Arsenal's Glorious Failure Could Help Them Win A Trophy

Match Review: Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 - Champions League 17.03.15

No-one does glorious failure quite like Arsenal. Having made a complete mess of the first leg, most had accepted that we were already out. Three goals against a notoriously mean defence seemed an impossible task. But, once more, Arsenal produced a courageous effort that felt just short of what was required. We were cruelly given hope, but another self-destruction in the first leg has led to a disappointingly premature exit from the competition.

Arsenal made three changes from the win against West Ham. Bellerin, Cazorla and Welbeck came in for Chambers, Ramsey and Walcott, giving us about as an attacking lineup as was possible. There was some concern about the balance of the side, given how open we were to the counter-attack in the previous leg, but with such a huge deficit to try and make up, Wenger was left with little choice.

It took about 20 minutes for us to settle, but once we did we looked dangerous. Giroud went close with a header, then Koscielny hit the bar but from an offside position. It looked like we would be frustrated, but with 10 minutes to half time Giroud buried his demons from the first leg and made the impossible task look a little more possible.

Danny Welbeck’s excellent through ball released Giroud into the six yard box and after his initial attempt was saved, the Frenchman showed great composure to settle himself and then fire into the roof of the net on his weaker side. It was just reward for our efforts in a first half where Monaco displayed little attacking intent. Aside from his first leg nightmare, Giroud has been one of the form strikers in the league. He's become a vital part of our attacking unit and after being accused of failing in the big games, he's coming up with important goals at crucial points.

We could, and should, have had more goals in that first half. Danny Welbeck saw his attempt blocked away by a desperate lunge, while Giroud nearly got his second, but couldn't control the cross from Welbeck. Nevertheless, the goal brought us back into the tie and set up what was to be a nail biting second half.

Unfortunately, half-time gave Monaco a chance to compose themselves and they defended resolutely for most of the second half. We monopolised possession, but the home side sat deep and made it very difficult for us to find a way through. If this had been the first leg, we'd have been in a great position, controlling the game and with an away goal to take back to London. With two goals still needed though, Monaco were quite happy to soak up the pressure and tried to take the sting out of the game. But just when hope was beginning to fade, Arsenal cruelly decided to play with our hearts again.

The goal originated from a stunning Mesut Özil pass over the top for Monreal. The full-back cushioned a lovely pass across the box for Theo Walcott, but his volley cannoned agonisingly off the post. Fortunately, a moment of panic in the home defence lead to a botched clearance straight to the feet of Aaron Ramsey who applied the finish. He’d been excellent since replacing Coquelin and gave us a chance with just ten minutes left.

So often in a situation like this, you get one chance. One moment comes along and is the difference between success and failure. That moment came from a freekick floated into the box by Cazorla, sailing towards the back post where Giroud and Alexis rose to meet it. Neither made a clear shout for the ball, but between them they managed to force the ball goal-wards. But with no pace on the effort, Subasic managed to claw the ball off the line and away to safety. Had Giroud managed a clean contact with his foot or Sanchez had an unimpeded header, we may well have been talking about the moment that secured a miracle. But devastatingly, heartbreakingly, the moment passed us by again.

Many, myself included, had jokingly predicted such a gallant failure. Being right though, was no consolation, in fact it probably made to the empty feeling I had at the end of the game worse. Had we played out a boring 0-0 draw, or even just won 1-0, I doubt it would have been as painful to see us eliminated. To come so close but fail again really hurts.

There is no time to dwell on the disappointment though. While we've been eliminated in frustrating and infuriating circumstances once again, the performance was very good. Outside of the context of the tie as a whole, it was a continuation of the excellent form we've shown in recent weeks. Despite the disappointment, there are positives to be taken and there are many opportunities still left for the season to be a success. We have a golden opportunity to retain the FA Cup and with just one point between us and City we have the chance to pinch second, maybe even mount a shock challenge for the title. We cannot allow this setback to derail the rest of season, otherwise it will add insult to an already painful injury.

Teams

Monaco (4-5-1)
Subasic, Fabinho, Wallace, Abdennour, Kurzawa, Dirar (Elderson 86’), Toulalan, Kondogbia (Y), Martial (Carrasco 60’), João Moutinho, Berbatov (Silva 70’)
Subs
Stekelenburg, Carvalho, Toure, Elderson, Carrasco, Silva, Matheus

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal (Gibbs 83’), Coquelin (Ramsey 63’), Cazorla, Alexis (Y), Özil, Welbeck (Walcott 72’), Giroud
Subs
Szczesny, Chambers, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Walcott

Player Ratings

Ospina - 6/10 - Didn’t have a save to make
Bellerin - 7/10 - Gave his all, maybe could have put in some better crosses
Mertesacker - 7/10 - Mostly a nervous spectator
Koscielny - 7/10 - Another spectator
Monreal - 7/10 - Played a big part in the second goal and had a good game
Coquelin - 6/10 - Proved largely unneeded given Monaco’s limited forays forward
Cazorla - 7/10 - A good showing, but ultimately a fruitless one
Welbeck - 7/10 - Maybe a little unlucky to be hooked, especially with Walcott’s form at the moment
Özil - 8/10 - A brilliant showing, orchestrated the attack and showed plenty of desire
Alexis - 7/10 - Things aren’t quite clicking for him, outrageously booked for diving too
Giroud - 8/10 - Took his goal brilliantly and provides a pivot for the attack to move around
Subs
Ramsey - 8/10 - Looking a lot more like the player of last season and took his chance well
Walcott - 6/10 - Apart from hitting the post, fairly anonymous
Gibbs - N/A

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