Griezmann breaks Wenger’s heart
These last days of Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager were supposed to be scripted as a final crescendo for the club that once nearly conquered Europe but, when the tributes were cleared away and the real business started again, the Arsenal of late-era Wenger were just the same as ever.
The Clock End dial was at 9.45pm when Antoine Griezmann scampered towards the home goal, one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe benefiting from a sequence of Arsenal errors that were the undoing of Wenger’s side.
They had been playing the 10men of Atletico Madrid for 80 minutes of this Europa League semi-final first leg and were about to concede a goal that would have been embarrassing had they been facing 11 men.
A great manager is stepping from the stage and, next Thursday in Madrid, perhaps there will be time for one more stroke of genius when the years are rolled back and Arsenal cut a formidable opponent down to size the way they once could.
That is how they would like to say goodbye, with a final in Lyon on May 16 and one last trophy, but to do so they must go to Madrid and atone for the missed opportunities and mistakes of Wenger’s last ever European home tie.
They dominated the game against an Atletico side who were without their full-back Sime Vrsaljko for 80 minutes and, shortly afterwards, lost their manager Diego Simeone, sent to the stands for excessive rage.
With Atletico down to 10 men and denied Simeone’s brooding presence on the touchline, Arsenal could only draw and concede an away goal that means they must score next week in the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
After his dismissal by the French referee Clement Turpin, the Atletico manager later appeared loitering by the doors of the directors’ box, just behind Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive.
Gazidis may have noticed how even with Simeone away from the touchline, Atletico looked every inch their manager’s team: resolute, well organised and shrewd.
Simeone was always a long shot to succeed Wenger, with a new contract at Atletico and a mistrust of English clubs and their ways.
His temper blew on 14 minutes amid an escalation of hostilities. First the Croatian full-back Vrsaljko was given a second yellow card for a foul on Lacazette, and then Simeone was ordered to the stand.
His Atletico team took the best that Arsenal could throw at them, 28 attempts on goal, eight on target, and they rolled with the punches after Alexandre Lacazette scored on the hour. The Frenchman was outstanding for Arsenal and, by the end, it was telling that Wenger did not make a single substitution, so limited were his attacking options from the bench.
It would have mattered less had they not given up that Griezmann goal, which stood as a motif for many of the most frustrating elements of Wenger’s team. There was a long punt from Jose Maria Gimenez, one of the two excellent Atletico centre-halves, then Laurent Koscielny got the wrong side, David Ospina deflected a rebound straight at Griezmann and when the little Frenchman was faced with a tough job of finishing, Shkodran Mustafi fell over on the goal-line.
You could say it was unfortunate but it has happened too many times to this Arsenal team for it to be a surprise no matter that the occasion demanded something different. Later Wenger said that the red card for Vrsaljko disrupted “the flow” of the game and suggested that Atletico going down to 10 was not particularly in his team’s favour.
Vrsaljko was booked within the first two minutes for a silly foul on Jack Wilshere with the referee Turpin determined to get his cards out. The second yellow eight minutes later left Simeone boiling on the bench and he lost it when the referee failed to book Hector Bellerin minutes later.
Judging from the conversation that ensued, Simeone’s old friend and assistant German Burgos, the former Argentina goalkeeper, was trying to claim responsibility for whatever had been said. Turpin was having none of it.
Atletico adjusted, with Griezmann dropping to the left side of midfield and Thomas Partey taking Vrsaljko’s place at full-back. As you might expect they were solid and
quick to the ball, marshalled by Burgos on the touchline. Jan Oblak had made an outstanding save from Lacazette in the early stages and he and the centre-half Diego Godin were commanding throughout.
Arsenal had the away side pressed back before the goal and eventually Aaron Ramsey and Wilshere worked an opening. Wilshere crossed to the back post and Lacazette’s leap was excellent, with enough power to hang and nudge his header out of Oblak’s range and inside the post.
Santi Cazorla had briefly warmed up before the game, a reminder of what the club have lost, and then in the last 10 minutes it went sour for Arsenal, the Atletico bench joyful, knowing that they had done a fine job and that upstairs, their brooding boss would be happy.