Match Reaction: Bayern Munich 5 Arsenal 1

[Letters]

Several differences really. We have the same manager and mainly the same staff but there is a huge difference between those two years you have mentioned. We now have a plan B, we have won big games in this year alone. United home and away, city away, liverpool etc. We are beating teams that we struggled against last year, swansea, everton and looking comfortable. WE have a world class player in the four areas. Cech, Koscienly, Ozil and Sanchez. There is a huge difference between this year and five years ago. Injuries are starting to appear but if we can get a grip on them, and players return as scheduled after the break this month, we have a strong squad.

Chelsea and united look weak, city struggle without aguero and silva in the big games. We have a real chance this year, and Wenger has changed tactics to manage the squad and win the big games.

Agree. Would we have won that Utd game a couple of years ago? Would we have won that Swansea one for that matter - tricky place to go, easy to drop points.
Cech is making a difference - late in the Everton game he made a good save which kept us ahead, things like that get you the extra 2 points and it adds up over a season.
We finally have world class players through the spine of the team, the notable exception being up front but Giroud's scoring rate so far is not to be sniffed at and there should be plenty of goals throughout midfield.
Injuries could scupper us but IMO we have a real chance this year.

Obviously if we drop points or, God forbid, lose on Sunday then this place will be awash with "told you so's" and "see, we have no chance", but even if we lose we'll still be 8 points ahead of where we were at this stage last year and at worst 3 points off the top. Best case scenario we'll be top. Either way we're in the hunt, long may it continue.

Do we have the mentality to go all the way? I think so - we've done it in the Cup 2 years on the trot, we pushed hard in the league last year till the title was mathematically gone.
I think we finally have the ability and mentality to challenge.

[Niall_Quinn]

I think with the amount of injuries we had, we were hamstrung with the team selection. Also, the team didn’t turn up. Too many mistakes and they didn’t fancy it. It just depends on how the feel on the night and I think that’s something Wenger has to address. He can’t leave it up to the players to mentally prepare themselves for every game because they’ll check out. I heard he went into one at half time but too little too late.

I accept we had injuries (not that I accept whatever it is going on behind the scenes that leaves our players so vulnerable to these repetitive injury crises). What I don't accept is how little preparation and tactical planning went into that match. How hard could it have been to predict we'd be up against it on the night? So you have to plan for that and look to stifle the opposition so you can get a foothold in the game. Then you have to have a means of inflicting damage on the opposition when you get the rare opportunity. Wenger didn't do any of that. Or if he did then the players ignored him.

I didn't expect to win the game beforehand, knowing that Bellerin, Theo and Ox were both out so we'd have little pace. I knew for a fact we'd lose when I saw the team selection. We knew Bayern had very pacey options on both sides. So you have to get Gibbs into the mix. Who couldn't have predicted an already out of form Debuchy would be destroyed? Who couldn't have predicted Campbell didn't have the pace or experience to deal with the threats? This was bloody obvious stuff. The you play a slow tempo and you don't press so what did Bayern do? They just passed around us all night. They looked great because we let them play their game. This was no Plan B on our part, it was the stupidity of thinking that what worked 2 weeks ago could work again even though we didn't have the tools to make it work.

Alexis should have played through the centre. Bif had nothing to keep their defenders occupied. At least Alexis would have offered a threat and forced Bayern to be a bit more cautious. Instead we invited their back four to play rather than defend. They actually weren't that great defending and we passed through them a few times. What more could we have done if we'd have put them under more pressure? Alexis is the ideal player for that. Pace, endless stamina and a willingness to run with the ball and shoot when he gets the chance. Instead he was out of the game, effectively bypassed as Bayern waltzed up the pitch and through our midfield. How Wenger didn't react to that is staggering.

Wenger then blames the defence when it's he who set things up to give Bayern an easy ride and ensure the pressure was always on our back line. If we'd have come out of that with a 2-0 loss on the back of a solid, battling performance I'd have said okay, we were up against the odds and we did our best. But to be hammered like that when there are steps we could have taken but didn't take, you have to criticise the manager. His half-arsed approach to this competition is a joke. Every little thing counts at this level but he's not just getting the little things wrong, he's making huge errors on a regular basis and it's 100% his fault we are at the foot of the group sweating on dropping into the dreaded Europa League. 100% his fault. Ridiculous fuck-ups like selecting Ospina. What the fuck goes on in the guy's head?

Now we go into the derby match having to drag ourselves off the floor again. We still have the same injury problems but these are now compounded by a good arse kicking. We make it harder for ourselves all the time and the joke is Wenger thinks he's making it easier by selectively chucking matches and expecting his antics to have no psychological effects. We aren't up against Bayern, we should still have enough to win this. But if we go into the game with the same lack of planning, ambition, drive and desire as midweek then we're fucked. It's Wenger's job to have this team properly prepared when they step out on the pitch and at this level there are no valid excuses for him not doing that job properly. And if we don't have the resources to compete across all competitions then that's his fault too. He has everything he needs to get the job done, including money in the last few seasons. His excuses are bullshit.

[Letters]

Do you really think the way we plan for games changes radically from game to game? Why would it?

[Kano]

Do you really think the way we plan for games changes radically from game to game? Why would it?

And, as if by magic, we have been granted an answer today:

Asked if he has a “mystical power” over his players when he is preparing them for a match, Wenger replied: “Religiously, it is said that God created man. I am only a guide. I allow others to express what they have in them. I have not created anything. I am a facilitator of what is beautiful in man.

[Niall_Quinn]

Do you really think the way we plan for games changes radically from game to game? Why would it?

It's "radical" to react to an injury crisis and devise suitable tactics for a game against possibly the best team in Europe on their own patch?

It only seems radical because we haven't got a manager who can be bothered doing it. Maureen's a cock but he can do it. His counter attacking tactics against Bayern in the 2010 final allowed his markedly inferior Inter to come away with the trophy. Then there's us versus Utd in the Cup Final a decade ago. Wenger didn't mind mixing it up on that occasion, even though we didn't need to. Was that "radical" enough to answer your question?

[Niall_Quinn]

And, as if by magic, we have been granted an answer today:

I thought you were doing a MS and parodying the guy.

Apparently not:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/...hy-facilitator

FFS! He's so far gone he's never coming back.

“I define myself as an optimist. My constant battle in this business is to get out there what is beautiful in man. We can at this level portray me as naive. At the same time, it allows me to believe it and it often gives me reason.”

“I still live in the future. It is planned. Tight. My relationship with time is quite scary. I’m still trying to fight it. I’m always afraid of being late. Not to be ready. Not being able to accomplish all that I planned. My personal relationship with time is scary. To go back in time, to look behind yourself is equally staggering.”

“The only moment of possible happiness, is the present. The past gives regrets. And future uncertainties. Man quickly realised this and created the religion. It forgives him what he has done wrong in the past and tells him not to worry about the future, as you will go to paradise.”

“Unfortunately today, it works less! At the same time, fortunately, it means that my team does not necessarily need God to win.”

Is this some comedy ready-up he's playing along with? Or has he somehow, fuck knows how, been taken out of context?

He needs to go to the medical centre, where most of the rest of the team is.

[Globalgunner]

I thought you were doing a MS and parodying the guy.

Apparently not:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/...hy-facilitator

FFS! He's so far gone he's never coming back.









Is this some comedy ready-up he's playing along with? Or has he somehow, fuck knows how, been taken out of context?

He needs to go to the medical centre, where most of the rest of the team is.

I knew it!. Wenger is not really a manager. He`s a Svengali.

[Letters]

It's "radical" to react to an injury crisis and devise suitable tactics for a game against possibly the best team in Europe on their own patch?

It only seems radical because we haven't got a manager who can be bothered doing it. Maureen's a cock but he can do it. His counter attacking tactics against Bayern in the 2010 final allowed his markedly inferior Inter to come away with the trophy. Then there's us versus Utd in the Cup Final a decade ago. Wenger didn't mind mixing it up on that occasion, even though we didn't need to. Was that "radical" enough to answer your question?

I don't think Wenger's a great master tactician, there have been times when we've been caught with our pants down because we've had injuries and just let the replacement players go out and try to play the same way (most embarrassingly the 8-2 at OT, of course *shudder). And maybe there was a touch of that on Wednesday, but I think a lot of it was just getting beaten soundly by a very good side - as I said earlier in the thread they've been hammering pretty much everyone at home, they average more than 4 goals a game there. I'm not sure it deserves much more analysis than that.

We've picked ourselves up after other poor midweek games to win at the weekend, hopefully we'll do the same this time.

[Niall_Quinn]

I don't think Wenger's a great master tactician, there have been times when we've been caught with our pants down because we've had injuries and just let the replacement players go out and try to play the same way (most embarrassingly the 8-2 at OT, of course *shudder). And maybe there was a touch of that on Wednesday, but I think a lot of it was just getting beaten soundly by a very good side - as I said earlier in the thread they've been hammering pretty much everyone at home, they average more than 4 goals a game there. I'm not sure it deserves much more analysis than that.

We've picked ourselves up after other poor midweek games to win at the weekend, hopefully we'll do the same this time.

Bayern is a very good team, no arguing against that. Which is why we should have taken extra measures in preparation for that game. There's a definite sign of Wenger picking and choosing the games he wants to give a fuck about this season. Everything seems pinned on the PL and the rest has been let go to hell. Will be interesting to see if he lets the FA Cup slide too, despite the fact I'm sure most fans want to see us give it a real go and win it three in a row.

Picking and choosing games makes it a roller-coaster ride in terms of morale, performances, momentum. It took a full half against Swansea to get up to speed after the beating in Sheffield. We were woeful in the first half of that match. If we don't come out of the gate fast against the spuds and step on them early then the result is up in the air. One thing's for sure, they would rather be facing a team recently whipped than one who put up a good fight against Bayern.

[Özim]

The amount of thrashings we've had in the last 10 years is embarrassing, the fact we now accept them is even more embarrassing, at no point is getting thrashed acceptable, we're suppose to be challenging the best.

If it happened once in a blue moon fine, but not the amount it has in the last decade is unacceptable, Wenger keeps setting records on how bad a result we can get.

As for the title, we won't be winning it and putting all our eggs in one basket is foolish, Man City are superior to us especially when Aguero comes back.