Arsenal may be dead and buried in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, but that doesn’t mean the second leg is a throwaway game.
Arsenal head into their Champions League second leg game with Bayern Munich on Tuesday knowing they are already out of the competition. The likelihood of the Gunners overturning a 5-1 deficit, and given current circumstances, is almost impossible.
The damage was done in the first leg, but in terms of the rest of Arsenal’s season, more damage could be done here. The last thing Arsenal need is another mauling. Whilst a win, unless by a highly unlikely score, will not be enough for them to advance.
But one thing as win would do is show some pride. Some fight and defiance. These are the characteristics the Gunners are often questioned on. Not only that, a win over Bayern can help springboard Arsene Wenger’s men for the remainder of the season.
For, as much as Arsenal Champions League hopes for this season are all but dead, their hopes for next season could be dying at the same time. Qualification for next season’s competition is up in the air right now, and Arsenal’s form doesn’t suggest they are about to clinch a place in the final months of the season.
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The Premier League is as competitive as it has ever been between 1st and 6th place. There are going to be two big clubs who are very unhappy come the end of the campaign. Right now, those two are Arsenal and Manchester United. The pair currently sit 5th and 6th in the standings.
The Gunners’ recent form has seen them win just one league game from their last four. Arsenal are heading in the wrong direction, at the wrong time of the season. Well, they always do, right? Again, that’s another characteristic of this Arsenal. When crunch time comes, they fall away.
However, the club can defiantly rebuke many of these trends and perceptions with a strong finish to this campaign. Beating Bayern, despite the one-sided aggregate, can only help in that. A win is a win. The the club can then use it as a springboard to better league form.
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They need to or else Arsenal might not even be a Champions League team next year. Although the Bayern tie looks dead and buried, the Gunner’s season is still alive. But whilst their Champions League dreams for this season die a death, don’t kill next year’s too.
Beat Bayern Munich and give the everybody something to feel better about. Right now, the club are being dragged down both on the pitch and off of it. Only wins reverse that. And the game against Bayern remains a must-win.