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Arsenal’s Six UCL Group Games Analyzed
Match Day 4 – Munich
Following the loss to Bayern in London, Arsenal will be hoping to get some kind of revenge on Die Bayern. However, it probably would have been beneficial for the Gunners to play Bayern on match day five or six, because then Bayern would have already guaranteed themselves first place in the group.
The fact is that Bayern should expect nothing less than qualifying in first with games to spare in this group. Last season they had the toughest group in the competition, and they still swept everyone in their group aside.
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AS Roma and CSKA have been replaced by Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb, which makes Arsenal the biggest challenge. Guardiola will have reminded his army of this, and thus Bayern will come out swinging in hopes of a demolition job.
The Gunners will go into match day four knowing they are not out of the woods yet. Olympiakos will beat Dinamo Zagreb, which will leave them three points behind the Gunners, who are, in turn, three points behind Bayern.
The game will be a different game than the one in London. While the standard tactics Arsenal employ need to be changed for games against Bayern, Wenger is too stubborn to not try and dominate the game at home.
Arsenal must defend resolutely, be direct with their passing, and feed players like Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The game plan from the fixture before cannot be same, and Arsene Wenger must concede that he has to utilize his players’ counter attacking ability.
Tactical Change?
Starting without a number ten may be something Arsenal could actually think about.
There is not a huge difference in the starting formations that Wenger and Guardiola employ. With no number ten, they could play Cazorla and Wilshere sitting deep, but still in front of Coquelin.
The lack of midfield press could cause anchor man Javi Martinez to instinctively push up while Bayern hold possession for long periods of time. Bayern’s midfield all being forward would mean that there would be space on the break for Arsenal to run into with the ball.
Cazorla is a brilliant long passer and Wilshere loves to run on offense with and without the ball, and we have seen Bayern’s vulnerability to a well-engineered counter attack.
Bayern Munich Player To Watch: Xabi Alonso
This part may prove obsolete if Alonso does not start for Die Bayern, but a similar point could be made if someone like Philipp Lahm starts in central defensive midfield.
The mental weakness of Javi Martinez is there to be exploited if Wenger plays his cards right, but if he is playing alongside someone like Alonso, he will be a robot under the veteran’s command. Xabi Alonso is a jedi knight in the form of a football player, and he understands all the mind tricks of the game.
Expect a dominating Bayern performance if Alonso is selected.
Arsenal Player To Watch: Olivier Giroud
While the important part of the Arsenal attack in this match is the pace, Olivier Giroud is necessary to link up the play. Without him, there is no player in the center who will stay central, and there is no physical presence in attack.
The critics of the Frenchman are ever-present, and here is a game where he could prove everybody wrong. Giroud can apply his skills as a slower version of Karim Benzema in this match on the counter attack, and he can cause confusion in the Bayern defense if he makes the correct runs.
He could also get stymied by Boateng and Dante physically if he doesn’t move enough on offense. That defense is used to big target men up front, and is capable of dealing with them. Someone who plays that link-up forward role who is tall and strong, however, is a new challenge.
PREDICTION FOR MATCH DAY 4: Bayern 3-1 Arsenal
Whether or not the Gunners switch it up, yet again it looks difficult for Arsenal to contend with the quality the Germans have. Borussia Dortmund has been a huge challenge recently for the Gunners, and the Red White and Blues are one step above the Black and Yellow.
Next: Match Day 5 - London vs. Dinamo Zagreb