Arsenal’s defensive ploy brought victory against Bayern by accident, not design

COMMENT: Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 2-0 on Tuesday night

(Getty Images)

As a strategy for winning matches, relying on the game’s most in-form striker to have a bad night and one of the world’s best goalkeepers an even worse one is not sustainable – even if it worked for Arsenal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Yet there were elements of the Gunners’ larcenous victory at the Emirates that do indicate a potentially rewarding change in philosophy.

For a decade or more, Arsène Wenger’s team has put idealism before pragmatism both in terms of team-building and playing style. The consequence has been the most consistently scintillating football in Britain, but a shortage of trophies. Time and again, against the biggest and best, Arsenal have been sliced apart, betrayed by their commitment to attacking.

Since their victory at Manchester City in January, however, there appears to have been a realisation that there is no shame in defending. That match was won with less than 40 per cent of possession, a trick Arsenal repeated in defeating Manchester United earlier this month and again against Bayern.

In the modern game transitions (aka counter-attacks, or turnovers as rugby parlance has it) are vital. If you can win the ball while the opponents are out of balance, because they have been committed to attack, there is more space in which to go forward.

Arsenal, with the pace of players such as Theo Walcott and Hector Bellerin, are well placed to counter-attack. Their second goal, with Bellerin pinching possession in Bayern’s half, was a typical modern “transition goal” achieved by a high press.

It was not, though, typical of Arsenal’s approach in the match. In the programme Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s captain, said: “We need to play them in their half, press them and make them make mistakes.” He added: “For Bayern having possession of the ball and dominating the game is really important. If you can stop them doing that, and keep them on the back foot, that is important.”

Arsenal, customarily fast starters at home, began with that attitude, but Bayern’s superior passing soon took effect. Xabi Alonso, 34 next month but still a master, ran the game. The pass to Thiago Alcantara that led to the latter bringing the first save of many from Petr Cech was inch-perfect but it was just one of 75 medium-length passes from the Basque in his 70 minutes on the pitch, 73 of which found their target. Alonso’s departure was one of the reasons Bayern lost midfield control.

While he was on the pitch Arsenal simply could not get the ball; and when they did, so anxious were they to use it to good effect, they quickly lost it. Mesut Özil was their most prolific passer on the night, attempting 41 passes and finding a team-mate with 28. Thiago, by contrast, misplaced seven of his 106 passes.

At the Etihad Arsenal went ahead midway through the first half and could afford to sit back. Against United the game was effectively won after 20 minutes; all Arsenal had to do to ensure it stayed won was not to be reckless.

But, against Bayern, as Arsenal had to win the match they conceded space and possession because they had no choice. Wenger admitted he asked Özil to drop deeper to make it harder for Bayern to penetrate. Soon Arsenal were erecting, in front of their own area, the “two banks of four” that so often infuriate Wenger, and frustrate his team, when opponents do it.

They also, Wenger admitted, began passing longer. More than one in five of their passes were long, compared to fewer than one in 10 of Bayern’s and one in 20 by Arsenal in this competition previously. The telling long pass, Santi Cazorla’s free-kick which Bayern’s keeper Manuel Neuer misjudged, was equally uncharacteristic, the Spaniard pumping it into the box from distance at Wenger’s insistence. He had looked to play short but Wenger said that, with Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud forward, he wanted the kick played into the area. It was a good call.

Getting the tactics right is only one aspect of the equation, they still have be executed. Laurent Koscielny and Mertesacker were superb, maintaining their concentration and positional discipline. They were ably assisted by Francis Coquelin and Cazorla in front and the immovable Cech behind, though he downplayed his role. “Everybody was doing their bit and I was trying to do my bit,” said Cech.

Arsenal’s joy was offset by an awareness than Olympiakos’s away win against Dynamo Zagreb leaves them still struggling to qualify for the knockout stages.

Cech added: “Our position has not changed much as Olympiakos won. We still need more points but we go [next] to Munich knowing we can compete with them.” Up to a point. Arsenal may well play the same tactics in Bavaria on 4 November, except this time it will be intentional.