Another match at the Emirates, and yet another elimination from a competition for Arsenal. The Gunners struggled to break down Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, and a fortunate goal from Kazim-Richards was enough to see of Arsene Wenger's side.
Arsenal will now have to turn their attention to Tuesday night's match against Bayern Munich. The German's are a much stronger side than Blackburn, so Arsene Wenger really needs to sort things out before his side gets humiliated on the European Stage.
Team Needs Defensive Confidence And Stability
Regardless of who they play, Arsenal seem to almost always concede a goal, if not more. They have tried a number of different partnerships, but for what ever reason, it just does not seem to work.
Having brought in Steve Bould in the off season to replace Pat Rice after his departure, Arsenal's defensive structure was expected to change for the better. Well, it may not be worst, but it defiantly is not better.
To the surprise of many, Arsenal put on a surprising defensive performance a week ago against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Having gone down one man, Arsenal normally would have packed it in and conceded a goal or two or three. Fortunately for Wenger, his Gunners were able to grind it out and defended with urgency, allowing them to grab the full three points, along with a second consecutive clean-sheet.
Sagna played center-back with Per Mertesacker, and the Arsenal back-line actually looked comfortable on and off the ball. They did not seem to panic and did not lose as many balls as they normally do.
So, while Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny could arguably be one of Arsenal's best defenders, the truth is that Mertesacker offers them that little bit of patience that they tend to lack more often than not. Going up against a very strong Bayern Munich side, Arsenal will need to be patient coming out of the back.
They need to not only figure out who their two best center-backs are, but they need to stick by them and let them gain confidence. As their center-backs gain confidence, they will also inject some confidence in the rest of the team, as well as their goalie. Having a solid back-line will take pressure off midfielders knowing that if they lose the ball, their teammates behind them will at least have a good chance of killing the play, something Arsenal does not do well most of the time.
If Arsenal is unable to remain confident and believe in themselves at the back, an experienced and highly talented Bayern Munich side could really add to the Gunners frustrations.
Playing With Urgency Is Crucial
Whether Arsene Wenger believes it or not, Arsenal needs to play with urgency from the first to the last minute. The team they have at the moment is not built to have a slow build up and that has shown game after game. They constantly spend countless minutes moving the ball side to side, only to lose it in transition or in a dangerous area, leading to a chance for their opponent.
When Arsenal plays with urgency, they are at their best. Constant movements, quick passes and attacking with a purpose is what Arsenal needs, but unfortunately, they struggle to find that in their game every week.
Knowing what Arsenal is capable of doing when on the ball, opposing teams tend to sit back and just allow Arsenal to move the ball. That not only slows the game down, but it really takes the Gunners out of the match in a significant way.
Against Bayern Munich, Arsenal will be the underdog, so that should allow them to play on the counter, which they do well. That will give Arsenal a chance to play with urgency when they get the ball, having a chance to take advantage of any spaces left open by the German defenders.
When you look at some of Arsenal's best performances as of late, they all came when Arsenal attacked with a purpose and played at a high tempo. Against West Ham, they scored a number of goals in a matter of minutes. Why? Well they moved the ball quick and they kept the West Ham defenders guessing. At home against Newcastle, again, they attacked with a purpose and tempo.
On Tuesday, if Arsenal wants to have any chance of eliminating Bayern, they will absolutely need to perform the way they can, and that is fast. If Bayern Munich can slow down the Gunners and force them to play side to side, Arsenal will be dependent on a set piece, something that does not always work out for them.
Gunners need to control Mario Gomez
An already suspect Arsenal defense will match up against one of Europe's elite strikers. Mario Gomez may not be quick, but his killer instinct could be fatal for Arsenal as it has been for many other teams in the past. Controlling his movements on and off the ball is just step one to stopping the German side.
In the air, Gomez is strong and as we have seen, the Arsenel center-backs do not always go into an aerial challenge with confidence.
On the ground, Gomez has enough skill to re-direct a cross into the Arsenal goal, leaving the entire Emirates Stadium in frustration, something that has become normal as of late.
Arsenal will need to play physical with Gomez and show him that they are not going to let him have his way in the match. One advantage for Arsenal could be that German defender Per Mertesacker knows Gomez well from the German National Team, so Arsene Wenger will have certainly asked him for some pointers on how to stop the Munich striker.
Shoot, Shoot And... Shoot
One thing Arsenal fans have been asking for the Gunners to do for some time is shoot. Wenger's side is always looking for that beautiful and flashy goal, which tends to really hurt their game. As an opponent, knowing that Arsenal will not shoot, the defenders are able to sit deeper, defending the final pass and not the shot.
If Arsenal changed their style of play and shot the ball more, that would force defenders out, opening up spaces behind the defenders for quick players like Gervinho, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski.
Until Arsenal is able to add shooting to their game consistently, defenders will defend that final pass instead of the shot, forcing the Gunners final pass to be nearly perfect. On Tuesday, Bayern will know that Arsenal will not shoot, so breaking down the Bavarian back-line will be much more difficult than what they experienced against Blackburn Rovers.
Players Need To Want It More
Some will call it dirty, others will call it passion, but the truth is that a lot of the Arsenal players lack that killer instinct and passion.
When you watch someone like Jack Wilshere, he is not afraid to go into a tackle, or go that extra mile to recover a ball, knowing that he is giving his all for the team. If only all the Arsenal players could think like that, they could actually have more success.
Against Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal benefited from over eight corner kicks just in the first half. It took them seven corner kicks to actually test the Blackburn keeper. How is that even possible given the amount of height Arsenal has on their squad?
The answer is that the Gunners are not hungry enough in crucial moments of the match. If a team like Manchester United or Chelsea or even Manchester City benefited from so many corners just in the first half, they would most likely score a goal or two, or at least test the goalie on a number of occasions.
For Arsenal, that is not the case. Whether it is an indirect free-kick or a corner kick, the players appear to be lost and unwilling to go into a 50/50 challenge in the air. Someone like Mertesacker who is very tall is rarely seen getting on the end of a corner kick or a set piece. Why is that?
They need to take a different approach and realize that unless they all go out and do what they need to do in order to win games, they will continue to struggle over and over.
