Arsenal v Bayern, Captain to return?

Morning all.

I cannot decide what was more amusing about the Man Utd v Everton fixture on Monday night, Idrissa Gueye getting sent off after just 13 minutes for striking team-mate Michael Keane, or Utd going on to lose 1-0 at Old Trafford against ten men. And to think the football media told us that Utd were back after their victory over Liverpool.

The decline of both Liverpool and Utd has been a surprise to me. Utd have struggled since old red nose left the building and Slot, after fluking his way to a first season PL trophy, seems devoid of ideas how to change his teams struggles.

It’s good for the rest of the Premier League and not for one minute do I feel sorry for either. We know what it’s like to go through struggles, we also know what it’s like to read and hear constant negativity about our club and for more than just a few months. Do you think their fans cared about us? Not a chance.

Arsenal sit in a good place in every competition right now and tonight Mikel Arteta’s players go up against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Top spot (at the time of writing) against second in the table so it should be a tight game. A good game too.

Vincent Kompany will be without Diaz as he’s suspended for three Champions League fixtures following his sending-off against PSG but Serge Gnabry isn’t a bad alternative, assuming he returns from injury tonight. Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies are also ruled out through injury. 17 year old Lennart Karl is one to watch out for apparently.

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme:

Vincent Kompany sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation – he has used that shape in every game – with two holding midfielders at the base of the engine room. Those four players protect the spine, with the rest of Bayern’s XI given freedom to attack in a set-up that often morphs into 2-2-6.  There is a lot of fluidity in the way the German champions play, with positional rotations one of the key methods they use to drag opponents out of shape. The three units work in harmony, and there is a thirst for creativity and to score goals. Bayern are joint leaders in the competition (14), while also boasting the highest xG (12.34). Their astute head coach has his own methods, but tactically, in essence, the former Manchester City defender wants his team to play like the side he was part of under Pep Guardiola.

Bayern Munich are a possession-heavy outfit who want to control matches with their sharp distribution, making the fourth-highest number of successful passes in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Their build-up play is fast, attractive to watch and devilishly difficult to contain. Yet they are far from being one-trick ponies. Kompany’s men will also press opponents with intensity, and have forced a league-phase high 43 high turnovers across their four matches so far. Three of those transitions in advanced areas led to goals. When the ball changes hands, they can explode forward at great pace. The Germans also love to build up moves in the wide areas, where they are blessed with outstanding quality.

Former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise has been in wonderful form, oozing creative magic whenever he cuts inside from the right flank. His silky ball carrying, coupled with the service he puts into the box for Harry Kane, is top class. The 23-year-old is also capable of scoring goals himself. Bayern Munich love to slide through balls through gaps for runners. They have made 19 in four games, with Olise (4), Raphael Guerreiro (4) and Joshua Kimmich (3) those with the most imagination. Defensively, Kompany has also made them a formidable unit. As a group they work tirelessly for each other, and their well organised structure makes them hard to break down. The discipline of Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic, with and without the ball, knits them together nicely. As if that wasn’t enough, this Bayern side can also be deadly on the break. In the Bundesliga, despite monopolising the ball, they still top the charts for most goals from counter-attacks.

Bayern Munich do not have many noticeable flaws. That said, five of the last 13 goals they have conceded came from corners or free kicks, so we must look to utilise our power and invention from set pieces this evening. There is also a feeling their centre backs and central midfielders can be forced into errors if you press them with conviction.

Both Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are back in the mix now having been in the squad which battered Totts. Mikel Arteta spoke in his pre-match press conference about who else is set to follow them. He said Martin Odegaard is a possibility for tonight but both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres will have a checkup scan this week and if all goes well, they’ll be pushing hard to be ready for the Chelsea game.

Bayern are a top club with a great squad including a striker who simply can’t stop scoring in Kane. Like us, they have a 100% record in the Champions League so far this season thanks to a 3-1 home win over Chelsea, a 5-1 thrashing of Pafos, a 4-0 defeat of Club Brugge before beating PSG 2-1 in their last match.

Arsenal too has a strong and deep squad and are in superb form in this competition. We may not have scored as many goals as Bayern but we’ve still scored 11 and without conceding, the best result coming against Atletico Madrid.

On paper, this should be a cracking game however, sometimes when two clubs in excellent form come together, the game can be cagey, boring even as both sides try to find a way through the other.

Catch up in the comments.