by Trapper John » Thu Nov 23, 2017 8:40 pm
Thought I'd better get in quick after such a poor result because in reality thats all it was.
The tactics were all wrong by which I mean there was no-one on the pitch who was able to say, "I know what was decided before the game but this is a doddle, lets up the tempo in this first half and finish them off now."
Arsenal strolled around the pitch and contained Cologne with mind numbing ease, obviously that was the plan but it was clear quite early on that Cologne were not going to make any clear cut chances count. We should then have stepped up a gear and finished the game off there and then, we didn't and continued in the same vein for the remainder of the half, finishing up 0-0 at the break.
Obviously Wenger told them to step it up at half time because they did and the chances came thick and fast but desperate Cologne defending kept out Arsenal. Then the sucker punch! as often happens to an Arsenal not fully committed to a game, the Cologne striker fools the ref into awarding a penalty by diving in what was at worst, a 50 -50 tussle in the box and bingo! 1-0 down, what a fucking surprise.
It is then Arsenal with the onus on getting one back, which isn't often a problem but only if you really want it, Arsenal appeared not to that much. Plenty of opportunities to level and win came and went as the players continued to play this close in, one touch 'clever' football. Only it wasn't clever or productive and the game ended in a 1-0 defeat to the delight of the Germans who needed the win to still have a slim chance of qualifying for the next stage.
For Arsenal it was a bit of a dead rubber, already through to the knockout stage before kick off, they only needed a draw to go through as group winners and they played like it and were rightly punished for it. Even then they knew they still had a fall back with the home game against Bate Borisov to come where they could still become group winners.
As it turns out, they don't have to do anything else, the Red Star v Bate Borisov game resulted in a 0-0 draw, meaning Arsenal are through as group winners anyway despite this defeat.
It's the players who should feel ashamed of themselves, they've let themselves down in a game which they should have won with consumate ease. Getting through any group of games unbeaten is an achievement in itself, the players blew that opportunity tonight, I hope they are suitably upset but somehow I doubt it.