Bayern Munich v Arsenal preview: Never mind mission impossible, target mission imperative

With their Euro exit almost inevitable, Arsenal must show tonight they can still finish in the top four
1/2
James Olley13 March 2013

Arsenal face Mission Impossible here tonight knowing whatever happens they must not press the self-destruct button.

Only the most myopic supporter will give the Gunners a prayer as they enter the imposing Allianz Arena charged with the task of rewriting Champions League history in order to reach the quarter-finals.

It is worth detailing the magnitude of the challenge before them:

- Only twice have a team ever come back from losing the first leg at home to win a tie in the knockout stages — Inter Milan two seasons ago and Ajax in 1996.

- No team in the Champions League have ever recovered to qualify after losing the first leg at home by a two-goal margin.

- Arsenal have never overturned a home first-leg deficit in any European competition and won only one of their last 22 European away games by the margin required to qualify tonight — a 3-1 success against Partizan Belgrade in 2010-11.

- Bayern have not lost at home by more than one goal for 25 months, a period spanning 52 games, and sit 20 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

‘Mission Impossible’ may be hyperbolic billing but it seems apt. “Impossible? No. Difficult? Yes,” admitted Wenger, in a response that would not make a similarly memorable film title.

“It is difficult to say what percentage chance we have but what is important is that we have big experience in the Champions League and in Europe we have won everywhere.

“That means we have the right to believe because we have the quality and to turn up just assuming we go out would be absolutely unacceptable, so we want to show we can use our experience and our quality and have the right belief to do it.”

The Gunners have hardly brought a squad to Bavaria that inspire confidence. Jack Wilshere’s absence with an ankle injury is a precautionary measure with the 21-year-old’s career in mind. Lukas Podolski also has an ankle complaint, while Bacary Sagna has failed to recover from a knee problem.

Wilshere, in particular, will be sorely missed but the most intriguing absentee is goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who Wenger maintains has been rested after starting every Arsenal game since a 5-2 victory over Spurs on November 17.

It is a curious omission that raises questions about the 22-year-old’s state of mind after a difficult last 12 months or so in which he was the poster boy in Poland at Euro 2012 only to be sent off in the tournament’s opening match.

Szczesny has also suffered with an ankle injury and as a deeply analytical and self-critical player, Wenger’s decision to leave his No1 keeper back in London is an admission that criticism of his performances has taken its toll.

“He has played many games since the start of the season and recently I felt that mentally it affected him,” said Wenger. “That is why I have decided to rest him. It is his second season only in the Premier League and he has played many games. Some of our players have played many, many games since the start of the season. That is why you have a big squad and you sometimes rotate the players.

“It is a big game, which is why we play the players who are completely fit and ready. We have a squad of 18 players, everybody can make a difference, it is important we focus on the players who are here, not the ones at home.”

That sentiment is understandable but leaving Szczesny out could also be interpreted as an admission that Wenger has given up the ghost. The prospect he could also rest Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla suggest as much.

Such was the authority with which Bayern Munich acquired a 3-1 first leg advantage three weeks ago, it would be easy for this fragile group to fear a hiding. Some solace can be taken in the knowledge Bayern are without Jerome Boateng and Bastian Schweinsteiger through suspension, while Franck Ribery is unavailable after suffering a ligament strain in his left ankle during last weekend’s 3-2 win against Fortuna Dusseldorf.

But, regardless, the Gunners need spirit in abundance tonight, not just to restore pride but to galvanise a beleaguered squad for the Premier League challenge that lies ahead with their top-four status and future Champions league participation in the balance.

Wenger talked a good game here last night once again but so often this season Arsenal have found themselves out of a match before it has truly begun. Against Bayern, they conceded twice within 21 minutes.

They can ill-afford to press that self-destruct button against an accomplished team like tonight’s opponents and captain Thomas Vermaelen insists the Gunners are working to improve their defensive frailty.

“You always take criticism personally but we are just here to go again,” he said. “We are working on that every day of the week and it will be a test again tonight, not only for the defence but for all the team. We will try to do our best.”

There are many pragmatists in Arsenal red that believe Saturday’s game at Swansea is the biggest game of the week in the context of next season. Arsenal need a miracle here — a top-four finish is more attainable and relevant to the club’s overall ambition.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League would strip Wenger of the last indisputable defence of a tenure that is under more scrutiny than ever before. Arsenal require a performance to propel them into the more important business of overhauling Chelsea and/or Tottenham.

That is their main mission, should they choose to accept it.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in