SHAME AGAIN
Fans in revolt as rampant Bayern reduce Wenger to a new low
ARSENAL were humiliated as Bayern Munich dished out a second 5-1 hammering in two games to dump them out of the Champions League as Arsene Wenger’s reign hit a new low.
Fans demonstrated against Wenger before the game, and although Theo Walcott put them ahead Bayern ran riot after skipper Laurent Koscielny was sent off.
WHEN it comes to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Arsenal really are specialists in failure. And not even a gallant one, in the end.
By the time the 10th Munich goal went in over the two legs, Arsene Wenger finally looked like a man who has had enough.
For 50 minutes, Arsenal had gone toe-to-toe with Germany’s European stars and sparked the belief this time it could be different.
But even the sense of injustice over the harsh, goalline assistant -sending off of Laurent Koscielny just after half-time was not enough to disguise the truth.
However, the ease with which Munich rubber-stamped their authority once they had the extra man once again sparked mumbles of discontent, albeit with majority shareholder Stan Kroenke the target rather than Arsene Wenger, as had been anticipated.
Questions need to be asked, though, why Arsenal continually fail to measure up to their elite European peers because this was all so depressingly predictable.
A pattern that started in 2012 had looked on the cards the moment Arsenal capitulated so pathetically in Germany three weeks earlier.
Poor first legs against AC Milan, Munich a year later and Monaco in 2015 had led to brave secondleg against-the-odds displays that ultimately led to the Gunners falling agonisingly short.
This year, though, Arsenal’s cause was more lost than ever. A four-goal deficit has never been overturned in the Continent’s most prestigious competition.
There was still a bit of additional cloud to be thrown into the mix minutes before kick-off when Danny Welbeck, the secret weapon Wenger had been nurturing back to fitness ready for this encounter, had to withdraw from the starting line-up due to illness, replaced off the bench by Olivier Giroud.
But, in fairness, that just seemed to inspire Arsenal further against an uncharacteristically cautious Munich side, whose manager Carlo Ancelotti will have been all too aware of how accidents can happen after his Milan side lost to Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005.
Wenger had demanded “lucid rage” and Theo Walcott seemed prepared for plenty of the latter at least, acting as a foil with the back-on-message Alexis Sanchez either side of Giroud following the reshuffle, with German international Mesut Ozil, below, back on the bench after illness.
It was Giroud who had the first scent of goal, deflecting a header against the outside of the foot of the post. That seemed to lift the whole stadium and moments later Walcott broke through the German defence and arrowed a shot inside Manuel Neuer’s near post to get the Arsenal faithful believing again. Bayern Munich were rattled. TV replays showed Xabi Alonso just got enough of the ball to deflect strong shouts for a penalty and the usually composed Robert Lewandowski completely fluffed his shot when put clear through on a rare Munich attack.
Arsenal’s big failure, though, was not to get a second before the break, giving Bayern a chance to regroup.
They could have killed the occasion off completely within four minutes of the restart when Lewandowksi did indeed put the ball in the back of the net – fortunately for the spectacle the assistant spotted he had just strayed offside.
It was only a temporary reprieve. Soon afterwards Lewandowski was onside, ran past Koscielny and was unceremoniously dumped to the ground. A yellow card was shown, the additional assistant persuaded referee Tasos Sidiropoulos that it was in fact a goalscoring opportunity and Koscielny was belatedly sent trudging towards the tunnel.
Crucially, Lewandowski was clinical from the spot and with four goals now needed to force extra-time, the fight was sucked out of the Emirates with an almost audible plop.
Arjen Robben stole the solace even of a draw by taking advantage of some poor defending to score a Munich second.
Substitute Douglas Costa helped himself to a third, Arturo Vidal a fourth. And then a fifth.
The Emirates emptied pitifully in what now undoubtedly feels like a race to beat Wenger to the exit.