Monaco 0-2 Arsenal: Lather, rinse, repeat

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

It's hard to feel any regret today. Yeah, you read that right.

On earlier occasions I would have been downright furious at the referee for not awarding Alexis Sanchez a penalty. Or towards Giroud, for his intervention towards the end meant the Chilean could not head the ball in the net. Or, predictability, towards Arsene Wenger and his suicidal tactics which led to the 3-1 deficit in the first place.

Not today. Familiarity may breed contempt for some, but it tends to make me bored. I didn't feel enough anticipation or excitement last night because, well, we've already seen this before haven't we? At Munich, against Milan and against Barcelona. We know the spoilers. We know how it ends.

Last night was a commendable performance, but it still doesn't do anything for the progress of the team. It's not turning a corner and it's not a significant morale-booster. Much as we'd hate to admit it, this season was yet another wasted one.

Yes, we can win the FA Cup and we can finish higher than fourth and I'd love it if we do. But is that what we should come to expect of Arsenal FC? When last season ended I immediately expressed my expectation of wanting to see Arsenal challenge for major honours next season. I refuse to believe I was alone in that line of thinking.

Look at the fourth prediction (heh) I had given last season about this season.

"4. Arsenal will not win the EPL, nor will they come close to winning the Champions League. We might win the FA Cup or the Capital One, but we won't win trophies a club of Arsenal's stature should win."

It's about time we stop easily forgiving failure. It's about time we call a spade for a spade and realize that while Arsene Wenger has done excellently in building a base for the club, he is not the one to reap its rewards. We cannot afford to be mucking about when it comes to the success of Arsenal FC.

I trust that many would agree when I say that Arsene Wenger is not bigger than Arsenal, but I'm unsure they understand the significance of that statement. It means that we should keep sentiment to the side and look at options who offer progress. While Arsene has assembled a very good team, he looks incapable of making them realize their potency. And make no mistake, if we give Wenger yet another opportunity to make things right "the next time around" and he fails, the players won't be as forgiving.

Cesc Fabregas' transfer to Chelsea proved that footballers do not think about loyalty, gratitude or repayment anymore. All they want, understandably, is money and success. The brilliance of Ivan Gazidis has brought the big bucks to North London, but Arsenal are yet to witness any major trophies since 2004. Gems like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez will not wait around for Wenger to resign to witness a rejuvenated Arsenal. They don't have the same levels of loyalty and patience towards the club as we do did.

The exodus in 2011 and 2012 wasn't entirely down to lack of funds. It was because players had lost faith in Wenger ambition and were hungry for footballistic success, not monetary ones. The warning signs were there back in the mid-2000s, when Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira left because they felt the team was losing ambition.

We took a huge fall in 2011. We lost Cesc, Nasri, van Persie, Clichy and Alex Song because they no longer believed in Arsene Wenger. Upon reminiscing, you may be reminded that it was a long and painful journey back to restoring their enormous voids and having a relatively stable platform again. It took a lot of time, money and patience to get back to the threshold of the elite again. However, Arsenal may be setting ourselves up for failure once again if we aren't proactive enough.

And by we, I mean Ivan Gazidis. Blaming Arsene Wenger and trying to expose his flaws is almost becoming a moot point. I know he's incompetent, I know he's not the final key to Arsenal's success, and I trust that there are others who know the truth as well. I know that under Arsene Wenger, Champions League scraps and elite purgatory is something of a given.

However, the onus is on Gazidis to ensure that we don't fall into the same manhole twice. Yesterday was a reminder of how far Arsenal are away from Champions League and Premier League success, but it was also a reminder of how we can get there. In terms of players, we almost have the real deal. All Gazidis needs is a manager who can make them flourish, and he needs him fast.

I'd love to say that the reason I haven't been blogging for the past two months was because of work commitments, which is partly true. However, although I have had my pockets of opportunities to vent my thoughts on Arsenal, I've chosen not to take them. I love Arsenal and I love the supporters and the players, but seeing Wenger waste yet another season (and, crucially, not seeing the board do anything about it) has bored me. I haven't written because Arsenal, to an extent, have begun to bore me.

I want the CEO of one of the world's biggest organizations to grow a pair. I want a manger past his sell date to depart. I want unpredictability. I want competitiveness. Is that too much to ask from a football club as big as Arsenal? 

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Arsenal 3-3 Anderlecht: 2016. Just repeat 2016.

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

Honestly, it was hard to feel overly upset at this result. Not because it has little consequence on our chances to qualify for the Round of 16, or that we had a couple of excuses to fall back on - pertaining to an injured Arteta and an offside goal. For me, though, the collapse was too repetitive and predictable to feel any sort of aggrieve or frustration.

There's always a barrier to how much one can tolerate. After a point, upon seeing old habits hit the reset button with little signs of progress, collapses and breakdowns become almost inevitable. Even for me, a person as emotionally and financially invested into Arsenal as many, the exercise of sadomasochism comes to a halt.

It's pointless repeating the same issues over and over again. Lack of leadership, lack of rotation, tactical naivety, witless substitutions at the wrong time, quotes contradicting facts, yadda yadda, we've all heard it before. I know it'll be exasperating for my regular readers to hear the same issues trotted out like a broken recorder again and again. To be frank, it's tiring for me as well.

We all know that the malaise of complacency must be really deep if the team falls like a pack of cards at the slightest hint of trouble. We all know that experienced players at Arsenal mean little if they do nothing to prevent a mental and tactical disintegration. We all know that the manager played a decisive hand in another fiasco - by not keeping his team focused at half-time or by throwing caution to the winds by allowing Chambers and Gibbs bomb forward.

89': Five players at the other end of the pitch when they should have been
guarding a 3-2 lead. If that's not tactical immaturity I don't know what is.

However, we all know that little will change unless the manager leaves. We know that every time tension builds around the Emirates, the manager knee-jerks his way out of trouble. That's how Ozil came to Arsenal and that's how we panic-purchased 5 players in 2011. That's also part of the reason why we switched to 4-2-3-1 for a couple of games.

Unless large-scale action is taken or a majority of the fanbase is convinced that Wenger is the root of all malaise (which, at this moment, is not the case), the manager stays. I foresee that the supporters will realize Wenger's ineptitude by 2016, which is why there's no virtue trying to convince anyone of Wenger's true nature right now. If there's one thing I know about the AKBs (apologies for the labeling), it's that the more you try to explain the situation to them, the more they dig their heels further into the ground and resist change.

Change has to happen of its own accord. If Paul Merson had called Arsenal "tactically clueless", a year ago, he would have gotten a lot of stick. Yesterday though, not one AKB (again, my apologies) came to Wenger's defence. That's change. It will take a lot of time for even Arsene's staunchest supporter to question the direction we're heading under him, but it will happen. I'm afraid the WOBs instigating quarrels and abusing Wenger's backers will serve to change the subject and delay the process.

For now, I'm ready to play the waiting game. If there was anything I could do to speed up the process I'd be game, but there unfortunately isn't. As far as possible, I try to rationally argue with any Arsenal supporter and try to show them the light, but I'm of the opinion that they need to see it themselves. Without us trying, yesterday convinced more supporters. It was another nail in Wenger's coffin.

However, I can only hope the likes of Sanchez, Welbeck, Ramsey, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gibbs, Walcott, Wilshere, Szczesny and Joel Campbell are patient enough to not leave before Wenger does. At least then the next manager can pick up the pieces.

Till Swansea.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Anderlecht Preview + Schar the solution?

Preview | Pre-match conference | Team news

Champions League action tonight with Anderlecht coming to the Emirates in what should be the most straightforward match in our group fixtures. This isn't a game wherein we have to struggle or dig deep to get 3 points out of. Of course, you can legislate for our team's recent performances as a sign that we're as untrustworthy as they come, but it will still be a huge ask to drop points tonight.

You can be certain that despite their relegation form, Dortmund are getting maximum points out of Galatasaray, and we need to keep pace with them if we want to make amends for our 2-0 defeat at the Westfalenstadion. Our fate in the CL is ultimately in our own hands. If we defeat Anderlecht tonight and Dortmund 2 weeks later we'd be in pole position to finish top of the group regardless of their results, which is obviously preferable to depending on other teams to slip up and make your day.

It goes without saying how important it is to top the group, for we do not want to face any more Bayerns or Barcas to halt our Champions League campaigns. True, despite finishing first in 2012 we had the ill-fate of AC Milan on our way, but that was a problem not of our doing and, lest we forget, a beatable opponent. The fact that we lost 4-3 was down to us, not the draw.

Arsenal in particular badly need a good run in the Champions League. Our hopes always seem to end in March because we tend to mess up in the first leg and leave it too little too late in the second. Our record in entering the knockout stages may be perfect, but we don't really do anything once we're in the room of the crème de la crème.

Bearing in mind that this would be our easiest group fixture, we should be looking into resting our main men. I hope we look to rest at least one of Sanchez, Welbeck or Cazorla, because we won't be as utterly reliant on them in a match like this. Ideally, I would go with a starting XI of Szczesny - Chambers - Mertesacker - Monreal - Gibbs - Arteta - Ramsey - Rosicky - Chamberlain - Podolski - Alexis; but I know the manager too well to know that he'd persist with Welbeck and (probably) Cazorla. The man has no idea of the concept of rotation.

I wouldn't even have many issues with resting Mertesacker for Bellerin and changing the back four to Bellerin - Chambers - Monreal - Gibbs; assuming Bould and Wenger practiced with such a unit these previous days; but we all know that's not going to happen either way.

Tonight may be another time we can give Theo Walcott another good cameo from the bench because despite our recent levels of performance, this game should be more or less over by the 65th minute. Walcott is a great option that could lift the burden off Alexis, and god knows Sanchez needs a breather. If things go well tonight and it's not too rushy-rushy, we could have Walcott starting against Swansea and Alexis gasping for breath on the bench.

It isn't a lot to ask this Arsenal team to get maximum points from this fixture, and it isn't a lot for them to deliver it. So let's do this!

--

There had come a time when we would have been pleased with anyone with a body and a pulse in defence. Schar, a centre back from Basel, offers much more. And judging from his recent quotes, he's available:

"Basel are open to negotiations. My dream remains to have an experience abroad. I'd like the Bundesliga, Premier League or top Italian clubs like Inter, Milan and Juventus. I couldn't say no."

He's young, affordable, available, a short-term and long-term answer. With his contract expiring next summer, surely we can take out £10m out of our pockets and get him in January? In all honesty I've never seen him play, but he sounds a good enough option on paper. A Switzerland Gooner mooted that he's is the best center back in the Swiss league and the first choice in the national team, with good attacking rates, big body presence and a superb header. Sounds like a no-brainer for me.

In other cases I'd scoff and make a Kim Kallstrom-esque joke pertaining to our winter transfer businesses, but something makes me not rule this transfer out categorically. Maybe it's because Wenger openly said that he would be on the lookout for a defender in the AGM. Now, I know that trusting Wenger isn't the most wisest thing one can do, but those quotes were too direct to be passed off as false promises.

But then again, remember this from Gazidis?

--

Right, that's an argument for the long-term. For now, let's just focus on Sanchez scoring four tonight. Till tomorrow.


P.S. This is awesome.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Anderlecht 1-2 Arsenal: We're wasting our time looking for the perfect goal

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

Wow, so much for closing the game early and resting key players. We barely do things the normal way, do we?

I don't feel I have to justify my happiness to everyone. For obvious reasons, being on the sunny side of late drama is always a fantastic feeling. I'm not going to waste much time trying to accentuate the positives in hope that people have the patience to read my negative thoughts aplenty. I trust we've gone past that phase.

So let's get on with it, right?

Firstly, the formation. I said in the preview that 4-1-4-1 away from home doesn't help us click much offensively and increases defensive frailty. It's not even a particularly earth-shattering fact to reveal. Almost every Arsenal supporter - whatever their views on Arsene Wenger - would be foolish to argue that 4-1-4-1 has been anything other than a failure. Yet it seems the maestro has stubbornly persisted with it.

I must confess I don't see why Santi Cazorla is always played on the left in this structure. I understand that Wenger's style of football involves having a more creative midfielder on the left flank, as we saw with Robert Pires and Samir Nasri. It may also have been a major factor in him chasing Draxler. But please, it's been way too obvious for way too long that Santi Cazorla is not that kind of player. He may produce the odd magic in that position, but is far too inconsistent to be considered a viable option there. Santi Cazorla will always play best in the middle.

The partnership of Ramsey and Wilshere as attacking midfielders is getting increasingly tiring to criticise. Sure, I believe Wilshere can do a good job as a lone attacking midfielder (the role Ozil tends to thrive in), and I'll also confess that for a moment I thought that even Aaron Ramsey's more natural position was in "the hole". However, it was apparent that the 4-1-4-1 with Ramsey and Wilshere was a system that didn't click way back in even August. Why does Wenger always take so long to see the light?

It's unbelievable how much we're trying to emulate Barcelona. We're not even doing it correctly. Barcelona aren't as tippy-tappy as we are around the box. As soon as the likes of Wilshere or Ramsey reach the edge of the box, they either hopefully try to dribble through or pass it sideways to Welbeck. Barcelona have always been more clinical. Either Messi successfully dribbles past the players and slots it past the keeper, or they quickly get the ball wide and get a low cross in.

The players we have are almost perfect for a more counter-attacking wing-play Real Madrid-esque kind of football. Wenger is curbing this team's attacking potency by sticking with possession football.

Even if we want to play like Barcelona, we need to defend like them. Only ex-Catalan Alexis Sanchez tracks back and harries the opposition when we lose possession. Yesterday was the ideal time to lend a helping hand to a shaky defence supervised by a rookie goalkeeper and defend like a unit. We didn't do that. How many times would the same mistake have to be observed before the manager does something about it?

Even successfully emulating Barcelona's style of play is not enough. Real Madrid defeating Bayern 4-0 at the Allianz was a fine example of how keep-ball isn't as effective as made out to be. Here's Guardiola on that subject (via @MessiMinutes):

"I got it totally wrong. A total mess. The biggest f*ck up of my life as a coach."

In addition, he also says that he "detests" the tiki-taka style he pioneered at Barcelona, saying it "has no purpose."

Again, how long would it take for Wenger to realize that?

Even so, wing play proves to be the style that provides the 1% difference in beating big teams. Employing possession football against Anderlecht isn't particularly harmful. But again, why does Wenger not change the system when it's not working? He waited until the team was 1-0 down and there were little over than 15 minutes to play to make his substitutions.

Yes, in the end it was the substitute Podolski who sealed an emotional win, but let's not call it a tactical masterstroke of any sort. Joel Campbell and Podolski are always Wenger's default last-ditch panicky rolls of the dice. They aren't going to start any games to follow. At best, they'd come on from the bench if we're trailing with 10-20 minutes to go. Yes, they're terrific bench options, but don't you think that these bench options should be starting once in a while, so that players like Alexis and Welbeck aren't too tired?

For obvious reasons the euphoria of the victory hid the frustrations of 88 minutes past, but there's still no hiding our dire performance yesterday, or indeed, this season so far. The manager has tinkered with the personnel and the formation for way too long, resulting in much confusion and dysfunctional-ism.

Sanchez is the only player who seems to want to punch above his weight. How long before even he slumps into the doom and gloom of the dressing room and the fans? Three months since he's arrived and we're already contemplating when he'd leave the club for one that would fulfill his ambitions. You can't blame us, we've seen it happen before. Unless the manager finds the most ideal structure to get his team flowing (which, let's face it, seems unlikely), his successor would have trouble keeping ambitious players like Alexis around.


Man, that was hugely depressing. Time to negate the negativity by a joke.

"If he takes you out for a romantic date on Tuesday and Wednesday nights instead of watching UEFA Champions League, then it's not LOVE.

... He is a Manchester United fan."

--

Right, that's that. Happy Diwali to my Indian readers - stay away from firecrackers and deluded Liverpool supporters who told you that the 3-0 mauling was a close game. Later.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Anderlecht vs Arsenal: Match Preview

Preview | Pre-match conference | Team news

The Champions League witnessed some extraordinary results yesterday. Sure, one could legislate for the winners of the clashes being expected, but their margins of victories were FIFA-esque. In today's pragmatic and practical footballing world, I strongly doubt we'd see another such night. But of course, in isolation to Arsenal, you really can't predict anything.

The way we've been playing it's like a bull in a china shop - totally random. Wenger has somehow managed to negate a very potent attack with an equally nervy defence. 2-2 draws are starting to become something of a common occurrence, as well as the appearances of Bellerin on the bench. Now, I've always been one of the biggest advocates for him, not least because of his silky wavy hair, but let's not kid ourselves that his inclusion was anything other than the result of a lack of pre-planning and indecision in the market.

Even so, it's likely he won't be playing much of a part tonight. The best back four we can muster would include Chambers - Mertesacker - Monreal - Gibbs. Hardly the best case scenario, but it was apparent that entering into a Premier League season with merely six first team defenders was crying out for such a situation. It was a bold, but pointless gamble, which has backfired two months into the season.

Regardless of instability in defence through injuries and whatnot, I hope we keep a clean sheet tonight, more than anything. Sure, our rocky backline could be used as a reason more than an excuse if we concede one or two, but I really hope that today's mindset lies along the lines of, "Right, we need the whole team to be switched on and defend as a unit, tracking back like Alexis." If we're ever-so eager to play like Barcelona, why can't we defend like them?

I'm getting a bit wary of Alexis and Welbeck as well. Both have played lots of games since they've arrived, and while Sanchez was rested somewhere along the week when we played Villa and Spurs (a much welcome sight, by the way) his constant running about the pitch kind of negated those absences. It's always appreciated to see a player giving his all in the dying embers of the game, but at this rate it'd only be so long until either one of them get crocked owing to a fatigue-related injury. I know that benching them for tonight is a tad too chancy, but I hope there's some plan in order to close the game early so that we can rest them around the 50th minute.

Hope. That's all I can do. Heh.

In short, I'd like a pacey front four of Santi - Ox - Sanchez - Welbeck, with Ramsey and Arteta at double pivots of that 4-2-3-1. Above all else, I hope we don't persist with 4-1-4-1 and move Ramsey further upfield. That formation has proven to be inconsistent (at the very least), and away from home it's an invitation for Anderlecht to pick on our mishmash defence and rookie goalkeeper. Ramsey provides support for Arteta. It's not enough defensive support, but tons better than a 4-1-4-1, which seldom helps us click offensively anyways. Yet you wouldn't put it past Wenger to employ that structure tonight.

Speaking of Wenger - my blog has, for me at least, being a succinct representation of how my views deteriorated towards him. This time last year, I said: "A very happy birthday to Arsene Wenger. I still have my doubts on you, but I sure as hell have a lot of respect for you too."

It's amazing how time changes you. Today I want him out and I want him to lose the pretend image he has created for himself in the footballing world. Exactly a year of false promises, dithering and refusal to accept accountability has blown my respect for him with a shotgun.

That was a weird figure of speech, in hindsight.

Him turning 65 will not change my perception of him. I'm willing to plaster a sad smile the day he leaves for the sake of people who do respect him, but the fact remains that he has done little to merit the royalty he receives over the past half a decade. Of course I'll stick it out as a supporter because I love almost every other aspect of this club, but my preference would still remain him seeing removed from the club on our terms, not his.

More on that here. For now, a win would be swell, thanks.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Dortmund 2-0 Arsenal: Predictable tactics, predictable set up. Predictable result.

Match Report | Match highlights | Wenger's thoughts

The lineup signaled trouble. I had said that if we line up like we did against City, Dortmund could walk past us. It doesn't even take a genius to know that a 4-1-4-1 with a suspect defensive midfielder is suicide. To add to that, Wenger didn't even make personnel changes, sticking with what he had in the previous weekend.

Look at Arsenal's right hand channel. Ozil started on the left but played on the right most of the time. Imagine if Klopp had Reus fit and played him on Arsenal's right side. Bellerin and Ozil defending Reus? Far from ideal. As it stood, since Reus was injured Klopp was forced to play Grosskreutz there, so the effect minimized slightly.

We were incredibly lucky to only be 1-0 down at half time. Dortmund compressed every inch of space our midfielders had, which left us with either back passing or trying two or three shimmies to find space. The only midfielder at Arsenal excellent at shimmying his way into space is Santi Cazorla, who was benched until the customary 62nd minute substitution.

Arteta had a torrid time, which was completely expected. If you have a slow defensive midfielder, the least you can do is support him with a box-to-box midfielder, like Wilshere or Ramsey. He's leggy and not a natural DM anyway, yet he's left brutally exposed and completely alone. Dortmund pressed him into submission.

We can't play the "slowing the game down" and "pass and move" trick against Dortmund. The likes of Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Santi Cazorla should have played, because they press the ball and would leave Dortmund wary. Instead, Wenger played right into Klopp's hands by overplaying and mispositioning Ozil and Ramsey.

Sanchez and Welbeck were so alone up there. People chastised Welbeck for three misses in the game, and the criticism may be warranted. But you can't expect to leave a striker completely alone and bewildered, then surprise him with a quick chance and expect him to regain his focus and finish neatly. We anyways knew that his finishing is suspect and he's far from the refined product.

Immobile's opener highlighted how Dortmund had sapped the confidence out of Arsenal's defence. He picked the ball up in midfield and charged into space, right in between Koscielny and Gibbs. Both of them seemed hesitant to either win the ball early on or commit a "tactical foul". The Italian admittedly got a crucial yard of pace through a lucky touch, but finished quite efficiently. A frustratingly avoidable goal, but Dortmund deserved more.

It's one thing to have a blatantly incorrect one-dimensional tactical setup, but quite another to persist with it when it's not working out. Jose Mourinho makes changes and revamps his tactics even 20 minutes into the match. Wenger? He finally brought a confidence-depleted Mesut Ozil in the centre after Dortmund were cruising at 2-0.

I don't know if he tries or not, but Wenger can't even suitably motivate his team to play like men. Despite the pace, panache and pedigree we possess, we've looked flat and pedestrian-paced in every match except City. And God help us should we go 1-0 down, for the whole team sulks into oblivion.

Our attack is so good, but Wenger won't bring the best out of them. He won't play the right players in the right matches, nor will he keep rotating the squad to keep everyone happy and few injured. Look at Szczesny: he played worryingly against Dortmund, yet Wenger won't replace him with Ospina for even one game, to show him that no one's place is guaranteed.

People say that he played Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey because he had "faith" in them. I completely disagree - Wenger keeps playing such players because he has almost no idea about the concept of rotation.

He'll keep playing his starting XI game after game and only genuinely rotates in FA Cups (sometimes) and Capital One Cups. He won't give his starting XI a modicum of rest, and overplays them until they get injured. Then he simply replaces the injured players by the ones on the bench, like Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Podolski.

With all due respect, I don't think that it's extremely difficult to fit all our attacking pieces into the jigsaw puzzle. Take a gander at the two photos below: how's that for first choice lineup and second choice?

Starting XI

Substitute XI

A lineup not in connection to form or fitness, but one that I strongly think should be our starting XI. There's plenty of room for improvement there as well - Giroud and Welbeck or Podolski and Campbell could battle it out. For the moment I've written Welbeck and Podolski for I think they might be the eventual winners, but there you go. Even if Podolski and Joel Campbell are even, Wenger could replace Campbell for the ageing Rosicky.

For now, though, what we need to do is remove Ozil and Ramsey from the team. Aside from them being out of depth, they're in danger of being injured because they've played too much. Maybe even Alexis needs a rest.

Meh, what's the point? We talk problems and offer solutions but in the end Wenger won't give a fuck. He'll continue with 4-1-4-1 and overplaying and mispositioning Ozil and Ramsey, because either he's too stubborn or too foolish. Not unless the whole crowd is on his back and implores him to change the structure will he do the needful, albeit reluctantly.

The only genuine silver lining is that people are finally realizing Wenger's deficiencies on the pitch, 5 years too late. That's one thing they can't attribute to money or referees. That's pushing him further out of the exit door.

Sometimes I feel fortunate that I'm so young, for I will be in prime age to see an Arsenal without Wenger, one that actually progresses.

Hashtag positives.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Dortmund vs Arsenal: Match Preview

Preview | Pre-match conference | Team news

The last time I saw Arsenal play at Westfalenstadion, it turned out to be one of my best moments as an Arsenal supporter. To be under the cosh and yet snap out an important win in a difficult stadium was absolutely fantastic. There were  a lot of wins last season where we were faced with a tough battle and nicked it, but the Dortmund one felt especially sweet.

We have an easier Dortmund tonight, though. One stripped off Lewandowski, Reus, Gundogan, Sahin and Hummels. Much like City three days ago, we're facing a top team without plenty of its top players. Unlike Saturday, we should be taking advantage of that.

Defensively, we're desperately short. Debuchy has been ruled out for a reported 3 months, and Monreal has been another confirmed absentee as well. Bellerin's made the plane to Germany to add up the numbers. Now, I like him and I'm happy that he's been given a chance to perform, but let's not pretend he's not an inclusion out of force. Wenger's weird choice to accumulate only six defenders was courting disaster, and so it has proved.

Midfield and forwards provide plenty of depth, and invariably, options. I think this is one of those games I'd like to see a Rosicky or Chamberlain start, for that's the point of having quality in depth. You can't keep overplaying Ramsey and Sanchez when you have fresher - if not better - options in reserve.

The 4-1-4-1 worked well against Man City, but trying that again is risky. I hope we try a safer 4-2-3-1 this time around. Dortmund are well-known for incredibly high pressing. If we leave our DM alone, he might lose the ball cheaply in the middle of the park.

Klopp is one of those managers who likes a high-pressing game. Instead of playing slower footballers, we should look to counter their philosophy by pressing them. I'd love to see a lineup of Szczesny - Bellerin - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Gibbs - Arteta (as DM) - Wilshere (CM) - Cazorla (CAM) - Rosicky (RW) - Chamberlain (LW) - Welbeck.

Sanchez was monstrous on Saturday, but he's played every game so far. I love his high-intensity pressing game and it could be particularly useful tonight, but I fear he might do his hamstring if he keeps playing thrice a week. Oxlade-Chamberlain is an excellent alternative to him.

While the both of them may not be playing just as well, I feel Ramsey and Ozil should be benched as well. Both need to be rested rather than dropped, because aside from them being off-form, they have also played too many games. Arteta had a great game the last time we went to Signal Iduna Park, while Flamini isn't as reliable as him. I really think that if Flamini can refine his game a bit more he'd be a very good defensive midfielder, but it is what it is I guess.

More than results, I hope our performances start to come together. We actually have a great attack and some great attacking options in midfield, but we haven't found the right formation or tactical approach to make it work. I seriously doubt Wenger is the man to make us "click", but I still hope that he finds a way around it.

It has to be said, though, if we line up with the same formation and positioning as on Saturday, we could be in for a shocker. Ozil on the left is an interesting experiment, but Dortmund away is too big an occasion to continue that. 4-1-4-1 is a huge gamble away from home, especially against a Klopp side that can surround Arteta, rob him of possession and storm down a new-look defence.

Wenger, in the presser, already hinted that we'd see more or less the same lineup as on Saturday. When asked about rotating the squad, he said:

"No, not necessarily. We have recovered well."

I hope we win this game, but if Wenger lines up with the same formation and players, it's hard to see that happening.

Good luck to the boys, though. Most of them seem a committed lot, and I hope they pull out something from Germany. Come on Arsenal!

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

Realistic expectations for Arsenal's 2014/15 campaign

I have long stated that Arsenal are on the verge of big things. The foundation has been made, and this is the year we need to pursue success. And not the FA Cup or top four kind of success - but going for top prizes like the Champions League and competing for the league till the end. The expectations below, hence, may seem a bit extreme, but it's something a club of our standard have to go for; especially considering the buzz and morale in the camp.

Premier League: Top two

Winning the Premier League obviously is the club's primary target, but it would be remarkable if we actually achieve it. As good as our squad is, Chelsea's and Manchester City's are decisively better, and a lot of our title chances hinge on our summer deal(s). Fans are rightly clamouring for a defender and a DM, but I suspect Wenger will buy one player who will be neither.

I understand that we have a huge chance in recent years to win the league, but other teams have better. Pellegrini has quietly strengthened his depth and kept the core intact, while Mourinho is a class above Wenger tactically. I find it hard to believe Wenger has changed his tactical approach and man management, as much as he deserves credit for his adaptation to modern football.

Man City and Chelsea are tied as prime contenders for the league, so I believe our challenge must be to at least topple one of them bigshots and usurp second, if not first. As of now, even though I hope we win the league, my mind says we'll finish third.

Champions League: Semi finals

Aim for the stars, right?

Course, all of this will topple if we lose to Besiktas, but I feel it's about time we start to assert ourselves in Europe. We're in danger of falling into the 'Marseille-Napoli-Schalke' category; a team that is ever-present in the CL but are considered as fillers rather than contenders. We have the raw materials - a great attack, the philosophy of continental football, and the Emirates is turning into a bit of a fortress.

If this season isn't the time to have a genuine shot at the CL, then I don't know when is. After qualifying for the group stages, we need to make absolutely sure that we top the group, so that we likely face an easy team in the Round of 16. Hopefully, that'd send the ball rolling.

FA Cup: A ticket to Wembley

Last season's FA Cup run was fun. In fact, it was one of those things that made the whole season fun.

I have always looked at the FA Cup as a sort of consolation prize. But, even for a club like Arsenal - one starting to gain the 'big club' mentality - sometimes we have to make do. The FA Cup still remains a prestigious knockout competition and one that could hold decisive while judging a season. At least reaching the semi final should, for me, be the minimum requirement.

Capital One Cup: Who gives a shit?

As far as I'm concerned, whatever happens in the Capital One Cup is a complete irrelevance. If we win, it's a bonus. If we lose 5-2 to Tottenham in the first round with Adebayor scoring a hattrick, well, meh.

However, I wouldn't want the Capital One Cup to influence competitions like the Premier League, Champions League or the FA Cup. I don't want Alexis to rupture his ACL during an away trip to Leeds, and I don't want Mertesacker to miss a clash against United because he bollixed a player in the Capital One Cup.

Gosh, did I jinx it?

Win a trophy

The FA Community Shield has changed little. We still need to lift some silverware come May. If we falter in the Premier League, we must win the FA Cup to compensate that. If we get knocked out in the CL and the Cup, we must go all out for the league and win it. It's better to win one trophy and fail in the other two, than to reach mighty close on all three fronts but win peanuts in the end. Which season do you prefer - the 2010/11 season or the 2013/14 one? There's your answer.

And it's not like we don't have the potential to do it. Aside from a DM, the team is lacking quantity rather than quality. We're in a position where all of our players aren't dispensable and everyone offers something unique. I wouldn't even mind Squillaci back for depth.

All we need are a centre back (who'd play around fifteenish games anyway), and a decent defensive midfielder, if not world-class. Then, for me, we're good to go. All that's standing in our way are tactical blunders and injury crises.

The season starts on Saturday. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Come on Arsenal!

P.S. My apologies for those weirdly designed tabs at the top, but I'm facing coding errors with making drop-down tabs for well over a year now. I tried HTML, CSS and Java but none worked. If you have any advice, shoot a mail to santirambo1916@gmail.com or find me on Twitter.

-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]

The fight for fourth, Moyes' sacking, Newcastle preview and CL thoughts

It's been a busy week of football, one I regret missing out on.

A lot has happened in terms of football in general, so please forgive me for turning my attention away from Arsenal in this post. Without further ado, let's get right into the thick of it.

Hull was the performance of the old...
...and by old, i mean six months ago. The 3-0 win against Hull displayed football by Arsenal that we had gotten used to around the September-December period. And there was one man who was at the centre of it, just like he was in the thick of it half a year ago.

Aaron Ramsey was simply... well, Ramsey. I didn't expect much from him because he had just returned from injury, and one assist against West Ham didn't exactly mean he was 'back', as such. Indeed, I tried to downplay his importance to every Gooner I knew, for I didn't want to increase the burden on his tired shoulders.

How wrong was I? Ramsey bossed it. His direct, purposeful running was an acceptable surrogate for Theo Walcott's absence. His all-action midfield play is irreplaceable, really. He immediately got back in his groove with a goal and an assist, not to mention being significantly involved in the third. I had genuinely forgotten how good he was, and didn't want to hype his earlier season form for fear of setting unfair expectations on him.

However, I didn't need to. Ramsey's performance leaked of efficiency and enthusiasm. It's getting impossible to raise the bar on his expectations. Had Wenger not overplayed him and rashly attempted to bring him back to action, we could have been a lot better off than we currently are.

Podolski deserves mention too. Even though I'm increasingly of the opinion that deploying him on the left flank in a 4-3-3 isn't the best idea, I want Podolski to do well at Arsenal. His second goal was one only Aaron Ramsey could have scored in this present Arsenal team, which highlights how much we need him.

Podolski is a rarity at Arsenal. He gives us that cutting edge, the final product and covers his defensive deficiencies by smashing the ball into the net. Goals win football matches, to use the redundant footballing cliche, and Podolski offers that. Which is why, in the absence of Theo, the guy is becoming indispensable.

Work out the math. How many players currently at Arsenal would have scored the goal that Podolski did against Hull, or even West Ham? Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and maybe Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. With the latter two not exactly in their prime currently, Walcott injured and Ramsey only being one guy, Podolski continues to deliver the goods. And that's why Arsenal need him.

Moyes had to go...
I'm not saying this from an Arsenal perspective. As a Gooner, I think what he was doing was hilarious. Bringing a title winning side to practically mid-table unwittingly is beyond remarkable. United were hopeless and hapless under him.

However, hearing United supporters protesting to Moyes' sacking and trotting out "#InMoyesWeTrust" was almost stupid. Moyes was given time to gel with the players and build on a foundation set by Ferguson, and he failed miserably. He lost the dressing room, pampered Rooney, never found a stable backline and mismanaged van Persie and Kagawa.

However, the reason why he had to go was because of what he did back in last summer. By firing a backroom staff full of winners, he was drilling a box of nails into his grave.

As a football fan, I believe that modern day managers can be successful by living off the information from their backroom staff. By piecing together knowledge from your medical staff, your transfer negotiator, your scouts, your first team coaches, etc., you could make informed decisions and take the club forward. By being a figurehead to experts working behind the scenes, the manager can mould that information to take calculated risks.

Maybe that's what Ferguson saw in Moyes. Maybe Ferguson believed that Moyes could act as a nominal leader, take advice from United's superb backroom staff and carry on business as usual. It is a lesser known fact that Ferguson was an awful tactician, so instead of going around with his own tactics (like Wenger does), he took advice from his coaching staff.

However, Moyes blew it. Inspite of Ferguson's pleas, Moyes made what was his worst decision as Manchester United manager, in my opinion, by hiring Everton's staff and firing Ferguson's staff. Is it really a surprise that their negotiating staff failed to lure Coentrao, Alcantra and Ozil to their team?

As their dog turd of a season wore on, he eventually lost the players, the support and the plot. He panicked into giving Rooney a megadeal, and overpaid for Juan Mata. He made insane decisions like playing Januzaj as central attacking midfield and Valencia at right back. Some legacy.

If the replacement, touted to be Louis van Gaal, does come in, he'll have to sort out the backroom staff. Otherwise, if the new manager's pedigree is modest, I'd expect to see more of the same.

Perhaps this should be a lesson for Wenger. While Moyes took the advice of incompetent ex-Evertonians in the backroom, it is widely known that Wenger acts as a one-man army. He does not heed the advice of his backroom staff at all, a result of his egocentric and dictatorial mindset. Would any medical staff sanction playing Ramsey for 112 minutes, only after two days of full training?

Wenger has to learn. Ferguson took the advice of his coaching staff and became a footballing legend. Moyes ignored it and became a laughing stock. Wenger, for a good decade, is ignoring the advice of behind-the-scenes men and is watching his Arsenal regressing.

For me, the writing is on the wall.

Real Madrid have exposed Bayern's weaknesses...
While I think Bayern are currently the best footballing side in the world, that doesn't mean they're flawless. There were glaring errors in their matches against Arsenal, errors that a better manager would have taken advantage of. Ancelloti did.

After our 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, I had said:

"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."

I didn't see the match, so I don't know the tactics Real employed. I did hear people say that Real should have had a bigger lead going into the second leg, so it seems like Carlo got his tactics right. Either way, the second leg at the Allianz promises to be a cracker. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Anyone but Chelsea...
Since the season began, I had predicted Chelsea to win the Premier League. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and I wasn't supporting them in any way. And even though Jose somehow managed to get his buses past Anfield, it's unlikely they'll win the title.

However, I have this nagging feeling that they are going to win the Champions League. I don't know why, because they certainly are underdogs against the might of Real and Bayern. They may even be too weak to get past Atletico.

Looking at Mourinho thumping his Chelsea badge against the sea of Anfield incensed me a bit. It was then, when I realized that I want Chelsea to suffer as much hurt as possible this season. I hate the club, the plastic fans, the mafia owner and the anti-football manager. Why the fuck do you spend billions and then play like Stoke City?

I think I hate Chelsea more than Tottenham Hotspur, which really is saying something. And that is why I find the nagging feeling, that they might win the CL uncomfortable. Should they perform that feat, the niggling thought might eat me up.

Anyone but Chelsea.

Everton did us a massive favour...
I didn't expect them to lose against Southampton, be it at St. Mary's. However, to lose like they did - by scoring two own goals - was as surprising as it was delighting. Needless to say, fourth is well and truly in our hands now, and looking at City's win over Crystal Palace, we're forced to be happy with what we have.

Today could be St. Totteringham's day...
With Newcastle United coming up in a few hours, three points would seal Arsenal's superiority over Tottenham for the 19th season running. Remarkable, really.

On comparison to the previous two seasons, where we had to wait till the last game of the season to establish North London superiority, it shows how much we have progressed and how much Tottenham have regressed. St. Totteringham's Day has almost gone under the radar due to the prospect of going four clear of Everton.

I find it surprising how little I care over St. Totteringham's. I barely even care about top four, really. Bar the FA Cup, this season is over for me. All I care about is Wenger's possible departure and decisive additions in the summer.

Until then, it's just getting through another Matchday.

-Santi (Follow me on twitter: @ArsenalBlogz )

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).

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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 )