in race to first.
I think crystal palace is a great game to have after a game like this, we need to win it and using our squad players. This is when we need our squad guys so who have we got to come in and do a job. We have Palace in league then Chelsea in the COC, Ramsey needs a rest, Ozil too, Giroud and Sagna. So Jenks, Gnabry, Bentner and Cazorla. Others can sit on the bench just incase, bloody needed Theo tonight on that right wing and will need him back and on form.
Or do we play them at the weekend one last time, then rest for the week and let young kids play Chelsea and prolly get beat after a good fight.
Look forward now, COYG!
The team may be unlucky to lose but they have to figure out how to deal with these counter or hammer out those “sudden sleepiness in defence”.
I do not understand that when they do quite well defensively most of the time they can make some silly mistake all of a sudden and give opponents a goal. Unless they hammer that out, they cannot go very far. May be a few trophies but they will never be a truly world class team.
i saw the final 20 mins of the game due to family commitments and found our formation to open. There were too many gaps between our defence, midfield and striker, we were not compact enough and was well surprised at Dortmound’s pressing high up and we kept going back or making mistakes . they have very good energy levels. this will be picked up by the other PL teams. we needed pace on the wings to push them back. where is Serge?
we now have enough rest till the weekend game.
I thought today we really missed Theo…….And now we know, Ramsey is human afterall.
We lost the game. But for the “real test”, I think we just passed it. As I saw it, ARSENAL were happy to let Dortmund have the ball. And plan was to hit them towards the end of the game, and it sure was going that way.
Oh and good thing that we lost this game, player will be fired up for the london derby……
I am as disappointed as the rest…but I think this loss has come about at the right time…it doesn’t jeopardise our chances by a great deal and just shake the team a bit! We shall have revenger…COYG!
I knew it was coming. Every honeymoon has it end. When you face CL finalist you cant expect much more. So we played top team and we lose, not bad thing. It happens now and than, every now and that you face team which is if not better than luckier than you. Generally we played ok, not our best but ok, fair enough to make CL finalist silent.
For me this want “test of strength”, this was just another game. Nor Arsenal after this look to me more as “champions material” nor less, it was just another game.
What is really disappointing (at least to me) is those last ten minutes after we got scored, somehow we couldn’t mount pressure on BvB. Rest was fair enough, and team is capable of winning CL or PL, just for that you don’t necessary need quality sometime you need a bit of luck.
PS
Bad thing is that BvB ruined AW birthday, but even that is much better than to have birthday ruined by Blackburn Rovers in front of 60 000 birthday celebrating fans.
I really do think that Wenger will have a word with Ramsey. In fact I can imagine he had a word at half time already.
I have been praising Ramsey for many years now but the one thing he needs to improve for the moment is to cut out losing the ball near our own penalty area.
I think it is down to him being very confident but you simply cannot lose the ball in that area in the CL. You will get punished immediately. He did this against Marseille and now against Dortmund. Both times costing us a goal.
So that is something he should get out of his game.
And unless Flamini bangs his head again in the weekend before the return game I think with his energy level he might make life a bid more difficult for their midfield.
Just a thought, but do we need Sagna as much as we used to? He is great defensively, but with the whole team working for defence collectively, his defensive duties are much less needed a compared to his attacking duties. It begs the question, would it not be better to have Jenkinson in the team as he is by far a superior player when it comes to attacking? and he is a decent defender in any case…
@Yassin, I replied to your comments on the previous post but since you repeat them…
The crowd has been excellent this season, anyone who is there will tell you that. Maybe you live abroad but if not there are always ways to get a ticket so come along and add your voice. For the record, I have been to every home game this season and have not used my seat (in the north bank) for sitting in yet. Its been noisy, its been passionate and (except for Villa) its been supportive. The team was clapped off last night despite the fact that I and the folks around me were standing in the pouring rain. So please, no more stupid remarks about our home support until you actually go along and experience it for yourself
peace
I am not disappointed by the result. Two goals came from individuals’ error & one from counter attack. Dortmond’s game plan worked very well for now. No big deal. We can undo it at their place.
I can only remember in the invincible season – losing to Inter Milan 3-1 @ Highbury 3-1 and then getting a 5-1 demolishing in San Siro (not to mention Bayern Munich last year).
It’s going to be ok.
I agree Walter. At no point did I feel we were outplayed or outclassed by Dortmund. We held our own and were a tad unlucky at times too. An error and one moment of loss of discipline cost us. If we can take those lessons into the the next games, I think we can get those points back at Dortmund and Napoli.
Cazola made a difference last night, perhaps if he had been just a week or two fitter he would have got the slot instead of either Jack or Ramsey both of whom have had busy schedules.
But I was encouraged and feel we can do better at this level.
from Asif: “but I think this loss has come about at the right time…”
This i agree with, rather lose to Dortmund than any other team, now we can get back on track again. I was disappointed at Ramsey’s mistake, shouting as he got the ball “kick it out, kick it out, don’t dribble there”, alas he did not hear me. We did not play terrible but lost, which is food for the anti-Arsenals.
Com on gunners, let’s get back on track now.
Trophylessgunner,
Here you go : http://lmgtfy.com/?q=theo+walcott+injury+update
I see the sharks are already showing their flesh eating teeth.. We didnt deserve to lose yesterday, they were just lucky..We dominated them in the second half and we had one shot against us but unfortunately it was the winner. Dare i say Lewandowski should have been on the pitch to score that goal? shit happens
*should not
Dortmund were quicker to the ball than we were. They started at a speed which couldn”t last, so we were able to get in to the game.
Ramsey is not a defensive midfielder or let” s just say he is an attacking midfielder.
With that defeat and the rain, not a great day for a brthday.
Should Arsenal finish the group equal on points with both Napoli and Dortmund;
If two or more teams finish equal on points after these final group matches have been played, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:
a) Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question.
b) Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question.
c) Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question.
d) Superior goal difference from all group matches played.
e) Higher number of goals scored.
f) Coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.
Tasos,
So all we have to do now is to go and win there 1-3 😉
@Walter
Yep. Should be easy enough.
Seriously though I think the next fixture, B Dortmund away, is a match we simply must not lose. A draw will be fine providing we then beat Marseille at home. And that will then leave us needing only to avoid defeat in Naples to qualify. I think?
So far so good: NO doom and gloom posting. Gooner fans are changing across board and giving this team the benefit of their support, based on cumulative performance to date – I suppose. Let us praise that too.
Blessing in disguise with this defeat. This will give the team & the coaching crew the opportunity to take a bird eye view of the team performances so far, take stock and then work on the flaws and strategise for the upcoming matches. Keep up the spirit and the believe. Up gonners
@blacksheep63,
Hi, am sorry if u mis understood me but i didnt mean to critocize nor insult u or any home fan.
I was asking questions and i made that obvious as much as i can.
Now regarding the 2 comments being repeated, i posted it in one article and it didnt show up for one reason. Then i posted it in the other one as the debate between commenters went there.
In addition, i if u re read my comments u can see i didnt in any way intended to insult our home fans, and i do believe like u said they were brilliant in all games from start of the season, that is why i said “in big games” and “against german teams”. Will sir forgive me for being jealous cause our fans were out voiced away supporters. I just want our fans to be shown as the best, cause they are…. To stick to your team for 8 years without a trophy needs brilliant fans.
As why i didnt respond to u tell now is due to me going to sleep yesterday as i slept @ 1 am, and then reading it when am home from work. I live in lebanon in the middle east, and since an a palestenian, its hard to me to get visa, plus money wise its, my economical situation doesnt help me to be at the emirates, but dont be afraid, one day i will, and maybe i will meet u there and stand together and cheer like never before.
sir, all your comment i respect, and it could have provided a good debate, until your last sentence about ” stupid comments”
First u insulted me by saying “stupid”, and second by treating me infront of all the gunners as if i was here to moan and become an AAA, while u could easily avoided that last one.
Anyway, since i know u from untold, and from your articles, i would like to apologize from u and all home fans, if i insulted any of u, and am sure if there was, it wasnt intentional.
Please respond to me by accepting my apology so we can get back discussing Arsenal here without any hurt feelings between u and me.
peace
I did say Peace Yassin so I do accept you didn’t intend to insult the home fans. I meant ‘stupid’ as in ‘misinformed’, you were misinformed because you weren’t there. But yes, if and when you come to London let me and Tony know and we can share a meal on Holloway road and laugh about how awful the weather is 🙂
Thanks man for replying. I dream of that day, now u have made it even more intresting. Have a nice evening.