UCL match night 6 was no easy task for the Gunners as much was needed from the English squad. Going into the match, Arsène Wenger's side needed a win or a draw to guarantee a 1st place finish atop of group F. In the case of a loss, the Gunners were required to concede a goal differential no greater than 2 goals to advance to the knockout stages of the competition. The final score ended up being 2-0 for the home side, although it was not the result that was desired from the club and fans.
Personally, I think this match was one of the more subpar performances by the club this season. The attacking force was not present, and the team just couldn’t seem to hold onto possession for the majority of the game. I felt as if there was a lack of communication amongst the players, and the ambition for winning simply wasn’t there. The thing that frustrates me is that the players didn’t realize the importance of the match. Yes, it was an absolute win for Napoli, but it should have also been a must win for Arsenal. It was pretty much foreseen that Dortmund would be successful against Marseille, meaning the club should have played as if they were on the brink of elimination, not just to get by. That type of drive and ambition is what makes a championship club, the need to have to get the maximum amount of points possible, and to win every game, which sadly was not seem the case tonight. I am slightly disappointed with the lack of effort from the squad, with no player standing out as a game changer tonight.
Now, the club is faced with the reality of elimination, as the only clubs that they can be drawn against are: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG or Atletico Madrid. Each of these clubs has destructive attacking forces and knows how to win matches. Being 1st in the group would have meant playing Bayer L., Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Schalke, Zenit or Milan, competition that is much easier to deal with. I am disappointed with the lack of effort tonight, but I’m also taking this as a blessing in disguise for two reasons. The first reason is that Arsenal play well under pressure, i.e being eliminated. The away match at Bayern and strong finish to last season are proof that the club thrives under pressure of losing out on the Champions League. The fact that each of these five clubs is extremely strong means the club will play their absolute best to ensure victory. Another reason why I am not envious of Dortmund is that if the club want to reach the final of the competition they will be required to play a strong club at some point. Even in the best case scenario, the club would have drawn 2 easy clubs for the round of 16 and quarter-finals, it is almost certain that the last four of the competition will be extremely strong. Hopefully we can eliminate the strong competition early, and have it easier as we go on.
Basically, the club deserve to play a hard opponent after a subpar performance tonight. Yes we were able to get 12 points, and still be second, but that’s the reality if you belong to the “Group of Death”, and we have to all remember, the club did qualify, it will just be a more difficult journey to reach the final. That being said, remember this is Champions League, home to the best clubs in Europe. If we want to be able to win the trophy, we must be able to beat any club in Europe, no matter who it is, to truly prove that we are the best club on the continent. Taking the easy way just means delaying the problems, and would mean any exit from the competition would make all supporters and players more disappointed. Knowing that Arsenal is one of the strongest clubs in Europe, I truly believe that we will be able to advance to the next round. Remember, no one thought that we would qualify for the knockout stages in the first place. We have had doubters all season, but it’s now time to prove all of these doubters wrong.
@ZachAFC
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This content was produced exclusively for ZachAFC.blogspot.com and can be reproduced with attribution, please.
