Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The more things change the more they very much stay the same as once again Arsenal have been dealt a 5-1 defeat at the hands of German giants Bayern Munich. Fans of the 1993 Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day will know how this one pans out.
And the one constant through these repeated defeats is the fact that Arsene Wenger has been at the helm of the North London but after last night’s defeat at The Emirates you do wonder if we really are seeing the very end of Wenger’s time in charge.
The signs certainly point to that, a game that was played among a backdrop of fan protest both before and after with an atmosphere that is getting toxic with a once loyal fanbase turning their backs on Emperor Wenger.
Theo Walcott’s goal which put Arsenal ahead will have given Arsenal fans an almost cruel glimmer of hope with the unwarranted belief that they could somehow overturn that first leg deficit and progress to the Round of 16.
But with Bayern perhaps only playing at about 60% effort the game would once again be turned upside down for Arsenal due to the departure of Laurent Koscielny. It was injury in the first leg but this time it was a Red Card.
The French international was adjudged to have bought down Robert Lewandowski in the box and although he was initially shown a yellow card it quickly transpired to be a red one and by the time Lewandowski stroked the ball past David Ospina from the penalty spot the house of cards was ready to collapse.
Just like in the first leg it was a Bayern blitzkrieg which changed the landscape of the game. Arjen Robben would make it 2-1 on the night and 7-2 on aggregate and that point any life that Arsenal may have had in them was soon exercised.
Douglas Costa took full advantage of the Referee’s decision to let play continue as he cut inside and fired hard and low past Ospina. 3-1 with 12 minutes but there was still time for Bayern to turn the screw further.
Arturo Vidal was almost toying with The Gunners at the end, his delicious chip made it 4-1 and then the proverbial salt in the wounds was added when Vidal got his second of the game after once again neat work from Costa.
Arsenal in tatters while Wenger only laid into the referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos for his performance of the players and not the meek performance of his players. The players lacked fight the fans certainly did not after the game as this fractured fanbase accused each other.
This is a club in a crisis by their own standards, Wenger seems too stubborn to finally say goodbye and you can understand that after 20 years at the helm but the longer this uncertainty continues the further the club is being dragged down. One thing is for sure the rage will be apoplectic if they fail to beat Lincoln City at the weekend.
