Take a bow Alex Iwobi!. The young Arsenal and Nigerian international star rescued a creditable draw in normal time for a much changed Arsenal against a strong Bayern Munich side in China with a fantastic header in the 94th minute. He also scored a great penalty in the shoot out which the Gunners won.
It had not looked like it was going to end up that way, especially in a first half which the Germans dominated. You could say that Arsenal rode our luck and could have been further behind at the break, especially after an incorrect offside decision cancelled out a Tolisso strike.
You could also say, however, that the penalty Lewandowski scored in the 9th minute was extremely soft and that both Ozil and Lacazette were unlucky not to score from open play. Having lost Per Mertesacker to illness just before the start Arsenal had a back three of Bielik, Elneny and Monreal and despite struggling at times they managed to frustrate a fluid Bayern attack including Ribery, with two massive helping hands from the brilliant Petr Cech.
The second half was more even but we did not create too much until Iwobi started and finished a sweeping move with Ramsey collecting a ball of vision and skill from the young Gunner and crossing it back for him to score. Elneny’s spot kick was saved but Martinez saved two and Sanches hit the bar so Arsenal claim a morale boosting win.
Well done lads!
Bob.
Can’t watch the game… How were Iwobi’s and Lacazette’s performances? I think Iwobi will develop into a world class midfielder if he is given the chance to play more often.
In the last two seasons, Iwobi showed very good ball control and skills. And Lacazette shows amazing dribblings in hie YouTube videos.
Iwobi really impressed. Anybody seen Walcott.
Walcott was disappointing again. His one quality is finishing, and while his shots have mostly been on target- credit to him, they have all been predictably tame- even for Bayern’s third choice keeper.
Seriously Everton/West Ham we would accept £25m or even £20m plus add ons.
Its fourth choice actually
Its fourth choice actually
On the day Szez leaves Martinez makea great penalty saves !
Lets give Martinez a chance at being No 2 as I dont like this sharing of duties between Cech and Ospina as doesnt push either keeper to perform as they are both guaranteed separate competitions !
Also well done Iwobi.. last season was his first full season and hopefully he can push on this season !
I didn’t watch the pens! I went back to work. I thought that was it. gutted!
So happy Cech wasn’t in goal for this. Hasn’t he failed to stop/save one for like 3 years?
Cech is awesome but he dives way too predictable when it comes to penalty’s. If he would go against his instincts he would stop at least a few a season.
I’ve been saying forcquite a while that if given chance he can be world class.Isn’t that why Wenger signed him?I want him chosen over Ospina.A lot of his performances have been overlooked and not observed by fans.It’s a shame really that he has to impress always and not get the chance.Gool luck to Szczesny too.I always believed in him and knew he would prove everyone wrong.
Martinez is much better than Szcz because he doesn’t do the maddest of things. He’ll work at Juventus because they’re great at dealing with high balls, Buffon can’t come and pull them out of air anymore either and he done fine over there. I’d put him over Ospina too for the same reasons. Also I agree one hundred percent with Neil, that sharing comps thing is a bitch ass move, it’s kindergarten stuff.
For me, Coquelin was MoM, he bossed that midfield, made so much interception and tackles. Laca is still not used to our fast paced football, I thought he struggled early on, but when hes inside of the box, hes a different player, I guess its those team chemistry issue.
Good result, bring on Chelsea!
I thought I was the only one who felt Coquelin was the MOM.He made it look easy today.It’s like he’s coming back again.When he’s like this he’s just so good.If only he could carry the ball with authority he would be untouchable but of course that’s life.Iwobi said he had a point to prove this season and he’s doing exactly that with his hunger to impress.What a player we have on our hands.
Elneny and Ramsey got higher ratings in the two different publications that I’ve seen so far. Cech and Ozil seem to be the highest rated, with Martinez getting a good shout also. One said Coquelin looked lost in midfield at times, chasing shadows and the usual late tackle yellow.
Missed the game myself, was working.
Which Midfield ???
Bayern could have been 5 – 0 up by half time but for Cech’s yeo man’s job.
By Jupiter length, Peter Cech was the MOTM if it was the same game we watched !!!!
That was the game I watched but sadly the 4th place junkies survived their cold turkey and are back shooting up whatever the yoghurt salesman is handing out
Good fight and deserved victory. However, Arsenal has to stop allowing teams too much room to boss big games.It boosts our opponent’s morale. Wenger has to correct this before the season stats
So we are going to win the league then now. Hurray.
What would you of said if we lost?
go out of here you Man utd fan!!!
With the kind of team Arsenal put up today wouldnt you expect Bayern to better?I think people are overreacting.To me Arsenal shpwed mentality today because they didn’t allow Bayern to overwhelm them.Maitland Niles is not a RWB,Elneny is not a CB,even Monreal plays there because he’s defensively solid and Coquelin and Xhaka make the team too defensive with little in atfack.These were the problems we were facing.Based on all these things Bayern who had a more balanced team should’ve won the match.I also felt Cech did well and some of our last gasp defending was good.I think our poorness was more of the positions some players played but not mentality today.I’m so proud that we showed strong character and mentality to keep going especially when Bayern were dominating.
bear in mind a number of our first team players were not playing and makes the win even mite impressive
Kos Mert Sanchez Holding and Mustafi thats almost half our first team which bodes well for a strong squad for the season
Add Bellerin
Bit harsh on M-N I think, yes he gave away that penalty but it was a soft penalty, some of the refs decisions was questionable along with the linesmen.
I think in the long run M-N could be a very good CM and RWB could be the ideal spot for him to develop, get experience in defending while the RCB should also be able to help him out and at the same time getting forward to help with attacks, he has something to offer when getting forward and confident.
Ramsey looking good recently. Quality ball to setup Iwobi
Bayern Munich fielded a pretty strong team, especially compared to ours and looked like they were going to inflict real damage in the first 25 minutes. But Arsenal’s improvised defense held, and that great last minute header send them into the penalty shoot out with a psychological advantage. A scruffy, often frustrating game but ultimately a great boost for morale! COYG!!
I had heart in mouth when I saw Ribery Lewandowski Muller front 3 against our Bielik El Neny Monreal back 3.
Well played lads for not just keeping it respectable, or nicking a draw at the death, but for going on to win.
Because the truth is, if Bayern had won, we would be trolled as Bayern-whipping boys. Alas, the press will highlight the fact that it is a friendly… Xunts
But we ARE Bayern whipping-boys…this was established last season when they handed as the third 5-1 thumping in as many competitive meetings.
Good game lads.
The lack of fluency could be attributed to lack of sync between the much experienced and the not very experienced blend in the arsenal side. We gained more fluency when we had more of the younger players on the pitch. This younger lads has been playing together for more times than they have played with the first teamers! The same could be said of Bayern, the had more fluency in the first 45mins cos they had more first team players then the younger players on the pitch.
if any arsenal player did play well it definitely iwobi, asides is super run and cool finish that levelled the match, he did absolutely well when the formation too a new dynamic.. nice work Iwobi. Team morale needs adjustment.
@Ayuskol, Really?!
Good luck ? Gunners but still need a very good defensive mdfedr … Good play.
Iwobi was fantastic. Our bench is looking strong this season with Iwobi, Giroud, Ox etc
Coquelin looked good too
I hope he plays like this. Last season he didn’t
I did not expect us to win the penalties
This season is looking promising
But Wenger still needs to make a couple more good signings
Sead needs to step up. Wasn’t particularly great in Austria either. 2 games only I know but the signs are there.
As things stand Monreal is undisputed at LWB.
It had to be said.
I don’t agree with you there.In the two matches in Australia he was hardly tested and even played CB.Today’s match I think he was solid defensively.He has to start again over Monreal to help him gel.Trust me the guy is so defensively solid.I think today he did well in his defending and even showed some strength to take players off the ball.
He was also a little injured I think.
He was sick … Like in ill and not the sick like in Cool ???
Apparently he had the same illness as BFG. The Chinese pussy obviously didn’t agree with them.
Kev,
At the moment I question his positioning and have a funny feeling tricky players like say Mane or Ali will rip him apart and draw him into making a lot of fouls near our box. I hope for our sake your assessment is correct though.
Fatboy,
lol, our players need to stay away from all those Hello Kitties out there.
Sead will be a force. Both defensively and Offensively. I think Wenger has already settled for a back 3 of Mustafi, Koscielny and Monreal.
You and I will be praising him in every game once he has settled. Mark this words!
Pablo picaso, really the bloke has played 3 pre-season friendly games and not even full games at that. Give the kid some time to adjust, I have seen him play and he is a beast on the field and that is something we don’t have much of in our team. He was solid defensively today. Sometimes I wonder if half the people here actually watch the games.
C.O.Y.G
Guys, i read Westham are about to pay 13m pounds for Chicharito. And we were also willing to accept 10m pounds for Elneny from Leicester. Elneny is not willing to leave Arsenal. I dont know how true these rumours are. I would love Chicharito any day. A better player than Welbeck imo. Also, we should not sell Elneny. We have many games to play next season due to europa league. We should focus on winning the europa league and EPL. Top four finish is not a trophy. We should have a bigger squad capable of winning Europa and EPL. Hijack Chicharito deal Wenger. Forget Lemar. Welbeck hardly plays half of a season. He cant score 15 league goals. Get Chicharito. If Sanchez does not sign the contract, sell him to PSG.
That was some physical game for a friendly. Munich were as dirty as ever, the no good cheating blunts. Niles and Willcox both stood out again, they both deserve a step up into the first team. Let them play in the Europa league.
It is safe to say our front three this season will be Ozil, Sanchez and Lacazette (Assuming a back 3). If we get Lemar finally we can look forward to the season with much optimism.
So lets pray for an injury free pre-season and a strong start to the season.
I would pray for goals for all our new signings within the first 5 games of the season just to help them settle quickly – say a Hattrick against Chelsea for Lacazette?
🙂
didn’t watch the game, but Bielik was MOM
Let carry this into the main season. We seems to always do well when we do not play with any pressure and fizzles out when the real thing starts. Injuries has also contributed in no small means to our problems, and so I hope Le’ prof build a solid team this season. Well done guys! Let’s push harder this time out.
I didn’t watch the match .With the news that mertsacker injured, half of our CBs won’t be available for matches against Leicester and Liverpool, who will be our back 3? Shouldn’t we be buying a CB like now?. I think everyone still remembers what happened last season against Liverpool .
This happened last season and it set a very bad precedent. Don’t know why people are thumbing you down. Maybe Beilik Holding Monreal they are thinking we are fine. Gabriel is not reliable, Mustafi is missing pre-season games so that’s bad. Now Mert our Animonster in a back three is gone. I’d be much happier with Mert’s experience if Holding and Beilik are starting the season together for the first time. Like you say, remember last season when we went with two young CB’s.
After saying that ..what do you think I went on and done, thumbed him down by an accident ..doh!
Also Gabriel is injured and he is not travelling with the squad, so we will have to make do with holding monreal and chambers
I don’t mind the thumbs down there are lot of people with amnesia here lol,
also some are living in denial that we have the best squad
What, buy a CB because Merts has a bad stomach? Our only injury is Gabriel. Mustafi has a month before the first game, not flying around the world playing pre-season friendlies is a help not a hindrance. I am old enough to remember when pre-season BS tournaments were not a thing – it wasn’t that long ago. He will still be training. Ditto Holding.
Professor never shout, I believe no shout to Wenger for Elnemy, Welbek, Chamberln and Bellellin he knows their future to Arsenal. But what pains me is that,’ while Wenger in struggle for them, they real focus on other soccer life while using Wenger value.
We are lacking a mid player who can drive the team like Cazorla or Rosicky. Xahak is good in passing but can’t drive the team from deep mid to attacking half same with Ramsey apart them I don’t think coq and elneny can do the same.A spot in this mid area is a concern.
Arsenal accepted a £10 million bid from Leicester for Eleny
But Eleny has rejected it because he prefers London
Can anyone please tell me why Welcrap keeps getting picked… I have been pulling my hair out for years: he does not track back, dreadful first touch, shoots when he should pass and his shot’s are always tame…. Arghhhhh “PUT YOUR FOOT THROUGH THE BLOODY BALL”
SIGN MAHREZ PLEASSSSEEEE.
Wenger, we need recruitment’s. Please don’t read that last seasons problems are fixed or kid yourself it was mainly about your contract. CM player and a winger, a step up in class you said it yourself. Maybe another striker if we sell Giroud ..definitely another striker in that case. Iwobi should be used as Alexis alternative, or even Ozil. Reiss can be alternative to our brand new more rounded winger. Beilik can see if he can emulate Holding’s assuredness.
WORD FROM WOLJIECH
I remember being a young boy in Poland, watching David Seaman,
Thierry Henry, Dennis Berkamp
and others play for Arsenal.
Never in my wildest dreams did I
think I would get a chance to
play for the club I supported as
a little kid. When I was
approached by Arsenal in 2005
my world changed forever. I
began my journey as a 16 year
old boy at the Arsenal’s
academy, trying to one day
become a first team player,
going out for evening runs in
East Barnet with Jack Wilshere.
Little did we know then, that
couple years later we’d beat
Barcelona in the Champions
League and wear the no.1 and
no.10 shirts. It has been over 11
years since I became an Arsenal
player and I never thought the
day I leave this club would
come. Everything that I am and
everything that I have, I owe to
Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Liam
Brady, David Court, Bob Arber,
Steve Bould, Neil Banfield, Mike
Salmon, Tony Roberts, Gerry
Peyton, Pat Rice and many
others. Words can’t describe my
gratitude to these people and
love for this club. Today I move
on, ready for the new challenge
in my life, taking with me only
the good memories and bag of
expierience. I leave hopeful that
those days of Berkamp,Henry,
Seaman and others are soon to
return to Emirates Stadium and
Arsenal get back to winning the Arsenal player no more but I
will carry the Arsenal name with me wherever
I go and I will do so with great pride.”
Premier League. I may not be an
ffs Saed and a number of Arsenal players were sick plus it is a preseason friendly. Yes the win is nice but do not read too much into this. These games are to build fitness. When will some of you actually learn the different aspects of football. That being said the ozil and lacazette link up play today was making me gush…He and ozil were competing for who has the silkiest touch…Ramsey never gets the credit he deserves but he has been doing extremely well since the change to 3-4-3. That lacazette guy though…what a baller – His technique is amazing. On another note don’t expect any transfer business while they are trying to get rid of players because we need to make space for the other recruits coming.
There was a typical air of preseason with the performance of both teams especially in the second half. Iwobi played well so did most of the Arsenal youngsters. Bramall could do with a loan move perhaps he seemed out of depth and lacking confidence. Not sure about Elneny as a Centre back either.
In other news Renato Sanchez is for sale according to. He would be worth investing in. Young powerful, skillful and retains the ball well he’d be like a bigger Santi Carzola
even though the win boost the psychology of our team let’s be frank that arsenal has to do a lot on the training and transfer to challenge and beat a big named club convincingly.
Watched the game, you guys are giving too much praise. yes some players did well, flash of brilliance from Ramsey and Iwobi gave us the draw at 94 minutes. but beside that we looked like headless chicken of the bad days. We created almost nothing, no jelling until the bigs guns of Bayern left the picth and gave us space to work. 13 shoots vs 3 at half time says it all.