Arsene Wenger needs a distraction. He needs relief. Wenger needs something, anything, to take the spotlight off him and the unnerving proximity of another trophy free season for Arsenal. His side’s shock FA Cup exit on Saturday at the hands of Blackburn Rovers had made him the centre of attention. Yesterday’s outburst at reporters during a press conference ensured the focus was magnified. Jupp Heynckes' Bayern Munich side coming into town for a visit is probably the last thing a man looking for clemency and privacy wants or needs.
If Bayern can continue their dominant domestic form then Arsenal can expect to be facing a trophy free run of, at least, nine years. For all of the consistency in reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League the reality is that coming within touching distance of a decade without raising silverware is not acceptable for a side like Arsenal. With the mounting pressure becoming almost unbearable Wenger won’t be allowed to ignore that reality. Unfortunately for the Frenchman that means tonight’s game may represent his final real chance to save his Arsenal career.
It is perhaps a sign of how impressive Bayern Munich have been under Jupp Heynckes this year, and how much they are intimidating Europe’s other heavyweight competitors, that talk of Pep Guardiola’s impending arrival has been relegated to the realm of afterthought, almost to a footnote. Guardiola will arrive in the summer and set about the task of building a side tasked with somehow living up to the achievements of his great Barcelona team. During his sabbatical from the game his eventual destination was a daily story for the football press. However, since he has made his decision there has been a clear distinction between Pep and Bayern. This is not a side waiting for their saviour; this is not a team in waiting, an unfinished article awaiting the final stroke of genius - this is a team worthy of exceptional admiration on their own merits. At the moment Bayern are looking like they could be in the form and mood to take a Champions League title even before they are joined by Football’s Most Wanted Man.
The Germans have been ruthless and near flawless this season. 57 points from a potential 66 and just 7 goals conceded in 22 league games is about as convincing as anyone has ever been in Germany’s top flight. In fact, they are well on the way to break several Bundesliga records.
Bayern haven’t conceded a league goal in competitive football since the fourteenth of December, and have let in just one in the last seven league games. In the same period they’ve scored 16 times. In fact, no Bundesliga side in the past three decades has a better goal per game ratio than this current Bayern side. Their goals conceded ratio is half of the all-time record.
Last year’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea, in the Allianz Arena, had a deep effect on the squad. The pain of that loss, allied with the German cup final defeat to Borussia Dortmund and the second consecutive season without a Bundesliga title, has added defensive steel to a side that was already famed for its attacking threat.
There is also a drive and determination – if not already present following the 2010 Champions League final defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan then certainly present in the aftermath of the penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea – that should ensure the relatively clear waters of the Bundesliga aren’t allowed to tempt the side into the dangers of a relaxation of focus.
For Arsenal this game can seem like the cruellest compounding of their misery. Short of Barcelona there wasn’t really a tougher draw they could wish for. A positive result is necessary to relieve some pressure on the team and the manager but it feels unlikely that The Gunners will be taking a place in the quarter finals.
Mikel Arteta said yesterday that Arsenal can’t show the Germans too much respect and need to take a positive attitude to the game, attacking their guests early on. “The last few big games we missed the first 20-25 minutes and gave the opposition probably too much respect. We want to face a different scenario with Bayern and get into the game show that we want to win it.”
For all that Arteta and his teammates will surely want to put in a commendable performance to aid their manager’s cause the danger is that this Bayern side will simply not allow them the opportunity.
