When you play teams like Bayern in the latter stages of the CL you need to have your big boys pants on and last night it felt like we were far too nervy and naive. We've looked a little nervy in most of our european games and I think its something we have to overcome. It's a steep learning curve because any loss of concentration or complacency is quickly punished.

Bayern may not be the team they were but they still have an abundance of pace and quality in their forward line. Playing a high line is always really risky against that level of speed and technical ability.

To me Kiwior always looks a bit like Bambi on ice when asked to defend 1v1 in the left back area. He's a tall lad and it seems to take him a while to sort his feet out and get going. He's been fine in the majority of games he's played but he's definitely not long term LB material.

The issue we have is that for all his technical ability Zinchenko can't defend at all and doesn't even have recovery pace to fall back on. I'd play Tomiyasu at LB in the return fixture, more for his defensive reliability and pace than anything else.

I thought Jesus and Trossard made a big impact when they came on. Martinelli has looked worryingly off the pace since his return from injury and Partey doesn't look right either.

Still all to play for but I think it may just be a step too far to get a win or draw in Germany.

Kiwior is ok but there aren't many fullbacks you can leave isolated against the likes of Sane. The way Jesus helped him in the City game was exemplary. Jesus was brilliant again last night. It's such a pity he isn't 100%.

I thought Zinny was ok when he came. He definitely helps us progress the ball and he was decent defensively. Partey is a long way off his best still, which is disappointing as Jorginho can't be over-relied on.

I suppose Havertz will have to drop back to that left 8. Trossard and Jesus having minutes up front is not bad at all.

Saka penalty debatable. They should have had one when Gabriel the ball up after Raya kicked it too him. A stonewall penalty which the referee said was a mistake. We got lucky there. Their defence doesn't seem that solid. We have chance in Munich.

I didn't think it was a penalty if I'm honest after seeing the VAR. He should be looking to score at that range. Too good of a player not to go for it.
As others have noted, subs were crucial. Can't blame Ben White for not scoring. He's a full back, former center back. He got it on target. Asking him to place it to an area of the goal is asking too much of his skill set.
It takes years to get comfortable in the CL. It's almost unheard of a team being out of it this long to go to the semi finals. That being said, I think it will likely come down to penalty kicks reverse fixture. BM will be far more attacking at home and we have the ability to counter. Martinelli and Havertz again maybe but Jesus has more experience in these games.

Overall, we gave too much respect to the Bayern Munich name and legacy rather than the team that has lost the Bundesliga and is getting beat handily by weak German sides.

Atmosphere was good but a bit nervy however I had no idea the away goals rule had been scrapped. I do wonder if many in the ground knew this too hence the nervy atmosphere. Basically it means rather than being utterly dead and buried it’s all to play for.

I'm with you Gunfire. Reading on here blue murder on the travesty of a stonewall penalty and then having now watched the game, bloody hell. Neuer move his leg about 3mm and Saka dangled his out to create the contact. If that had been given against us I'd have been fuming.

Munich so good with the counter. Sane and to a lesser degree Gnabry charging down the pitch the instant they got possession.
Kiwior is a CB playing at LB so can't fault him for finding it tough against Sane. Tomiyasu if fit has to start.

All to play for but will be bloody tough without the crowd and atmosphere.

Coincidence or maybe just tactics against the super high press, Madrid countered at pace against City as well. And what an absolutely cracking game of football that was with some fantastic goals.
on the other side of the quality equation, Grealish for 100m. What a lazy, pompous and complete waste of money.

He hasn't played in 6 months so might give him a week or so before starting to frame up the gallows.

Very open but quite entertaining stuff. Bog like pitch and some of the tackles flying in. Oooof. 2 of them at this time slot. 1st one given as a foul. 2nd one not even a foul. Don't build 'em like they used to.

https://youtu.be/iLXnstDSJzY?t=857

Hi Granty

I didn’t see the game but what was the issue with Grealish?

He’s always reminded me of Alex Hleb a bit. Looks slick on the ball but honestly not much actual output

After last nights game there were lots of headlines or narratives the press could have gone with, but this really shouldn’t be one of them.
Could have gone with a pro Arsenal fight back
Could have gone with a pro Bayern showing their true class
But no, it’s a headline that seems to misrepresent the game that finished 2-2 and bash Arsenal. Never ceases to amaze me

Honestly I’m not really happy with Raya for the first goal. He bottled it and should have run to try and claim it. Just not brave enough he’s got to try and claim that ball or it’s a goal even if it means getting hurt

Such a contrast to Neuer who is probably one of the best keepers I’ve seen.

Just stating a fact from the night. No worries of the gallows yet, my carpentry tools are still in the box.

Neuer was very very cool

Well, the only way to silence them is to get a result at Bayern.

Funny how a lot of people are saying Arsenal blew it based on Ben White’s missed chance to go 2-0 up. Could you not make exactly the same reasoning for Sane going clean through for 3-1 and failing to score because he dallied and let White catch him up.

To me it looked like Arsenal scored a couple of goals you’d generally say were more good attacking play rather than bad defensive errors. Whereas Bayerns two goals were very much from 2 Arsenal mistakes.

Pretty classic case of build them up so you can knock them down. Many in the press and many Arsenal fans felt we’d steamroller Bayern. So when we didn’t they lay in to us.

Luck does play a big part with GK. Raya made a mistake charging from goal because they scored from it, but the bigger mistake was the defence giving away an easy pass than anything Raya did.
Neuer mis judged a through ball in the last minute and dangled a foot, penalty not given but if it was - which it could have been - then he loses the match for them in the last minute.
Make mistake and get punished means it’ll be remembered and you’ll get criticised. Get away with it and it’s forgotten.
Ps: I’m not saying Raya is a better gk than Neuer

Just read the Man Utd game is re-scheduled for May 12th. Hopefully not, but it could be the title decider.

I didn't think it was a penalty with VAR, before they went to VAR in the moment I did. Anyway this is kinda convincing me otherwise now.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1439671173602142

One good thing about this squad, they are a bit petty in a good way. They want revenge for what they perceive as previous wrongs (Newcastle) or losses (West Ham).

The central defense marshalled Kane pretty well. Hopefully with this game under their belts they'll go to Germany wanting to make a better account of themselves.

By the way I'm not sure Saka had such an open goal as had been described if he had stayed on his feet after going round Neuer. He was going more sideways than towards goal and there was definitely 1 Bayern player who would have been directly in his shooting line. Obviously once you're past the gk it is a really good chance - but maybe not as sure a goal as people are making out

Think it was an obvious reschedule to the sunday 4:30 game. Its our penultimate game. If we go in to it needing a win for the title I'd bit your hand off right now! Liverpool go away to Villa the day later and City go away to Spurs the day after that.

Then all 3 teams have very winnable home games on the final day. We really need to be in pole position after the Man U game

Yeah. Their cover was getting back fast.

Raya wasn't great on their penalty. He came well off his line (so it probably would have been a retake if Kane hadn't scored) and he telegraphed which way he was going,so Kane just had to roll it in.

Same journalist talking about Liverpool’s Quansah after the 2-2 with Man U, in a game where Liverpool were very wasteful, gave away the game, got knocked off top spot and Quansah himself was solely responsible for one of the goals. Comparing him to Roy Keane v Juve in ‘99.
Liverpool and Spurs don’t half have the media up their backsides

True, but it was the same thing he did v Porto to get right in to the corners to make the two saves.
I think we can criticise where it’s deserved but criticising Raya for failing to save a penalty from one of the most clinical penalty takers in the world may be stretching it.
Kane won the battle as most takers usually do (80% of the time for all penalties since they started being counted)

Yeah I'd agree. Tomiyasu to start.

I’m desperate for us to win the champions league but it’s tough, it’s a cup competition and the best team doesn’t always win the cups. If you look at the FA Cup and how often the best team that season won the FA Cup it’s only when a team has done the double. So I’m more relaxed about the CL than I am the Prem.
Consider that from the point of Man City getting in to the CL with infinite money it took them 5 seasons to make a semi final, then it took them a further 5 years to make the final and a further 2 to win it.
Given it’s been 6 years since we have made the CL and this team has virtually zero experience in the competition it’s a relevant comparison to when City first started competing in the CL purely in terms of experience in the competition…..and we’re 90 minutes from the semi

The way we are playing now, i think we can get to a final. After that, who knows. I think the pundits saying Arsenal can win the CL this year seem like false flattery.

It typically takes several years of being in the competition to win it. It took United all of the 90s and was vastly overplayed by a more dominant BM side. It took Liverpool and Chelsea years of being in the competition regularly as well as City. It took us several years just to make a final.

Just like the old Arsenal when we were dominant in the late 90s, early '00s, we play in the league one way and against sides we are clearly better than in Europe another. Not sure what it is. Hoping Arteta can reverse that. We also don't have the squad that can do that and chase a title at the same time. City did.

The one thing we do have is a great team defense and that will get you cups.

Its not a general judgment of Raya who I think is an excellent keeper for this team and gets it right most of the time.

He just didn't have good game. But he certainly wasn't the only one.

The downside is the possibility of extra time and penalties, tucked in between Villa and Wolves away. Madness.

An even bigger problem is if we beat them.

Could mean playing Chelsea, spurs and Real Madrid in 8 days. Simply insane. Even with no injuries I just don’t think we have the firepower in reserve off the bench to be able to negate a fixture run like that.

Also Southgate did us no favours whatsoever in playing Declan Rice for the full 90 in both friendlies.

The useless librarian idiot.

No coincidence Deccers had his worst game in a while. Fatigue must be starting to be an issue for some of the lads

Pretty much sums him up TG. Lots of slow feints and leg twitches before passing backwards and then slowly wandering around the pitch. I think he was better when he was Villa.

And people give Martinelli a hard time for passing backwards.

That same defender would have easily got to the ball first as well because it had run away from Saka.

Valid points although I’d still start with Havertz and then let Trossard and Jesus run riot when the opposition is tired. Could be wrong and sure there are some stats out there but seems that neither of them are as effective when they start the match.

https://x.com/mike_mmcdonald/status/177 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Didn’t see this one in or after the game. Kiwior does look like he gets his legs scissored by the Bayern player lying on the floor just as he looks to poke home a loose ball….

I wonder how being subbed out at halftime will affect Kiwior? Sane's pace and experience was too much for him.

Villa playing tonight helps us for Sunday.

Leverkusen camped out in the West Ham 18 yard box. They have improved from last I watched them. Intricate passes in the box, defenders can't commit too much or risk a penalty.