It has undeniably been a dreadful week for Arsenal Football Club.
On Wednesday night, Mikel Arteta’s squad journeyed to Germany with aspirations of uplifting team spirit and securing a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Unfortunately, Arsenal’s dreams were shattered as they were eliminated following a lackluster display against Bayern Munich in the second leg. Joshua Kimmich’s solitary goal sealed Bayern’s victory, culminating in a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
This disappointment follows a recent setback where the London-based club suffered a deserved 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, significantly denting their prospects of clinching the Premier League title.
During the weekend, criticism swirled around the manager’s lineup choices. However, the starting eleven fielded against Bayern received fewer objections.
Kai Havertz reclaimed his customary number nine position, Jorginho was introduced into midfield, and Takehiro Tomiyasu made an appearance at left-back.
Upon facing Villa, Arsenal’s gameplay faltered during crucial moments, exhibiting a palpable lack of energy, paving the way for a seemingly inevitable goal by Thomas Tuchel’s team.
Thierry Henry expressed dissatisfaction while dissecting Bayern’s goal from CBS Studios, directing criticism towards Gabriel Martinelli for his perceived defensive shortcomings.
However, the former striker adopted a contrarian stance, shifting focus towards Tomiyasu and his involvement in Kimmich’s goal during an interview with CBS Sports on Paramount+ (17/04/24 at 11:25 pm).
Henry was perplexed by the defending of the 25-year-old player in both phases of play. Particularly, he was baffled by the actions during a crucial moment when Raphaël Guerreiro was preparing to deliver a cross from the left side, leading to the eventual goal.
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During the initial phase of the play, Leroy Sane initiated a run from the right channel, causing the ball to transition to the opposite flank.
As Guerreiro was about to deliver the cross and with Sane already off the pitch, Henry found it puzzling that Tomiyasu appeared to focus more on Sane rather than the actual goalscorer, who occupied a more threatening position.
“Can I play the devil’s advocate,” responded Henry amid criticism of Martinelli for Bayern’s goal. “Can we show that goal again? If I am the winger there defending for Tomiyasu. You are going to see Martinelli defending on Leroy Sane.
“I invite you to look at what Tomiyasu does, so Martinelli has to defend and you are doing his job right now. You go all the way there (the ball is switched to Guerreiro out wide). Now, please stay with Tomiyasu. What is Leroy Sane going to do there? (He goes off the pitch) You (Tomiyasu) are looking at him.
“He can’t score! Close the gap. He can’t score!” screamed the legendary striker. “It’s dependent on you. What is he going to do? He isn’t even in the frame. This is where he was, I know I am going far, he was going there (Henry proceeds to walk out of the picture to demonstrate how far Sane went off the pitch). How is he going to score?! Close the gap!”
Next in line for the Gunners is a challenging and potentially arduous journey to the Midlands to face Wolves.
The task ahead won’t be simple, and it will push every aspect of this Arsenal team to its limits.
A mere draw won’t suffice; anything less than three points will likely result in heavy criticism.
Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that if Arsenal emerge victorious this weekend, they will briefly claim the top spot in the standings as Manchester City will be occupied with FA Cup semi-final proceedings.