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Arsenal carry a lot of mental scars from previously playing Bayern Munich and particularly from that period under Arsene Wenger when we seemed to draw them every season, I mean losing 10-2 on aggregate doesn’t go away does it? But last season we comprehensively beat them 3-1 at Ashburton Grove to maybe lay some of that Bavarian ghost, therefore this fixture was to me as much about psychology as it was about technique, you know playing the man and not the shirt.
The Allianz is a superb venue, it’s up there with the best and the home fans created a great atmosphere with drums beating and flags waving. It was a true test of this Arsenal teams maturity and development because these are the games you really want to play in, not the catenazzio of the Premier League but two teams going for it and showing their talent and intelligence in an arena befitting such a contest.
Mikel didn’t really pull any rabbits out of his hat with his selections, Timber replaced Ben White and Madueke started on the left wing. I did wonder if Myles might get a start given his impressive record in Europe but Arteta went with his expensive summer signing Bruno.
Both teams shadow boxed for a few minutes before the Gunners opened up the Germans on 5 minutes with consummate ease but Saka could not quite finish. Unfortunately for Bakayo, who had begun as if he was going to have a very promising 90 minutes, was forced to leave the pitch. He eased past Davies but as he laid off his pass he fell to the ground clutching his left thigh. It didn’t look good and on came Eze who went to the left flank as Noni switched to the right. An injury that early can sometimes unsettle a teams equilibrium but the Gunners continued knocking it around in a calm and composed manner.
With 20 minutes gone I thought that this was the best that I’d seen from an Arsenal team in Bavaria as they showed no fear but Bayern are like a rattlesnake. Following an Arsenal corner the Germans turned over possession and streaked towards David Raya’s goal. Gnabry sensing some newspaper headlines went for the shot instead of playing in a team mate and Raya saved low down. That was a warning.
On 25 minutes Martin Odegaard suddenly launched a long curling pass into the feet of Eze who had escaped his marker, the pass was so good that Eze let the ball run without needing a touch before dispatching past Neuer, but no, offside. Fortunately VAR came to our rescue and the lads celebrated in front of the travelling fans as the Bayern drums fell silent and the flags drooped. For the next 10 minutes the Gunners were coasting and I fully expected a 2nd goal. Bruno almost delivered at a corner but he fired wide.
Then on 35 our nemesis Harry Kane delivered a peach of a pass which left Timber in his wake and Davies swept in to equalise. How would the boys react? Well we came right back at them and Calafiori probably should have scored following a corner on 42 but it was cut and thrust and so at halftime 1-1.
I was really enjoying the game, it was top quality and as much as I felt that we should be leading at the break we could have been losing. No changes and straight back into this fascinating contest. A Rice corner was headed powerfully by Bruno and looked certain to burst the net but Neuer somehow got a big Prussian hand to it and pushed it to safety then on 49 Upamencano got in an equally powerful header but Raya pushed it wide. On 54 Eze tricked his way past a forest of Bayern legs and looked certain to score but it was blocked and cleared off of the line.
Bayern came back and following some intense pressure the ball ran to Kane who fired in a goal-bound shot, it deflected off of Timber’s arm and was blocked by Gabriel, penalty! Would Raya have saved it if Timber hadn’t connected, maybe? But we know this scenario don’t we and the England captain scored to put the Germans in front for the first time. For the next few minutes it was touch and go as Bayern went for the kill. But these Arteta Gunners don’t capitulate like some earlier versions which our club has fielded and on 82 the English champions struck back.
On 68 Arteta had made a couple of changes taking off Havertz and Bruno and replacing them with Gyokeres and Lewis Skelly and both played a part in the equaliser. Myles found Rice who switched it out wide to Madueke, Noni immediately found Gyokeres who immediately found Declan who was running through the gap and he just thumped his drive across Neuer and into the far corner of the net, first time passing and movement, I loved it and we thoroughly deserved it.
There was still time to win it and a long punt by Raya was flicked on by Viktor as he was being manhandled, it ran to Timber who hit a dipping shot which Neuer pushed over the bar. Merino had already replaced Odegaard on 85 but the Timber shot was pretty much that. Bayern still responded but we held them at bay and the referee blew for time as we attacked again, it was that type of game.
It was a game to lift the spirits and showed exactly what kind of team Arsenal are when opponents actually come out to play, so the next time some mentally deranged journalist calls us the unwatchables, just remind him that it takes two teams to have a football match…
We March On
**By Kev**