Geoff Shreeves has shared what surprised him about the atmosphere at the Emirates on Tuesday night as Arsenal drew with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The quarter-final tie seems to be almost perfectly poised after the first-leg. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard helped Arsenal draw 2-2 with Thomas Tuchel’s side.
There was a level of intrigue ahead of the game due to the fact that UEFA had banned Bayern Munich fans from attending the Emirates on Tuesday.
Of course, Arsenal fans were always going to make up the large majority of the atmosphere anyway. But it seemed set to hand the Gunners an even greater advantage.
However, perhaps having only Arsenal fans in the ground actually did Mikel Arteta’s side no favours after all.
Geoff Shreeves surprised by Emirates atmosphere for Arsenal draw with Bayern Munich
Speaking to CBS Sports Golazo, reporter Geoff Shreeves claimed that he was taken aback by what the atmosphere inside the stadium was actually like.
“Do you know what? I think the atmosphere actually cost them in the first place because there were no Bayern fans here,” he said.
“The atmosphere was flat. There wasn’t those opposing fans to feed off, you usually get a little bit of noise and the fact that home fans would outnumber them but it just didn’t happen.”
This Gunners squad is still finding its feet at this level
Of course, there was always likely to be a tense atmosphere in the ground. Arsenal are closing in on greatness. In fact, it could yet prove to be one of the greatest campaigns in the club’s entire history.
And actually, Arsenal were favourites for the tie with Bayern. This has been a miserable season for Thomas Tuchel’s side. And the Gunners have been a different animal since the turn of the year.
But it is Bayern. They are one of the sides who can find another gear. So there may have been a sense of unease, particularly after Arsenal went 2-1 down.
Tuesday’s result perhaps shows that Arsenal are still gaining experience at that very highest level.
Should the Gunners clear this hurdle, you would think that the atmosphere for the semi-final will be nearly flawless.
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