Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich : Five key talking points

Arsenal sensationally defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 in what was a must win match for the North-London outfit to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

The Gunners were tipped to face defeat yet again with Bayern Munich arriving at the Emirates in spectacular form having won all their 12 games this season in all competitions but the Gunners took advantage of the dominant team on counter attacks and scored 2 well deserved goals.

Let’s take a look at the talking points that defined the match-

1. Bayern the team to beat

Ever since the international break dawned upon the domestic leagues, this fixture was a much talked about affair with Arsenal in misery in the Champions League and Bayern hitting top form. Only the Arsenal faithful would’ve expected a positive result as most of the footballing world wrote Arsenal off. What transpired was Arsenal’s best performance this season as they deservedly took home all three points.

Having said that, Bayern have been in eye-catching form having won all their games this season. Pep Guardiola’s men still stand firm favourites to win the competition and are the the team to beat this season. A convincing performance from the Bavarians was unfortunately second to a more resilient Arsenal performance.

2. Full backs – key to Arsenal’s season

Even after their groundbreaking form in the Premier League, Arsenal were written off well before the build up to the match but delivered on every front to win the exciting encounter. The Gunners’ squad is capable enough to beat the best teams in Europe on their best day which was exactly the case in today’s game.

Both of Arsenal’s full backs were excellent, especially Nacho Monreal who kept Thomas Muller at bay all game. Guardiola thought Monreal was the weak link in Arsenal’s back four but the tactic backfired and Muller was an invisible entity throughout the game. Bellerin was given a tough time by Douglas Costa all game but refused to lie down every time. The Spaniard made crucial runs forward and added much needed flair on the flanks when called upon, with his last minute sprint to set up Mesut Ozil being the highlight of his performance.

3. Cech a fantastic investment

Every Gooner would admit that the summer transfer window was a big disappointment as their club failed to bring in a single outfield player, their only signing being Petr Cech. Despite having a slow start to life at Arsenal, Petr Cech has established himself as the undisputed number one but has delivered much more than that in recent games.

It is hard to argue that without Cech’s saves this season, Arsenal would’ve struggled badly to win most of their crucial games this season. After today’s game Arsenal fans would agree to the fact that Cech was the only vital reinforcement needed. The Czech international would be the crucial ingredient to their campaign and has undoubtedly been a fantastic investment.

4. Wenger spot on with strategies this season

A lot has been said about Wenger being ignorant in preparing for big games in a much different way. This season however, is proving out to be a lot different to the Frenchman’s previous years at the club. Since that 2-0 win at Manchester City last season, Arsenal have started preparing for big games differently and are not afraid to win the games in shrewd fashion.

The 3-0 demolishing of Manchester United and today’s 2-0 win showcase what Wenger’s side are actually capable of doing to a side considered better than them. Wenger recently celebrated his 19th anniversary as Arsenal Manager and has changed a lot along the course as is evident.

5. Long way to go for Arsenal

A famous win for the North-London outfit could unfortunately lift them only up to third place in the group having lost both of their previous games. Arsenal would have to get positive results from all their remaining games to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

The reverse fixture of today’s game would be pivotal to their Champions League fate and a positive result alone at the Allianz Arena would not be enough to guarantee them a place in the knockouts. Wins in the last two group fixtures along with a positive result in Germany should be enough for the Gunners to secure a last-16 birth. Still a long way to go.