So near yet so far!

Bayern Munich 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal bowed out of the Champions League last night with the same feelings of regret and pride that had followed their exit from the competition in the previous year. Against AC Milan last season, the Gunners had effectively thrown the tie away thanks to a horrendous first leg performance, only to restore their pride with a much improved display in the return leg, as they just missed out on completing an unlikely turnaround. One year on and Arsene Wenger’s side were once again faced with the daunting task of overcoming a great deficit against one of European football’s superpowers.

With Arsenal needing to secure victory by three clear goals to win the tie, no one gave the Gunners any chance of progressing to the quarter final stage of this year’s competition. Bayern captain Philip Lahm had also dismissed the potential for an upset during the pre-match press conference, yet the German right back must have been worried with three minutes remaining, as Laurent Koscielny’s header gave the visitors a two goal lead on the night.

Many had expected Arsene Wenger to field a weakened side last night, with one eye firmly on Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Swansea. The feeling was that the manager had simply given up and conceded defeat, highlighting the growing belief that he no longer has that burning desire to win trophies. However the manager only made two unforced changes to his starting line-up and given the recent performances of Szczesny and Vermaelen, not many Arsenal supporters could argue with Wenger’s decisions. By the final whistle, the performances of Fabianski and Koscielny, who came into the starting eleven, further justified Wenger’s judgements, with the manager’s apparent ruthlessness, something which has been missing of late, indicating possible changes in the near future.

Arsenal’s main problem coming into this game was how they would address their notoriously porous defence, which had been so brutally exposed in the league defeat away at Tottenham. The common consensus was that while it may have been conceivable for the Gunners to score three goals against Bayern, it was impossible for the away side to leave the Allianz Arena without conceding against a side which had simply swept Arsenal aside in the first leg. However Wenger’s team showed the resilience, awareness and defensive organisation which has been sorely missed for so many years.  They defended as a team, pressed the ball as one and when Bayern strode forward, they had the confidence to step back and regroup, leaving virtually no space in behind them and forcing their hosts into taking long distance pot shots.

At the heart of their impressive defensive organisation was Laurent Koscielny. The Frenchman was simply outstanding, constantly talking to those around him, making sure the back four where all in line and stepping up as one unit when needed. Koscielny has long been touted as the ideal defensive partner for Per Mertesacker as the Frenchman possesses the pace needed to cover for the German’s lack of speed, yet having handed the captain’s armband to Thomas Vermaelen at the start of the season; Wenger has continued to persevere with the Belgian despite his poor form throughout the campaign. Such was the calming influence of having Koscielny at the heart of the Gunners defence that Mertesacker also enjoyed one of his better games in an Arsenal shirt. In fact the back five’s excellent display yesterday, with the returning Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson equally impressive, may finally force the manager into sticking with Koscielny and Mertesacker as his first choice centre back partnership as well as electing to keep Fabianski in goal against Swansea.

For a side that had dominated proceedings at the Emirates stadium with such consummate ease at times, Bayern never really managed to exert much pressure on the Arsenal goal last night. While that may have been partly due to the feeling that the Germans were caught between going forward in search of a killer goal or sitting back to protect their lead, Arsenal must take a lot of credit for their collective defensive display against a side that has run away with the German league this season, as the Gunners constantly tracked Bayern’s runners and restricted the threat of their overlapping runs, which had been a feature of the first leg.

Unfortunately for Wenger’s side, while their defensive performance was vastly improved, the visitors were somewhat let down by their attacking display. Having scored a crucial early goal thanks to Walcott’s excellent low ball into the box and Giroud’s simple finish, Arsenal struggled to build any momentum in Bayern’s final third. The Gunners were far too sloppy when going forward, with misplaced passes cheaply gifting the home side possession, on a night when the crowd in the Allianz Arena were extremely nervous. Had Arsenal been able to hold onto the ball and string a few passes together, the home supporters would have become frustrated, adding to the tension inside the stadium. Thomas Rosicky, playing just behind Giroud was the main culprit in misplacing his passes time and time again, as the Gunners struggled to get Walcott into the game and it was somewhat surprising that Wenger didn’t switch the Czech international with Santi Cazorla, who was deployed on the left wing and was far more influential when in possession.

Arsenal effectively scored two goals with their only two shots on target. Koscielny’s headed effort ultimately arrived too late for the Gunners and Bayern were able to run down the clock. Had the visitors scored when Gervinho’s neat turn in the box created just enough space for the Ivorian to shoot inches wide of goal, with eleven minutes left, maybe Wenger’s men would have gone on to secure one of the greatest comebacks in the history of European football. Unfortunately, just as last year, it was a case of so near but yet so far.

Arsenal must now focus their full attention on the league and the race for fourth place. Their performance yesterday indicated that they do have what it takes to mix it with the best teams in Europe and they must now build on this display to secure their place in next season’s Champions League campaign.