5 positives Arsenal can take from the defeat to Bayern Munich

Arsenal may have lost 5-1 to Bayern Munich last night but it’s not all doom and gloom, as the performance put in by the Gunners was admirable.

Arsene Wenger’s side were simply taken apart by Europe’s finest outfit and we did give them a run for their money, with a much-improved performance in the second-half.

Many fans worldwide will be disappointed by the defeat, particularly the large margin, but it doesn’t tell the full story- and in fact Arsenal actually put in one of their best performances of the season going forward, breaching one of the best defences in Europe.

Following the defeat, and ahead of this weekend’s crucial North London derby, Jonathan Kaney picks out five positives Arsenal fans can take from the European defeat.

Fear not Gooners, we will return to success imminently!


The result was an unfair reflection of the performance

Gooners have watched Arsenal do it countless times over the years – have the perfect game where the opposition does very little wrong but everything goes right for us, and we end up hammering them.

Unfortunately, the shoe was on the other foot last night with every mistake punished and every Bayern shot destined to hit the net. From Muller’s first goal that took just enough of a deflection to beat Cech, to Alaba’s inch perfect shot and fortunate bounces and luck on the night, everything seemed to go Bayern’s way.

We by no means deserved to take anything from the game, but with a severely depleted squad playing away to the favourites for the trophy, the game was much closer than the result showed.

It could have been a different game had Ozil’s goal stood

Ozil’s ruled out goal was a controversial moment in the game and depending on where you stand on whether he could have used his head, got it on his shoulder or whether it should have stood, there is no doubt if it had stood at 1-1 it would have been a far different game.

A few minutes later Bayern went 2-0 up, and it was an uphill battle to chase the game.

Giroud’s goal

Oliver Giroud’s performance and superb goal was another positive we can take from the game. He was isolated for most of the night, but toiled away and when he got the chance he scored a stunning goal after taking the ball down with his chest and firing an acrobatic volley past Manuel Neuer.

It was his eighth in 10 matches in all competitions, and while he was criticised heavily at the start of the season, you have to say his goal drought is over as he continues to deliver goals on the big stage.

Cech played well

Without some great saves from Peter Cech, the result could have been far worse. He made a brilliant acrobatic save just before half time from Muller and a host of other decent stops in the face of a barrage of attacks.

It’s unfair on him that he conceded five goals, and it’s a reflection of Bayern’s excellence rather than his performance. On the whole, there was very little he could do for any of the superbly taken goals, and he takes no blame.

The defeat will fire us up against Spurs

It’s a tough pill to swallow to lose by that many goals, but just like after the shock League Cup loss at Sheffield Wednesday we have to dust ourselves off and focus on Spurs at the weekend.

We were desperate to put in a performance against Swansea to make it up to the fans for that result, and we did. The manner of this defeat will fire us up to make amends at Spurs and carry on our title push.

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