Should Arsenal have scored a victory at the death?
Bukayo Saka was denied a late penalty after Arsenal hit back with a Leandro Trossard goal.
The England international opened the scoring, allowing the ball to roll over him after a fine pass from Ben White, but Bayern equalized through Serge Gnabry then took the lead through a Harry Kane penalty.
Saka called for a spot-kick seconds before the final whistle after apparent contact with Manuel Neuer, but referee Glenn Nyberg did not even consult VAR.
Earlier, Bayern thought they should have had their own penalty when Gabriel collected the ball in the box. The whistle had been blown for a goal kick when goalkeeper David Raya passed the ball to the central defender, who collected it, replaced it and returned it as play continued.
Thomas Tuchel said after the match that Nyberg had told his players that he had seen the incident in question but considered it “a child’s mistake” and that he “wouldn’t give a penalty” for this in a match of this magnitude.
So, with this perfectly balanced draw ahead of next week’s second leg in Bavaria, allow me Athleticism to break down the main discussion points…
Did Trossard’s goal deliver Arsenal’s ‘magic moment’?
“You are going to experience magical moments,” said the Arsenal coach before facing Bayern. “At a certain stage, at a certain moment, in the competition, in the draw, something exceptional has to happen.
“We are now creating a new history and that is why these moments that we experienced in the group stage, for the qualifications first and now what we did with Porto, are really important because they generate confidence, a feeling of positivity in the team that when the time comes, we can overcome it and get through it.
That’s why his number one priority before the race was to have a team in top shape. When he looked at the bench at 2-1, he saw players he could trust in Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.
Jesus’ skill and flair caused chaos that destabilized the Bayern backline before he put the ball back into Trossard’s path to equalize. It was 10 minutes after both men made a double substitution, providing very different skills to Gabriel Martinelli and Jorginho, who they replaced.
Trossard has consistently proven his worth in this regard since joining Arsenal last January. This season he has been the most used substitute, making 16 league appearances. Of his 13 goals in all competitions this season, six have now come off the bench.
Jesus also knew the importance he could have, whether or not he started in his preferred position, before the game.
“I don’t want to come here and say that Gabi doesn’t care about playing as a winger when his position is normally a 9,” he said. “In this part of the season, we are not complaining. I never complain. When I get the chance, I will show the manager and everyone why I have to play.
“This part of the season I’m going to put my ego aside and do what the manager wants to help the team. It’s not easy, not only for me but also for Eddie (Nketiah). Kai (Havertz) makes incredible plays and scores. That’s the price you have to pay if you want to be at a big club.
Rock Art
Why did Arsenal’s defense look very… “anti-Arsenal”?
Arsenal didn’t perform badly, but the two goals they conceded in the first half showed how uncertainty can undermine a backline.
They have had complete control over Premier League matches since returning from the winter break, with great clarity in most of their actions. The errors that led to Serge Gnabry’s equalizer and Harry Kane’s penalty were both the result of overthinking and inaction – traits that have not cost Arsenal much since the first half of the season.
GO FURTHER
Harry Kane, the Arsenal years
The combination of David Raya’s inability to take control of Bayern’s clearance, Gabriel’s indecision and Jakub Kiwior’s lack of alertness allowed Gnabry to score. Kiwior allowing Sane to gallop after being passed by the winger also put his teammates in danger, ending with William Saliba awarding the penalty and then Raya diving as Kane gave him the eyes and pulled him away.
Kiwior’s departure didn’t seem like too much of an issue before the game, but those moments warranted a halftime substitution. Replacement Oleksandr Zinchenko was a surprise given that Takehiro Tomiyasu’s attributes lend themselves to quick wingers in defense who cut inside better, but Zinchenko was also tasked with giving his manager’s instructions, delivering a speech of passionate team before the resumption.
The most frustrating thing for Arteta will be that these moments came after Arsenal were already 1-0 up. This should have been the time to turn the screw rather than relapse.
Rock Art
Bayern thrived on the counterattack. Why don’t they do this in the Bundesliga?
If there has been one consistent problem at Bayern Munich this season, it has been the problems against transition.
When they lose possession, or if their opponent can move up the pitch at any speed, they are regularly unable to cover players on breakdowns or fill the developing space. This problem dates back to the German Super Cup.
How interesting then to see them benefit in the opposite way: facing a team possessing possession in the quantities they usually enjoyed, being forced to simplify their football and make it look better.
It makes sense. Arsenal’s territorial dominance effectively simplified Bayern’s game plan, forcing them to sit deep and grab what they could in quick raids. In Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry (with Kingsley Coman coming off the bench), Thomas Tuchel possessed the vertical threats to make it work, and – in Harry Kane – had a counter-punching specialist to rotate these pieces.
Obviously Arsenal were being charitable, but this was still a Bayern team they couldn’t show in the Bundesliga. They have averaged more than 60 percent of the ball this year. Even in the crushing defeat in Leverkusen in February, they received 62 percent of the vote. But more often than not, the need to be proactive exposed their flaws.
It was a rare opportunity to do something different. Two goals, one from a high turnover and the other from a long break that ended with Saliba being moved, also represented an opportunity taken. And it could have been worse if Sane hadn’t ruined his face-off in the first half.
Sébastien Stafford-Bloor
Arsenal’s return to the Champions League comes with the need to prove themselves. Many of their players had not played regularly at this level before this season – and one of those players was Bukayo Saka.
The winger has been a consistent player since he broke through at 18, but he still needed to establish himself among Europe’s elite. Whatever the score against Bayern Munich, he did so with more direct goals than any other Arsenal player in the Champions League this season (eight).
His first goal, a fine effort curled around Eric Dier into the far corner, was his fourth goal in the competition this season. He also has four assists in the Champions League in 2023-24. The last Arsenal player to record that many goals in the Champions League was Alexis Sanchez in 2015-16 (three goals and five assists).
Despite not scoring or assisting in Arsenal’s round of 16 win over Porto, Saka will continue to be key in their quarter-final second leg against Bayern.
Rock Art
Is Bayern only guilty in defense?
Whatever threat Bayern posed going forward, it still seemed likely that Arsenal would eventually find the gaps in their defense that Thomas Tuchel has struggled to fill all season. The two goals conceded by his team on Tuesday evening had no place in a Champions League quarter-final and described a defense without any forward protection, or real cohesion or confidence within it.
When Eric Dier joined the club in January, it was reasonable to ask why a team featuring Kim Min-jae, Matthijs De Ligt and Dayot Upamecano needed a central defender from the Tottenham fringes. But what they did tells us a lot. Bayern needed communication and organization. Their six-man defense was so often chaotic in the absence of a communicator and that’s not only why Dier was signed, but also why he continues to start every game.
You rarely hear that defenders play individually – that’s a criticism leveled at attacking players – but if ever that were true for a team, then it’s Bayern Munich.
They do little collectively. There is no trust in their surrounding system. As a result, even talented players such as De Ligt are reduced to punchlines through their individual errors – seeing him get manhandled for Arsenal’s second goal – and the goals keep coming.
This is a team that conceded three goals on Saturday against poor Bundesliga side Heidenheim, and at the Emirates there was no mystery as to how that happened.
Sébastien Stafford-Bloor
What did Mikel Arteta say?
Arsenal head coach Arteta, speaking on TNT Sports after the match, said: “We started really well, we dominated, we didn’t concede anything. We scored a very good goal.
“Afterwards it’s the moment of the match where Ben (Blanc) is in front of (Manuel) Neuer and if it was 2-0, it would have been a very different match… in the Champions League, you give something, they will take it. . You are punished. This is also part of football.
“The things we can control are best done simple things.”
Of the late penalty, he added: “They said they checked it and decided it wasn’t a penalty.
“I firmly believe we can go there (to Germany) and beat them. We have to prepare very well.
What did Thomas Tuchel say?
Thomas Tuchel, speaking to Amazon after the match, said: “We could have won in the end, we had a huge chance with Kingsley (Coman hitting the post). It was a difficult evening against a very good opponent. The fans were really behind Arsenal, so the result is correct.
“We knew we had to play better for 90 minutes than in (our defeat last time at) Heidenheim, that was clear. It was necessary here. It was hard. We have a draw so the situation is clear, the winner moves on.
“We’re playing at home (next), we need that kind of atmosphere from the fans and we need the same dedication, the same passion and the same quality as tonight – and we’ll get through it .”
When is the return match?
Wednesday, April 17 at 8 p.m. UK, 3 p.m. ET.
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(Top photo: Ian Kington/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)