Arsenal – Bayern Munich: the match preview

Posted on by WalterBroeckx

By Walter Broeckx

With the whole Untold team still out on hollidays, finding the way back home from the AGM, from Watford if anyone went, I still am the only one left in the building to do a match preview.

A match preview about a match that can be seen as a must win or at least draw this match to make a chance of staying in the European competitions.  Not saying CL but European competitions. And that against one of the best teams in Europe over the last seasons: Bayern Munich.

A team that could be considered as one of the best organised and ran clubs in Europe. The strongest team in the Bundesliga without any doubt for …well as long as I can remember. A team that plays like a real machine in a way. They can hit you at any time during a match and even when you don’t expect them to hit you. With a few players who are in top form like Lewandowski, Muller and well… a few others that play some impressive stuff.  Lewandowski who is seemingly scoring with his eyes shut for the moment and who is in the form of his life.

So reading this back one would say: Arsenal has no chance at all. That’s it then. Let’s focus on Everton.

But then…this is The Arsenal. A team that some old fans can confirm is a team that loses matches that we expect them to win without any problem. Matches like against… wel Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos. That is what have done in our entire history. Lose the matches we supposed to win.

But there is another Arsenal. An Arsenal that wins the matches that we cannot win. Matches like in Milan where we had no chance but won with 1-5. Matches against Real Madrid that we couldn’t win but we won there and progressed in the CL. Matches against Barcelona. Where we beat the unbeatable Barcelona at home 2-1 (anyone still remember that Arshavin goal and his silly celebration showing his own face on the shirt he showed with his fingers in the shus gesture?). We then were robbed in the return leg by many unexplicable referee decesions by Bussaca, the man wo is leading the referees   in the Uefa headquarters. The Riley from Europe one could say.

And then there is the Arsenal that went to Bayern Munich being give absolutely no chance of going further after a home loss in the first leg of 1-3. We won at their ground with 0-2 and only went out on the away goals rule. And in that match we lost 0-2 at home we missed a penalty and had the far better chances before Bayern suddenly hit back from out of nowhere and scored the goal we had missed. But at that moment we were playing with 10 men as Szczesny had been sent off for a foul on Robben. It seems that we don’t really have much luck when playing in Europe the last years.

The most important question is : who shall we play? Or who will Wenger play?

I can imagine Wenger having a bit of a headache about his team. Not because of injuries but because of deciding what to do.

But knowing Wenger I think he will just go for it. And that this will be our starting team

Cech

Bellerin – Per – Kos – Monreal

Le Coq – Santi

Özil

Ramsey – Theo – Alexis

On the beach: Ospina – Debuchy – Gibbs – Gabriel – Arteta – The Ox – Giroud

For those wo pay attention this is the same team that started against Watford. I had picked Gabriel for that match but didn’t know he was sick so Kos started and did a great job.

One could have picked Gabriel and Kos for this match and put Per on the bench. But I think Wenger will keep the experience from Per in the team as he rates him high not just as a defender but also as one of the leaders in the team. So do I by the way.

I expect Arsenal to go out on full attack mode like we did against Manchester United. It would be a dream if we would be as sharp in front of goal as on that day of course. And that would be vital in this match. In the other CL matches we had enough chances to be in front but we didn’t take them. And in a competition like the CL you can be punished for not taking your chances.

For those who cannot wait for the match report to come online I have to warn you that I will not be at home for this match. We are meeting up with the Arsenal Belgium supporters club in Kelly’s Irish Pub in Antwerp (if you happen to be in Belgium feel free to come)  and so I will not be able to write my match report during the match. So it will take a bit longer this time before the match report will come online or it might even take till the next day.

 

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75 Replies to “Arsenal – Bayern Munich: the match preview”

  1. “Arsenal winning matches they cannot win”.
    I like that Walter, because that’s exactly the Arsenal Way.
    As much as we can clutch defeat out of victory as favourites, conversely we often achieve success when all around us are forecasting doom and gloom
    Tonight, Bayern will face their sternest Group test this season. An Arsenal side at Fortress Emirates, full of confidence, lying second in the toughest league in football and dedicated to attack any opposition. Not the favourites to win, which is a good omen. 😉

  2. Full time in the U19 game Arsenal 2 Bayern 1. Two late goals from Iwobi the difference between the teams, the first an absolute rocket, the second am assured finish from closer in. Three from three for both teams. Arsenal 9 points, Bayern nil.

  3. I don’t see this as a game Arsenal shouldn’t be able to win, let alone a game we can’t win.

    I like our chances against Bayern , playing our first eleven, better than playing six subs against Dinamo Zagreb, or five against Olympiacos.

    I look at this Bayern squad and none of their players scare me individually, not even Lewandowski.
    Their strength lies in the compact formation they keep during entire 90 minutes, but when put under pressure, they make mistakes like everyone else.

    If Arsenal stay compact themselves , they have a better than a decent chance to come out winners.
    I’m confident we can get a win.

    Arsenal 2:1 Bayern 🙂

  4. Well written article. However, I think we should bench Per and play Gabs for this match because of the Bayern pace and if Per start they will focus their attack on him like Watford did.
    I honestly think a win will be very difficult (but not impossible if luck go our way) against Bayern who are in exceptional form at the moment, I will still pray for a win and will definitely support Arsenal regardless of result. Overall, let’s hope the match will be a thriller whether we win draw or lose and the home fans make a lot noise for support.

  5. What I want to see tonight is the Gunners playing to their full potential. These are the types of nights that pro footballers (and the fans) dream of. A chance to test themselves against the best, in a full stadium. Bayern are one of top 3 clubs in Europe, but we have the players and the skills to beat them. But they must all give 120%.
    A start like the Man U game would be ideal, but I don’t expect BM to be so open, so we have to be patient. 1-0 to the Arsenal would be great!!
    COYG

  8. Bayern Munich

    -Won there last 10 Budesliga matches

    -Won there last 5 Matches in all competitions scoring 19 and conceding 2 goals.

    -So far this season in the Bundesliga:

    27 points leaving them 7 points clear at the top of the table.

    29 goals for.

    4 against.

    +25 goal difference.

    Lets not kid ourselves we are up against one of the best sides in Europe. In fact the team I would say will win it.

    We are a very good side, possibly verging on great, but to suggest we are as good as Bayern is pushing it.

    Yes we have got a couple of good results against them against all the odds.

    Yes, on our day we can give it up to anyone.

    But you have to be realistic, we are up against it tonight, big time.

    Yes, if every player gives it 100%, which I have no doubt they will. And every player brings there ‘A’ game, which we can only hope they do, then we have a chance, especially if Bayern are not ‘at it’ tonight.

    But the fact is we need all that to happen, and a bit of luck, or rather no BAD luck, and we can do it, but it’s going to be tough, very very tough.

  9. Everyone has written Arsenal off tonight. In fact, based on what I have read we stand no chance and Bayern are going to rip us apart. The knives are ready and being sharpened by those who seem to take some kind of morbid pleasure whenever we lose and discredit every win. We all know who they are.

    I remember the same being said when we played in Germany. They had beaten us 3-1 at the Emirates in the first leg and we were going to get a good hiding in Germany, where Bayern had a near perfect record. We won 2-0 and were unlucky not to get a third and went out on away goals, unluckily. After the game, it was all about how Bayern were already through and hadnt tried. Yes, a bunch of professionals in front of a hostile crowd that decided they couldnt be bothered. Never any credit just bollocks. Nothing about how well we played or how clever Wengers tactics had been. It was all blamed on Bayern.

    If we win tonight, again I guarantee it won’t be put down to good tactics or a great performance. From the bag of ‘discredits’ I amcertain they will pull the; ‘Bayern were already through and weren’t interested’ or ‘Bayern were unlucky’ or “Pep got his tactics wrong” etc. If we lose, Arsenal are rubbish, the manager is a clown and we should have played , the eulogising over Bayern pre game will have been forgotten.

    I beleive we can do this tonight and I will be cheering the boys on, win lose or draw. It wont be easy, they are a very strong team but we have the players and the manager to beat them. We will.

  10. Don’t think we will “go for it” like that, we have to be good defensive too. Bayern are a sort of free style players and can surprise you anytime. But so are Arsenal and if both teams are up for it then it should be a great game.
    Hope the refs remain neutral and anything can happen.
    Go Arsenal go.

  11. proudkev

    I agree with what you say regarding how people always seem to find a way to discredit our victories and exaggerate our defeats, but I was just giving an honest, personal assessment.

    If we win, I know what a great performance it will be.

    If we lose I’ll take it on the chin.

  12. I wouldn’t expect Ospina on the beach as I think he has a shoulder injury following international duties.

    Tonight is going to be an extremely tough game – in the final list of 23 for the Balon d’Or, we have one player in Alexis, Bayern have five. All the same it’s football and effectively a cup game for us and anything is possible so we must believe that we can win and do everything possible to ensure that is what happens. Supporters support, players play your hearts out and management manage. Together we can do it!

    COYG

  14. AW has named an unchanged side from Watford game. Any form of win is ok for me.

    Let’s go Gunners. COYG

  19. Gooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnerrrrrrrrrrrrrrssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!

  21. Arseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllll!!!!!!!!

  23. Magic stuff!!!!! Cech magnificent saves, Hector brilliant again.All the lads played well. Brilliant stuff Arsenal.
    And its Arsenal…..

  25. Lewandowski scores for fun and can’t be tamed

    Bayern have won 12 on the bounce and Arsenal will be murdered

    Mertersacker shouldn’t play this game as he is too slow

    ………………………

    Please help fill in the blanks with the other cliches and certain pronouncements you’ve heard about this game.

    Final score on 20/10/2015:

    ARSENAL 2 – 0 Bayern Munich

    I believe in and love this team but not only on nights like this.

  29. Brilliant.
    Fantastic.
    Extraordinary.
    A night to remember.
    Eat your heart out Piers Morgan.

  30. Absolutely magnificent.

    10 out of 10 for everyone.

    I said it would be tough, really tough and it was.

    I said everyone would have to give 100%. They did, and some.

    I said every player would have to bring there ‘A’ and they did.

    I said we’d need a bit of luck, or not bad luck and we got that as the ref could of given hand ball against Alexis in the first half, and Girouds goal came of his arm I think. But both would of been harsh but could of been given.

    Wenger doesn’t do tactics? That was a master class in how to defend against some of the best players in the would and counter attacking football.

  31. WOW, wonderful what a nice atmosphere ,Wonder what the booboo pricks have for us tonight,thanks GUNNERS for keeping up the spirit and all the support,keep the fire burning. In Arsene we trust and the Theatre of peace was in high gear,wish we keep it like that.

  33. 1/ Ballack: honest man!!
    2/ Non believers where are you?
    3/ Wenger has no plan B? 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    COYG!!!

  34. A near perfect performance by everyone , from the manager on.
    A perfect game plan and equally perfect execution by the players.
    Arsenal defense got caught out twice and both time Cech came to the rescue.

    I hate to throw any negativity into this, but if you still believe Cech isn’t our best keeper by some distance, then either you don’t know what it is you are looking at ,or your entrenched ideology prevents you from admitting it.

  36. Proudkev

    I agree with your comments 90 % of the time, but I disagree about ” people” finding ways to discredit this Arsenal performance.

    This was a complete team performance with a maximum focus and determination , and I seriously doubt anyone will deny Arsenal their due plaudits.

  37. What a great win.

    Very well done by all the team and the manager – maybe the aaaa dorks (if they were not dorks) would admit that our manager does indeed know a thing or two about tactics!

    Looking forward to a wee dram later in celebration!

  39. Those 10 seconds immediately after the awarding of the second goal was the happiest I have felt ever!- 93 minutes up, defending a lead, loose ball in the opposition half- what should Hector Bellerin do? How does someone run that fast that late into the game?

    This team is truly special!

  40. Tom,

    Who’s arguing with you about Cech’s superiority among our keepers?

    I refuse to join the blame party against Wenger for using the best goalkeeper in the 2nd half of last season against Olympiakos of all teams. Ospina made mistakes like all other keepers, footballers and indeed human beings. Cech made his against West Ham. Hell, Neuer, the “best goalkeeper in the world” made his today.

    Is it not enough to praise the keeper and move on.

  41. Bootoomee

    Nice to see you my friend.

    What a performance, which I commented on earlier but is still in moderation.

    Well said by the way.

    I don’t think I’ve seen a single person suggest that Cech isn’t our best keeper,(if you still believe Cech isn’t our best keeper…Blah blah blah) but I suppose if your argument is that weak you have to make things up.

  42. Man of the match: Our awesome number one!
    Although Neuer did a mistake, but what a keeper! What a saves!

    Commitment from players,the subst. from Wenger…. Awesome.

    Guardiola and his players should be appreciated by us for the clean game, and no cheating.

  43. Brilliant. Tactical. Defended when needed. Clinical when needed. A full back came of age, another FB perhaps played his finest game for Arsenal. Per…Kos….giroud….Cech…ozil……all of them, magnificent against one of the best teams, best managers, and two of the best forwards going.
    Myths busted.this evening…..we do beat big teams, we can defend, they do tactics and preparation, and Steve Bould and Wenger do speak to each other.
    Still work to be done in this competition to qualify, but They should take immense pride and confidence in that performance and result

  44. Well done lads, well played i should say.
    Next Everton. We usually score some goals there, hope the lads not too tired, but we did not travel so should be all right.

  45. Jambug,

    Always my pleasure to read your comments. I do frequent Untold Arsenal but circumstances (good ones) have limited my inputs.

    Tom has to create a straw man to argue with in other to continue to criticise the manager for using Ospina. The funny thing is I never heard anyone warn Wenger against using the Colombian world cup goalkeeper and best PL keeper in the 2nd half of last season against the much dreaded Olympiakos team.

  46. Mandy Dodd

    “Brilliant. Tactical. Defended when needed. Clinical when needed. A full back came of age, another FB perhaps played his finest game for Arsenal.”

    Well said.

    Bellerin was up against Bayerns/Bundesligas player of the year and whilst given a hard time, he done his self proud and to have the energy to create the second goal like he did was pretty remarkable.

    As for Monreal…Faultless.

    2 simply magnificent performances, amongst many I might add.

    “Still work to be done in this competition to qualify, but They should take immense pride and confidence in that performance and result”

    And here here to that as well.

    COYG

  47. Yassin

    “Guardiola and his players should be appreciated by us for the clean game, and no cheating”

    Well said.

    Still a fantastic Manager and a fantastic team and I still think the most likely winners of the competition in the end.

  49. I am not surprised at all and congratulations to our boys and manager.

    The ref made me very nervous sometimes during the game with some diabolical calls. The 4 mins added time did backfire on UEFA.

    The fans reaction after the final whistle is what I expected throughout the match which did not happen. Bayern fans got the upper hand during the game until we scored. Emirate fans must learn how to back this team.

    Don’t be deceived by naysayers, we made our own luck. How many times in CL have we had luck against us? Many. Despite their possession, Bayern didn’t create more chances than us.

    Arsenal 2 – 0 Bayern

    Another 3 points another clean sheet. I’m looking forward to the second leg. Maybe Giroud and Walcott should start.

    COYG

  51. “@Tom Cech is good but oooooooospina is good too,so we have two great goal keepers,i pity the Prof he has to make difficult decisions.”

    Bootoomee
    The comment above is from the” Straw man”, I mean KampalaGun 🙂

    Also , unless you are prepared to criticize the manager for anything at all, claiming you will not criticize him for not starting Cech in a ” must win game” against Olimpiacos is redundant really.

    At least KampalaGun has the balls to admit it, unlike some others on here.

  52. “Cech is good but oooooooospina is good too”

    In which way does that say Ospina is better than Cech ?

    Where are the people that have claimed he is ?

  54. Hey! Piers, did a rat eat your tongue recently? Or did a door slam on your typing fingers?

  55. Tom,

    Provide a verifiable evidence of you warning against playing Ospina against Olympiakos or you are just another Captain Hindsight.

    Ospina made one mistake and he is now persona non grata but Cech cost us against West Ham but he is still the best thing since slice bread.

    Our 1st trophy in 9 years was won by our 2nd keeper. I don’t get this crusade against Ospina: he made one mistake while we lost 2-3.

    Cech is better but Ospina is a very good goalkeeper. Those of with memories better than that of a goldfish are yet to forget his exploits for our great club.

    Why do you enjoy beating up our struggling players so much. A supporter is not the one jumping up and down when results are good; he is the one standing by the team and the players when results are poor and form is even worse. It is Ospina and not Cech who needs our support right now.

  58. Game was so gripping and enjoyable I literally forgot the back/shoulder pain which has been plaguing me for a week!

    Big aim of mine is to be able to, on one level at least, still appreciate a match like that as much as i did even if it happens not to go our way. It feels worth stressing, from amidst the happiness, that it could so easily have been us who lost tonight, and that so many of the people getting so much joy from the victory and supposedly the whole game would’ve been ready to slaughter us if it had been Bayern who scored late on instead of us.

    Mind…I’m so bloody glad I wasn’t tested in that fashion tonight.

    In victory, so damn easy to appreciate the battle all the way through, the tension, even the moments it almost went wrong. The narrowness of the margins and the ease with which things can go against you is not only perfectly understandable, but contributes massively to the enjoyment of the event/result.

    So much to love about the game and the team tonight.

    Many of you lot have less work than me to do in keeping the old shit together even on the days it goes wrong, but these are the moments for me, right after the team has provided such a thrilling game, played cleanly by a bold honest set of players, to attempt to top up a determination to support the club, players and manager in the best way possible.

    Bellerin. Coquelin. Monreal. Kos. Cech. Giroud. Ozil. Per. All of them!

  59. Kudos to Bayern for playing the game and not trying to cheat. Gracious in defeat too.

    This just shows how the matches are tilted in the premiership. For all the noises in the media about Wenger’s “poor” record against Mourinho one just needs compare Wenger’s record v Guardiola against that of Mourinho v Guardiola. Wenger v Guardiola is almost 50-50, with Guardiola v Mourinho almost something like 95-5. Everytime we play cheatski they cheat, stamp, dive…,all aided by the bent referees… The much vaunted record Mourinho is supposed to have over Wenger is artificial and tainted, just like Ferguson’s trophies. That’s why English footbal will never get anywhere.

  60. Wonderful victory tonight.

    One thing about the whole Ospina-Čech conundrum.

    Ospina had a brilliant second half of the last season. He was almost perfect in terms of positioning, dealt with pretty much everything thrown at him and played a huge role in our excellent run in the second half of the season.

    Now, European champions Barcelona had a similar strategy like Wenger last season – they used one goalkeeper for Champions League (Ter Stegen) and the other one in the league (Bravo). It worked well. There was no reason why Wenger shouldn’t have picked Ospina for Dinamo and Olympiacos. After all, Ospina was in charge in our COC victory away at Spuds and did pretty well.

    It is unfair to point a finger at Ospina for either of our defeats. Yes, he conceded a rather stupid goal from a corner but it happens. I will remind you that Jens Lehmann – in the season of The Invincibles nonetheless – conceded a rather stupid goal to Van der Meyde in our home defeat (0:3) but nobody was at his back. The guilt was distributed all over the team.

    Ospina wasn’t the only one that made mistakes against Dinamo and Olympiacos. Kieran Gibbs made a poor defensive positioning for Dinamo’s second goal and he was nowhere near Olympiacos’ player before the cross for Finbogasson’s goal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deflected the ball for the first Olympiacos goal but our other players should have closed the Greek player down at the first place.

    Ospina will come back, stronger than ever.

    I’m thrilled with Čech though. His saves might have been underrated because of our recent winning margins but he has been immense with a sole exception being that game against West Ham. I am really glad that years spent in the same locker-room with Jose Mourinho and John Terry didn’t harm his intellect and soul.

  61. “Provide a verifiable evidence of you warning against playing Ospina against Olympiakos or you are just another Captain Hindsight.”

    Bootoomee

    I feel we are entering the realm of bizarre here. Seriously man?

    For the record, I was the first regular on here jumping for joy when Wenger signed Cech, since I was a believer that he was the missing link to Arsenal title bid.

    Much the same, I was advocating for a Coquelin type of a dominant holding midfielder before that, against the main tide of UA sentiment which believed Arteta and Flamini were good enough to do the job.

    I was also on the record stating that Arsenal didn’t need to sign anybody else to challenge in the league( this one remains to be seen).

    Now, having argued that Cech was the only world class keeper Arsenal have had ( you can check the archives ) in a long while, I don’t feel the need to state before every CL or PL game that he should start, let alone a self described ” must win ” game.

    So you can call me a ” Captain Hindsight ” if it pleases you, that’s not the worst you ever called me 🙂

  62. The comments sum up a lot. We won despite a cheating Turkish Official. We won through pure concentration & focus with superb teamwork. What a fabulous game & what a team – worth paying the £64!! to see your team being beaten.

    A lovely display by a brilliant tactician.

  63. Some of the AAA have their fingers on the dislike buttons. BJTGooner and Bootoome you seem to be targeted.

  65. WOO HOO , HOO ! Well done guys ! Awesome ! Salute ! Respect ! Thank you ! And a
    great win for our younglings too !
    Broke my usual ritual of not watching the game live , and stayed up to see a near flawless counter attacking game.
    UP THE GUNNERS !

  66. A one of ‘them’ joke . Actually all of ‘them’ ARE jokes , but they just don’t know it yet !

    His wife left a note on the fridge door saying: “This isn’t working, I’m leaving.”

    He opened the door and the darn thing was working just fine!

  67. Losing weight with laughter .

    Most of us have tried to diet at least once, in order to lose a few extra pounds. We’ve given up our favorite foods, changed how much we ate, what we ate, and when we ate. Most of us also realized that even though it’s essential for our health, dieting is not easy at all. If you’re looking for a way to cope with dieting, why not try humor?

    Calories (noun): Tiny devious creatures that live in our closets, and make our clothes smaller and smaller every night.

    Diet (noun): An odd process where, instead of watching what we eat – we watch what other people eat.

    A professional dietitian was lecturing in front of a group of people who wanted to lose weight.

    “The food we eat is so bad for us, that it will still hurt our health several years down the road,” she said.

    “Sugary drinks eat up the lining of our stomach, processed food is full of chemicals, meat is full of preservatives, and even our water is filled with germs. And I haven’t even gotten to fatty foods yet! Do you know which type of dessert will give you the most troubles and suffering for many years after you’ve eaten it?”

    The whole group fell silent, until an 80-year-old man sitting in the back stood up and said: “A wedding cake…”

  68. And since the moderators are all away , or drunk , or asleep , BG is out here to play !

    ‘ them’ : ” Let me sleep !”
    their brain ( an oxymoron if ever there was one, I know !) : ” NO ! Let’s stay awake and remember every stupid decision we made in life ! ”

    So now you know why most of ‘them’ are grouchy ,grumpy ,bitchy and bullshitty !

  69. Meanwhile the AKBs , who are pure of heart , thought and words , live by another creed – one of a higher moral calling , belief and trust.

    “Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.”

    ~ Saint Frances de Sales ~

  70. And as mentioned by GGG above , the more dislikes the hard core AKBs get from ‘them ‘ , the more they are pissed and petulant . We can live with that , in fact , Me like it very much !

  71. ARSENAL will make me sick…..We win, no sleep (happiness induced sleep deprivation ). We lose, no sleep (sadness induced sleep deprivation). Heavy head, red eyes…..BUT I am loving it.

    yyyyeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh……

  73. The match report is on line. Finally…. To make up for it I included pictures! 🙂

  74. @GoingGoingGooner

    I am amused by the antics of the aaaa and retards from Le Groan – they haven’t got the balls to make comments just now so they resort to cowardly negativity.

    If they are targeting me it shows I must be getting to them!

  75. Arsenal 2 – 0 Bayern, oh yessss! Simply superb, fantastic and deserved. All of the Untold guys and girls here, I have been thinking exactly what you have written. It was so wonderful last night – for the great manager, the amazing players and the noisy fans! I love my club!

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