Arsenal earned the title of the current best side in Europe with a win over Bayern Munich but Vincent Kompany's message to Mikel Arteta still rings true
06:00, 27 Nov 2025
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, and Vincent Kompany, faced off as Bayern were beaten by the Gunners in the Champions League
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Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, and Vincent Kompany, faced off as Bayern were beaten by the Gunners in the Champions League(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal supporters were promised in the late 2000s that they had moved to the Emirates Stadium to compete with the likes of Bayern Munich. Until Wednesday, 26 November 2025, many were still thinking the same, but that night, the Gunners not only beat the German champions but they eclipsed them in the current mindset of European supporters.
It was a night of burying the bad vibes of the past. Even Harry Kane was limited to a total of zero shots for the first time against the Gunners, and considering his record against them, that is seriously significant.
But as Vincent Kompany said after the match, “No one wants to be the best team in November.” This is a massive, monumental victory for the Gunners. There is no doubt about that, and it sends the perfect message, but Mikel Arteta needs to continue keeping his feet on the ground.
The benefit of having won against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend in an emotional game, to then regroup and beat Bayern, is that this side is showing more than just quality; they are showing maturity and consistency. That is a recipe for success and, subsequently, and most importantly, trophies.
With Chelsea beating Barcelona, there is little doubt that a few eyebrows were raised amongst the fan base. The gap could widen to the Blues, who sit second, to as many as nine points on Sunday, but equally could narrow to as little as just three.
“We know, and you just have to watch the game that they played against Barcelona yesterday to understand how difficult and tough and what a good team Chelsea are,” Arteta said. “So, we know tomorrow we start to prepare, and we go from there.”
This win over Bayern, however, outstrips that of Chelsea’s against Barcelona, no doubt. Arteta likes to say that the word “fear” is not one he ever considers when facing an opponent, but if there is a team anyone should be scared of in Europe, it is now Arsenal.
The downer of the evening was seeing Leandro Trossard leave the field with an injury. However, Mikel Arteta’s post-match assessment will hopefully add some encouragement that it is not too serious.
“With Leo, we don't know,” Arteta explained. “He said he felt something, we didn't want to take any risk, obviously.”
But with Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Riccardo Calafiori coming off the bench to provide such impacts, even with potentially another name on the injured list, Arteta has great depth to call on. He was even able to make a couple of changes to the eleven which beat Spurs at the weekend.
He was particularly happy with the performance of Cristhian Mosquera. The Spaniard replaced Piero Hincapie who earned great plaudits for his display in the derby.
“Yeah, I think he was really good,” Arteta said. “With Piero as well. We need to understand where he's coming from. He came from Ecuador after playing two 90s, big trouble.
“Played the derby, the first start that he had in the Premier League and he finished the game very, very tired. That's the good thing, that we have Mosquera who can play in different positions. He was superb, I think with William [Saliba].”
Lewis-Skelly however had a difficult evening. So much attention has arisen around the left-back after he was dropped by Thomas Tuchel from the England squad and the national team head coach was in attendance on the night.
Michael Olise, one of Europe’s top wingers and Serge Gnabry who happened to switch sides for the equalising goal and set up Lennart Karl. Lewis-Skelly was caught out with another lofted ball in behind, something Kompany potentially could have looked to exploit after the previous issues the 18-year-old had endured of a similar nature.
He was beaten into the box by Olise for pace and skill. A couple of misplaced passes and mistaken runs ended a night he’d have preferred to have responded to better. That said, his performance against Atletico Madrid earlier in the league phases showed the youngster’s quality.
Arsenal still remain without a natural striker, and Mikel Merino once again impressed. Arteta even took the time to reference the Spaniard without provocation.
“Obviously, we didn't predict to have that many important players out,” Arteta said when asked about the potential ceiling of his squad. “But the good thing is the way the team reacts constantly and plays after that to different positions. I think, for example, what Mikel [Merino] has done today is incredible.”
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Arsenal are looking incredibly strong and now have their returning players impressing as they recover from injury. Just how good the Gunners could still get should be a big worry for their rivals across all the competitions.
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