Bayern 1-1 Arsenal: Good enough?

A forgettable first half turned into a spirited second, as Arsenal drew with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Plenty to learn from this game.


Steve Bould's back four can save our season... 
In the first half, our defence was simply superb. While our passing was off (Wenger's fault, it was obvious Guardiola would press Arsenal, and Wenger had no tactics to counter that), the defence was absolutely brilliant. I have no doubt in my head that had Wenger coached the defence instead of Bould, we would have conceded at least three.

I've said it a lot of times that Bould's work and Ozil's signing are two primary reasons of seeing a new-look Arsenal. Ramsey's form, the Mertescielny axis and the cohesive team spirit were byproducts of the impacts created by Bould and Ozil. In the end, it was Wenger's appalling tactics that led to us conceding, when he inexplicably decided to partner Arteta with Santi Cazorla.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is a stud...
In the absences of pace-setter Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become an absolutely vital cog in our attack. In my opinion he offers much more than Walcott - with all respect to Theo, I doubt he would have taken on Dante like Chamberlain did.

If we want a better attack, we need players with qualities of Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has what Arsenal needs - power and pace. Chamberlain is willing to drive at opponents and make marauding runs off the ball - a trait which a lot of Gunners sadly lack.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's contribution to the team is being highlighted because he is the ONLY ONE who has a mixture of speed and strength at Arsenal. The solution to this problem is clear - we need to buy more of him.

Ozil injured is a good thing...

"Ozil, for instance, isn't 'regenerated', as Wenger says. I want him to do well, but aside 1 goal and 1 assist I didn't see much of him in the match (that wasn't sarcastic). I'm sorry to put a dent on this glorious day, but this match wasn't a sign that Mesut Ozil is back to his best."

Sadly, Ozil confirmed by worries yesterday. Yes, Wenger got his tactics wrong by deciding to play him out wide, but I still didn't see Ozil anywhere in the first half. In many occasions he gave the ball away and on one particular situation, forced an acrobatic clearance from his own teammate.

The thing with Ozil is that everyone assumed that he would be fantastic for Arsenal, and people haven't got off that mindset yet. In reality, he was okayish against Everton as well, but his impressive statistics (1 goal, 1 assist) meant that people wrongly heralded him as a game-changer. Mesut Ozil is proof that statistics alone does not say the whole story.

The same applies to Rosicky, although in contrary context. At the moment, even though Rosicky has around 25 goals lesser than Ozil (and a million assists lesser as well), I am not ashamed to assert that he is comfortably ten times of him. Rosicky is much more mentally tougher, trophy-hungry and Arsenal-material than Ozil, even though Ozil is a better player than Rosicky on his day.

For a long time, there has been a monopoly of the central attacking midfield role. Irrespective of form, Ozil always hogs the starting role because Wenger lets him. Now that Ozil is injured and Wenger can't pick him till May, worthier players like Podolski and Rosicky will finally get game time.

Schweinsteiger's goal was a much needed catalyst...
Until Schweinsteiger's goal it was pretty much the same - Bayern dominating and Arsenal defending competently. However, after Bayern made it 3-0 on aggregate, we finally started to play like a team befitting of the Champions League.

I made it clear that Arsenal should look to use this game as a springboard to future form. It's good that Podolski scored almost immediately, because after we made it 1-1 we did exactly that.

I'd let Podolski go only if we get Draxler...
Seriously, I don't get why Wenger doesn't play Lukas more often. Podolski is one of two pure wingers that we have in this team who is available as well as reliable (Chamberlain being the other). His goal was breathtaking, even though it had mitigating circumstances around it. Podolski is easily our best finisher in the side, and after witnessing Giroud's poor performance again, I strongly suggest we try to integrate Podolski as a striker.

There is a real possibility that this is Podolski's last season at Arsenal. Wenger is making a blunder by not playing him regularly; yesterday proved that. While I know that people say Podolski is a player who tends to go invisible in certain matches, I personally feel that he is simply biding his time for the perfect chance.

When the team is in full sync, Podolski is a person who can merge seamlessly. Yes, Podolski isn't the kind of guy who would instigate moves, but don't we have Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Tomas Rosicky for that?

We desperately need a better striker than Giroud...
Giroud, on Saturday, proved that he is our undisputed best striker. However, today he showed that he isn't good enough, even as our best striker.

In my opinion, Giroud still has a future at Arsenal. However, at a club of Arsenal's stature, Giroud can only play second fiddle to much more clinical finishers. This season has taken its toll over him; Giroud now looks plain unfocused and slow in thought-process, not to mention cheap and unpredictable with the ball.

See the goal Diego Costa scored against AC Milan? Would Giroud do that?

I like Giroud. However, you can't really expect a target man to pump goals regularly after being grossly overplayed for almost 2 seasons. If we are to see the best of Arsenal's attack and Olivier Giroud himself, another striker is a must.

Robben is pathetic, and UEFA are equally spineless...

In the first leg, I felt that the criticism on Robben was a bit harsh. It was apparent that there was a touch from Szczesny, so Robben duly went down. I agree that he made the most out of the contact, but that's become part and parcel of being a professional footballer (witness Chamberlain winning a penalty against Everton). The situation in the first leg was such that a red card would have been too harsh on Arsenal, yet letting Szczesny go unpunished would have been too harsh on Bayern.

However, there is simply no excuse for his disgraceful behaviour yesterday. If I recollect properly, I think he blatantly dived thrice in the game. If I were the referee I'd have booked him straight after he went down upon minimal contact from Cazorla, yet the dickless weasel just let play go on.

It's shameful that the referee fell to his demands when he went down after Koscielny's 'challenge'. It was plainly another attempt at simulation, which the ref inexplicably lapped up. After the game, Wenger spoke of him:

"Robben is very good at getting the maximum of nothing and he is a great player and as well a very good diver. He gets in front of a player and then he slows down and goes down. He gets the free-kicks."

I'm with Wenger on this. However, what particularly stung was the utter predictability of it. Wenger hinted that the ref might not be up to it, and he wasn't. Robben dived thrice and was not only punished, but rewarded at his third attempt. Wenger lashed out at the player and will possibly get fined, and Robben will slip under the radar and be allowed to keep simulating.

Sometimes I feel that the FA and UEFA miss the real point of their existence. Their goal is to keep football a pure, proper sport, but instead they shift focuses from unfair refereeing decisions and broken legs to media quotes and anti-Semitic gestures. A fair football organization would hand strict punishments to incidents including Ryan Shawcross, Alan Pardew and even Joey Barton.

The FA and the UEFA are ruining football by focusing on the wrong issues. 

I'd do anything to keep Fabianski and Vermaelen...
They're the best backups we've had in a while. While it is understandable that Fabianski's save meant that Vermaelen went under the radar, I'd like to doff my hat to the Belgian. Throughout a season of humiliation, speculation and pressure to perform when needed, Vermaelen has been completely professional and respected the integrity of the club, despite not getting the required appreciation.

The same is to be said of Fabianski. Yes, I understand his decision to leave Arsenal, but I still feel that we should do everything in our power to keep him. We will need a goalkeeper like Fabianski in the future for rotation, FA Cup games and Capital One Cup matches.

I'm certain that he'll depart, though. No player would make such a damning and clear statement and still do the opposite (apart from Nicklas Bendtner). All I can say is that the club who will nab him will be a very lucky one indeed.

Bayern Munich are far from perfect...
I still think that Bayern are currently the best football side in the world. However, that doesn't mean their flawless. There were times in the match where a better Arsenal would have scored goals and put them under the cosh, but it was down to our own reasons that we failed. I have no doubt that the Invincibles would have shred this Bayern Munich side to pieces.

I still fancy Bayern to win the Champions League. However, I say that because I don't find any other team that can match their prowess. Real Madrid, maybe, but I'm not so sure.

We could have, should have won....
I know I'm sounding like a bit of a spoilt brat, but I feel that had a couple of things gone our way, we would have won. We had two really good chances to win, where Giroud either missed the target or failed to cut it back quickly to Podolski. Bayern were distracted towards the end, and I feel regret because we failed to capitalize on that.

Having said that, a draw at the Allianz Arena without Szczesny, Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey and Walcott is impressive. However, I don't think that this result would have long-lasting implications on our side; it just wasn't surprising enough. I guess time will tell whether a draw in Munich would revolutionize our form, but I personally wouldn't count on it. Unless... 

A win at White Hart Lane would make this a positive result...
If we win against Tottenham, then this draw against Bayern would be instantly over hyped. The weekend would read as a crucial Everton win, a creditable Munich draw and victory at a North London conquest, which would enable many to think that we've put the setbacks of Stoke and Liverpool behind us.

However, if we lose or draw, the situation would flip towards the other way. The FA Cup win would be described routine, while the draw against Bayern as lucky (because of the missed penalty). For the sake of our confidence, we must defeat Tottenham at all costs on Sunday.

I think we'll batter them.

  -Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Bayern vs Arsenal: Match Preview

"What's the virtue in putting so much sweat in a match that won't really help our trophy chances? Yes, we can win the match and the tie, but the chances of doing so are really low. In addition, ambitions like the Premier League and the FA Cup are much more realistic - why risk injuries and stamina in a potential dead rubber?
 
I say we cut our losses, play a fresh, substitute lineup and view this game as a bonus friendly than an obstacle to Champions League glory."

Remember I said this after our 0-2 loss against the best team in the world? Yeah, scrap that. I was blabbering garble.

A lot has changed since that loss. Our title hopes have derailed way off path, while something of a polar opposite has happened in the FA Cup. We enter one of the most glamorous matches of the season in confidence, and while that alone may not be enough to provide us with any hope in the second leg, it gives us a massive opportunity to restore pride on Europe's biggest stage.

I want us to win. There, I said it.

I'm not saying that I want us to qualify for the quarterfinals, for I understand that that isn't really fair to ask of a thin squad, not to mention the added fixtures will take its toll on us. However, I really want Arsenal to defeat Bayern Munich (or at least, achieve a positive result) because I know how morale-boosting a victory at the Allianz Arena can be.

Imagine this scenario. We beat Bayern Munich by a one-goal margin, bowing out of the Champions League in the best possible way. Five days later, we thump Tottenham Hotspur and nearly seal our top four berth, enabling us to push on further. Take a second and wonder at the heights of optimism, belief and positivity that would engulf the team going into a crucial Chelsea clash.

We can use the Bayern game as a catalyst - a positive result there can have Ozilish implications on our team and springboard our form for the better as we enter the crucial run-in period. We don't need to look beyond last season, where after a 0-2 win (against the same side!), we overtook Tottenham by winning 7 of our last 9 games.

However, this season has much higher stakes. We aren't fighting for the top four; we're fighting for the top two. In addition, we're in with a real chance of winning the FA Cup since 2005. If that was not enough, we can afford to play key men for this encounter, contrary to popular opinion.

Olivier Giroud is rested. Lukas Podolski is rested. Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny are rested. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ozil are in form; benching them would be a shame. Especially Ozil, who would hopefully want to make amends for his penalty miss in front of his German fans. We can safely field a lineup of Fabianski - Sagna - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Vermaelen - (Gibbs and Monreal won't make it) - Flamini - Rosicky - Ozil - Chamberlain - Podolski - Giroud, and yet get a decent result, irrespective of qualification or not.

Players would be tired entering the North London derby? I don't think so. Even though we'll be travelling to England from Germany, we'll have five days of rest going into this game. If we use the lineup that I suggested above, we'll still have Szczesny, Ramsey, Kallstrom, Rosicky, Arteta and Cazorla rested and fit for this match.

Ideally, I wouldn't want us to qualify for the quarterfinals because our squad is too thin and not good enough to win the Champions League. However, the 0-2 loss has put us in a position where a one-niller would not give us qualification, yet skyrocket our confidence (and probably our form).

I'm confident that we'll thump the Spuds. However, if we beat Bayern Munich before that, we can set a fantastic tone going into the final stages of the campaign (which feature important FA Cup games and Chelsea, Man City and Everton encounters). It's almost ironic that a dead rubber has the potential to be the most important match of the season.

We're in the Champions League, roughly equivalent to the club's World Cup. I'd prefer if we actually played like Champions and do justice to the occasion.

Come on You Gunners. Time to restore some more pride.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

Arsenal 0-2 Bayern: If you want to blame one, blame Ozil

Mixed feelings would be the best way to describe this game. After an astonishingly superb start to the game, Ozil (possibly our best player till then) proceeded to oh-so predictably miss a penalty and infect his disinterest onto the entire crowd support. Later, a fairly awarded penalty was made to seem a bit harsh when Szczesny was shown a straight red card. Although Alaba's miss provided brief hope to the hosts, Szczesny's sending off proved decisive and individual errors cost Arsenal a potential Champions League quarter finals entry.

Throughout 90 minutes this game had everything. Dread, fear, hope, frustration and glory. I'm just disappointed that it ended in a defeat, more so because we had the chance to show Europe's finest where Arsenal stood. I'll be analyzing this match through the key points, and boy were they a lot!

The team selection...
...I have to admit, was spot on. Wenger played everyone I asked for, but started Yaya Sanogo up front instead of Giroud. I can only assume that in the aftermath of revealing his extra-marital affair, either Olivier Giroud personally told Wenger he didn't want to start or Wenger himself deemed it unfit to play Ollie. Either ways, starting a Ligue 2 injury prone striker at his CL debut against Bayern Munich seemed to border on insanity.

I was incensed. I could understand if the manager was forced to drop Giroud, but why not play Lukas Podolski or (I can't believe I'm saying this) Nicklas Bendtner instead? Especially Podolski, who has 120 caps for a country regarded as favourites to win the World Cup, not to mention being the best finisher in the side. What, Sanogo gets the nod because he's French? What was Wenger up to there?

We know how it unraveled, though. Sanogo had a much better game than he had against Liverpool, and that's saying something. I always felt that Sanogo was too similar to Giroud or Bendtner, and that the latter two were better than him in those repetitive skills. However, Sanogo gave us a new dimension in mobility, a willingness to drift to the flanks and workrate that would put Giroud to shame.

I was impressed by his performance, he seems like another good find by Wenger. I still don't buy the suggestions that Sanogo should be a regular starter over Giroud. However I have to admit, if he can keep this up, maybe Wenger did have a legitimate reason to not buy a striker in January.

Our start...
Was unexpected, superb and made me proud. For the first 10 minutes, no one would deny that we were the better side in the game. Sanogo, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere looked inspired, and closed the best team in the world to set up presentable chances for ourselves. Szczesny even pulled a magnificent save to deny Kroos the opener to keep us hunting.

I never expected this from Arsenal. An incomplete squad bereft of Ramsey, Theo and Giroud somehow managed to produce a fine initial display against a team like Bayern. I know that as an Arsenal supporter I believed, but it was more out of compulsion than optimism. I actually reckon that had Ozil not missed the penalty, we would have won this game. Speaking of which...

Ozil penalty miss...
Was sickening, predictable and downright infuriating. Prior to the penalty, Ozil looked like a man determined to make amends for his lack of commitment in previous matches. He had redeemed some of his pride against United and Liverpool, and looked set to do that on such a high mantle as well. The way he won the penalty was a testament to his class as well.

But then he decided to get too cheeky.

From the moment the commentator announced who was taking the penalty, I closed my eyes in expectant anguish. I'll just say it - Mesut Ozil is a pathetic penalty taker. Against Montpellier it was evident, only now did it become showcased to the whole world. I don't care if walking up to the ball is his 'style', all I know is that it's a shitty way to take a penalty and that he shouldn't be allowed to take one for Arsenal ever again. Ever.

Losing the battle of wits was bad enough, but hiding from the match after that is much, much worse. From then on, he completely switched off and was subsequently told by Wilshere and Flamini, both of whom have much more passion for the club than Ozil. I don't care what statistics say, we've been in the footballing business far too long to know that they don't tell the whole story.

What I saw on the pitch was not a world-class player who is the face of Arsenal. What I saw was a player who doesn't care if his team wins or loses. I saw a player who would prefer making the Germany squad for Rio than watch Arsenal lift the Premier League or the FA Cup. I saw a player who plays with a mentality that he's doing Arsenal a favour, who believes himself to be superior than everyone else on the pitch.

Ozil cannot get away with anything. After giving up against Bayern Munich his form has come under intense scrutiny by everyone, which would only mean a good thing in hindsight. One hopes that Ozil will perform under pressure, starting against Sunderland. His psychological boost off the pitch has evaporated, which is amazingly rendering him a bit obsolete on it.

Being out of form and not wanting to chase a half-ball are not connected: this is why I like players such as Giroud more than Ozil. Giroud will give his all even if things aren't working out for him. Ozil won't.

Szczesny, the red card and Alaba's miss...

I'm not sure that Szczesny deserved to be sent off, but I have no doubts that it was a penalty. Kieran Gibbs was brought off after an injury and his replacement Nacho Monreal allowed Robben the freedom of movement. Robben made a diagonal run into the box after a delicious ball by Toni Kroos, and Szczesny had little choice but to go for it.

He brought Robben down, a penalty was given and Szczesny was duly sent off, a bit reminiscent of the 2006 final. Thankfully, Alaba missed the penalty, but most of the crowd were still subconsciously aware that defending a clean sheet, outnumbered against the best team in the world was a task too many.

Was it a penalty? A firm yes; Szczesny had clearly clipped Robben's feet. The point is moot on how much Robben decided to cry on it, the fact was that anything other than a penalty would have been really harsh on Bayern. But was it a red card? I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm in one of those states of mind that a red card seemed really harsh for Arsenal, but a yellow would have seemed harsh for Bayern.

It turned out that Bayern got the benefit of the doubt there, and even though Alaba gave us another chance, everyone sensed that it was kind of game over there. Credit to all players (except Ozil) for working really hard to keep it at that scoreline, but it was almost when rather than if regarding Bayern opening up our defence.

The two goals...
...were a result of individual errors. Ozil's laziness on the left flank made it almost inevitable that he would be a culprit in us conceding. Bayern were targeting our left flank, and Ozil and Monreal were letting them do that. From passing to the left to bringing it to the centre to passing it on the left again, Kroos got some space and finished it beautifully. I know that many might be inclined to blame Monreal or Ozil particularly, but I never felt the need to barrack them in person for this goal.

However, there can be no doubt that Koscielny was to blame for the second. No doubt as a result of frustration, Koscielny ran to the half-line and lost the ball. Bayern saw the hole in the team, and being the ruthless team that they are, punished us through a Muller header. Flamini was partly at fault too, but I couldn't see the sense in Koscielny sprinting forward when overturning a 1-0 deficit was possible at the Allianz Arena.

Someone has to screw up in big matches, when they play for Arsenal. It's almost like compulsion.

On what it means to the tie...
I still think that if we put in the necessary effort, we can overturn a 2-0 deficit. With the return of Aaron Ramsey, the team will be strengthened and motivated to reproduce what they did the last time they visited this stadium. I have not forgotten that we had a fantastic start to this game, but were let down by an Ozil miss and the crowd falling flat after that. Yes, we can go to the quarter finals.

But the question arises - is it really necessary? What's the virtue in putting so much sweat in a match that won't really help our trophy chances? Yes, we can win the match and the tie, but the chances of doing so are really low, even though I have sounded uncharacteristically optimistic earlier about our chances. In addition, ambitions like the Premier League and the FA Cup are much more realistic - why risk injuries and stamina in a potential dead rubber?

I say we cut our losses, play a fresh, substitute lineup and view this game as a bonus friendly than an obstacle to Champions League glory. Playing youth footballers on a big occasion with no pressure will free them of expectations yet instill them with motivation. Yaya Sanogo surprised them, who knows, maybe Nicklas Bendtner will as well? (I kid, of course).

--

Oh yeah, and Wenger's decision to keep Ozil on for 90 minutes was cowardly. He needs to grow a pair and bench Mesut for players like Podolski or Rosicky.

Calm down, Gooners. No one expected us to win this anyway, yet we almost could have.

P.S. Preview for the Sunderland game will not be available. Apologies.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

How to beat Bayern

This isn't a preview, per se, it's more of a suggestion. If you are here to catch an excerpt of Arsene Wenger's pre-match conference or for an update on our injury list, I apologize, but I won't be providing that today. Nor will I give my predicted starting XI or a prediction of a final scoreline.

After our victory against Liverpool, I wrote:

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I saw blueprints in this team that could cause problems for Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The unique combinations that the manager attempted worked out beautifully, and could really help us in midweek. I'm not suggesting that Arsenal have a great chance to defeat Bayern, but we seem to have the potential to give them a real push over two legs."

I still stand by that. Incredibly, I have a strange feeling that IF we play our cards right, we can achieve something memorable over two legs. Bayern Munich, according to me, are the best football team in the world right now. Defeating them at home would not only skyrocket our confidence, but it would also give us a reasonable chance to enter the last 8 of Europe's elite.

Without any delay, THIS is what I think we should do in order to topple the German superiority, at least for one game:


Mesut Ozil should start, only if Oxlade-Chamberlain does...
In Chamberlain we have a rare player who is capable of making off-the-ball runs. This is something that Ozil has been crying out for, and is finally getting what he needs. I have already said before that we need more movement in the final third so that Ozil, Cazorla and Wilshere can create chances for them on a silver platter. The Ox provides that.

While I have been criticizing Ozil's performances since November, it is only now that the footballing world has gotten wise to it. Pressure of expectation from the fans has worked wonders on Ozil - we're finally getting our money's worth. It would be a shame if we waste Ozil's current good form by surrounding him with slow players.

An Ozil in form is key to success, and pacy players are key to Ozil's form. For me, it's a no-brainer.

Olivier Giroud must start as well...
On other days, I'd have happily suggested Lukas Podolski. I agree with Wenger; Podolski is the best finisher at our club. In addition, he's motivated, fresh, understands Ozil (what with being German and all that) and pops in goals almost regularly. So why bench him?

Honestly, he's a lousy striker, at least in Arsenal's current system. He looked totally out of place against Cardiff as a lone striker, even though he's a player closest resembling Robin van Persie at Arsenal. I'd completely understand his frustration at being benched despite bringing so much to the team. However with all due respect, Cazorla and Chamberlain bring a bit more.

I've considered suggestions that playing Ox as a striker, Ozil right behind him and Cazorla, Podolski on the wings could be a tactical masterstroke. After all, Chamberlain is a fast, physical player who could also provide Ozil with a plethora of options. Not to mention Podolski getting a start (on the left flank, where he's most effective) would leave him eager to impress when it really, really matters.

However, experimentation (especially at such a big match) is always susceptible to risk. On one of the biggest matches of the season, there is always a chance that Chamberlain could perform badly and Ozil might find himself lost. It's a chance we cannot gamble on, which is why Olivier Giroud should start.

The Back Five and Flamini to get the nod...

With Arteta suspended and Ramsey still injured (please don't say Kim Kallstrom), Mathieu Flamini's start alongside Jack Wilshere seems something of a given. Nothing to particularly worry about though, Flamini could be vital to our success today.

He's our only natural defensive midfielder (PLEASE don't say Kim Kallstrom), and a damn good one at that. He's steeled up the midfield and brought genuine aggression to the side, something only Jack Wilshere previously provided. If he's in the mood today, we might injure the Bavarians instead of just frustrate them.

Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri are ruled out for this game. The wings have opened up; we should use Kieran Gibbs and Bacary Sagna to exploit them. Add to that a reliable partnership of Mertesacker and Koscielny along with Wojciech Szczesny in goal, and you get a fantastic chance for a clean sheet.

Motivate the team, someone!
It's obvious that Arsene Wenger is incapable of setting a positive team mentality when the crunch times arrive. To mention recent games, encounters against Manchester United, Liverpool (5-1), Napoli away and Aston Villa stand out.

He needs to make an exception sometime, right? Bayern Munich are staunch opponents; going into this game with a relaxed mindset it therefore suicide. It's not like he has to look up a motivational book or something as well, he has one of the easiest pep talks to deliver: "The whole world is waiting for us to fail, prove them wrong!"

I don't think that he will, though. Anyway, let's hope that players like Flamini and Mertesacker lead from example. Let's hope.

If you can't win, don't lose...
I understand that all of these factors combined still might not be enough for us to win this match. After all, it is Bayern Munich that we're facing, only the best team in the world.

However, we should keep in mind that we're facing a two-legged encounter. Even if we don't win the first leg, we must lay a good foundation to give us hope for the second. Suffice to say, a clean sheet at the Emirates is vital to progression. I would genuinely be delighted and filled with hope with a 0-0 draw, mostly because we would have a huge chance for progression if we nab an away goal in the second encounter.

The lineup I want?
Starting XI: Szczesny - Sagna - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Gibbs - Flamini - Wilshere - Ozil - Ox - Cazorla - Giroud.

Bench: Fabianski, Monreal, Rosicky, Podolski, Gnabry, Bendtner, Sanogo.

I considered dropping Wilshere, putting Chamberlain alongside Flamini and playing Podolski on the wings. However, I know that a player like Wilshere would play with much more flair today than Podolski would. Besides, I was never really convinced with the idea of Chamberlain being particularly effective in central midfield. To me, he's best effective on the wings.

--

I still expect us to bow out, though. I don't want to fault or criticize our own players, but we all know that Bayern Munich are better than us. We've never really convinced against top teams - heck, we look nervous against teams like Everton and Manchester United. I'm not saying that Arsenal aren't a good team, I'm just saying that Bayern are better, and expectations shouldn't be raised higher than reality.

However, Arsenal are living proof that underdogs can defeat the big teams when they put their efforts in the right direction. As opposed to hopes of the Premier League title, I'm not expecting failure today. I firmly believe that we have the potential to cause a massive upset, if we play cautiously as well as ruthlessly.

On paper, Bayern Munich are clear winners. Out there, who knows?

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )