Arsenal have to wash away the past week’s issues because it will further derail their season.
Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to Germany on Wednesday night hoping to cause an upset and book their semi-final ticket in the Champions League.
Yes, Bayern Munich have had their issues this season and have lost out on a first Bundesliga title in over a decade to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
But they are still seasoned pros in Europe, as a young and inexperienced Arsenal side found out over two legs.
In numerous away games in the Champions League this season, the Gunners have found it tough, especially to play their game, with defeats in France, Portugal and now in Munich.
The first place you look towards is the midfield. That’s where Arsenal’s club-record transfer sits, the most experienced player in the team in Jorginho and the club’s captain, Martin Odegaard.
After Arteta changed things up in the middle of the park for the defeat to Aston Villa, the usual suspects returned against Bayern.
But they were unable to showcase their worth, with Thierry Henry pointing out that Odegaard wasn’t in the game, the Arsenal players didn’t want the ball and were ‘hiding’, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (17/04/24 at 11:05 pm).
It’s not a good sign for Arteta that such players are going missing, but this has to be part of their learning curve going forward.
Martin Odegaard against Bayern Munich
“Odegaard here is going to have a strike from outside of the box,” said Henry. “Nothing in it, really. Neuer controlled it.
“Then Martinelli from the cross. Odegaard’s not so much in the game. We have seen in one game two teams trying to win it. Here two teams trying not to lose it. It’s weird, the fear of losing.
He later added: “If you give it, then give it to Musiala. He will bail you out in the way he plays. At that moment in the game, no one wanted the ball. It was kind of weird. He wanted the ball, at his age. He was turning, not being shy, asking for the ball, keeping people away with his body, with the way he was controlling it and going forward with it. That’s second to none when you are in trouble in a game and everyone is kind of hiding and not wanting that ball.”
Arsenal’s trip to Wolves
This is going to be very hard on the legs. Wolves are no slouches and they will make life difficult for the title-chasing side.
Gary O’Neil’s side won’t come at Arsenal, it’s not their game, but they will sit back, absorb the pressure, and then hit them on the counter.
You just know that if the game is still level after the hour mark, then just like against Villa, fans will start to get nervous.
But if these players want to win the title, then you step up in these moments, not when you are on a five-game winning streak and winning 3-0 away after 60 minutes.