Arsenal cruised through to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the 15th season on the spin with a comfortable victory over the Group D leaders, Borussia Dortmund, bringing some calm for Arsène Wenger after the recent storm clouds.
Arsenal’s manager has found himself criticised from within the club by shareholder Alisher Usmanov but he understandably took quiet pride from a positive performance, a clean sheet and the identity of the two scorers, Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sánchez, reflecting his desire to develop quality as well as buy it.
Many problems remain at the club, and with elements of Wenger’s purist philosophy, and they have long become a fading force in the Premier League title race while there will be far tougher tasks ahead in Europe but this was undeniably a good night for the Frenchman. The main negative was the return of the injury curse, claiming Sanogo, who departed rubbing his left hamstring, and Mikel Arteta, who hobbled off with a calf problem.
Arteta had revealed that the players held a meeting to discuss how to prevent the type of counter-attacking goals they conceded against Manchester United at the weekend. The gist of Arteta’s message was that individuals needed to take more responsibility, and his team-mates immediately turned words into actions.
Nobody hid against Dortmund. Kieran Gibbs was terrific, defending and attacking. Also on the left was the wonderful Sánchez, the £35 million signing from Barcelona, who was typically industrious and has now scored 13 times in 20 games for Arsenal. What a role model the Chilean is, ignoring any concept of exhaustion after his World Cup rigours, always being available for the ball, frequently tracking back, and always taking opponents on.
Over on the right, Calum Chambers linked well with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who delivered one of his most accomplished displays for the club on the occasion of his 100th appearance. Full of running and confidence, Oxlade-Chamberlain almost scored with a magnificent half-volley. He continues to mature into a heavyweight talent.
It needs emphasising that Dortmund were disappointing, far from the bullish opponents Arsenal lost 2-0 to earlier in the season. A lesser side without the injured Marco Reus, Dortmund already had the comfort of knowing they had qualified and never overextended themselves, much to Klopp’s frustration at times.
Dortmund were so relaxed that they trained in Regent’s Park, one of the most exciting events there since the Sixties when Goldie the Eagle escaped from the zoo, dining on Muscovy duck for 12 days until recaptured by keepers with the help of some dead rabbit.
On a more pristine stretch of grass a couple of miles away, Klopp’s side deservedly lost to Arsenal but ensured the hosts did not score a third goal which would have made the final-day top-spot permutations more interesting. Arsenal may come to rue not chasing the third goal late on.
It would have opened up more chances of finishing top, so avoiding the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. As it stands, a draw for Dortmund at home to Anderlecht on Dec 9 guarantees them the high ground even if Arsenal prevail in Istanbul against Galatasaray, leaving both with 13 points. With both games between the sides ending 2-0, Dortmund’s vastly superior goal difference gives them the edge.
Arsenal are well aware of the perils of being runners-up. Last year, they finished the group level on points with Dortmund but the permutations saw them second, meaning they faced a group winner; they were duly knocked out by Bayern Munich. This contained echoes of the previous season, 2012-13, when they finished runners-up and were mown down by Bayern.
Most Arsenal fans leaving the Emirates or tuning in will not have worried about the ramifications of failing to score a third, preferring simply to enjoy reaching the last 16, celebrating a clean sheet, and admiring the team playing with confidence. The producers of the Sky programme were so caught up in the feeling of giddiness they closed the show with a burst of Taylor Swift.
The enthusiasm was understandable. From the kick-off, Arsenal had shown a greater urgency than of late, pressing hard for the ball, not letting Dortmund settle, seizing the lead in the second minute through Sanogo. The French under-21 international has divided opinion amongst the Arsenal faithful, some pondering exactly what Wenger sees in him but he totally vindicated the manager’s selection here.
Sanogo’s previous appearances had been a mix of the promising and profligate. Yet he responded positively to Wenger’s decision to start him ahead of Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell in the absence of the injured Danny Welbeck and ineligible Olivier Giroud.
As many home fans were still filing in, Arsenal penned Dortmund deep, winning a throw-in. As Aaron Ramsey made a run down the line, dragging two Dortmund players away, Chambers threw the ball towards Sanogo, who had his back to goal and was being closely attended by Sven Bender and Matthias Ginter. He juggled the ball twice before back-heeling it to Santi Cazorla, turning and waiting for the return.
Cazorla responded with typical dexterity under pressure, stroking the ball to Sanogo, who had found a yard of space. Dortmund, particularly Ginter, appealed for offside as Sanogo controlled the ball deftly with his right foot and then sent it sliding between the legs of Roman Weidenfeller. He sped towards the jubilant Arsenal fans, leaning over the hoardings and sharing their embrace. Wenger watched from afar, a smile lighting up his face.
Dortmund were only briefly a threat. Lukasz Piszczek headed the ball across for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to nip in ahead of Arteta, bringing a good save from the 22-year-old Argentine Emiliano Martínez, who deputised well for the injured Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina.
Klopp’s side started the second period strongly but it was Arsenal who remained in control. Sánchez dribbled away from Ginter and unleashed a low shot that Weidenfeller did brilliantly to push round the post. Oxlade-Chamberlain teed the ball up and then let fly with a half-volley that clipped the crossbar. Shortly before the hour-mark, Sánchez curled an exquisite 20-yard shot past Weidenfeller. Wenger rose from his seat, the smile spreading across his face again, punching the air again.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét