Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the Emirates in the Champions League last night was eye-opening for Mikel Arteta for a number of reasons.
The Gunners have been flying in the Premier League, having gone unbeaten in 2024, and are now top with seven games to go, and this made them favourites against a Bayern Munich side in crisis as they are about to concede the Bundesliga title for the first time in over a decade.
Nevertheless, the Champions League provided a different test for Arsenal, and their rock-solid defence, which has seen them keep clean sheets in their last four games in all competitions, was broken as they conceded two sloppy goals.
Arsenal were trailing by half time, but Mikel Arteta made an excellent set of substitutions to help them get back into the game, and they ultimately settled for a point, but the Spaniard did learn a valuable lesson about his squad in the Champions League.
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Arteta learns Arsenal lesson over Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus in Bayern draw
Jakub Kiwior started at left-back, and whilst he has performed solidly at times in recent months, he looked out of his depth against winger Leroy Sane, and was partly to blame for the first goal.
Kiwior had not been a regular starter until recently, and his experience in the competition is very limited.
At half-time, he was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko, who came on for the 35th Champions League appearance of his career, and the Ukrainian had a positive impact both in defence, as well as by helping the midfield gain control over the game.
Gabriel Martinelli started on the left wing ahead of Kiwior, and that entire side of the pitch suffered in the first half. The Brazilian had a quiet game, and was replaced as both he and Jorginho came off for Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.
Jesus came on for his 45th appearance in the competition, and injected a spark into Arsenal’s attack, eventually setting up Trossard’s equaliser after an outstanding dribble, and both ex-Manchester City stars had delivered when Arsenal needed them to.
Champions League games require Arsenal’s experienced stars
In a massive game against one of the biggest clubs in the world, lesser experienced and younger players in Martinelli and Kiwior could not perform to their best ability, and in the first half, Arsenal were guilty of playing up to the occasion too much.
There were a lot of sloppy passes and mistakes in areas where the team has otherwise been composed, but both Zinchenko and Jesus looked completely unfazed when thrown into the game.
Their experience in the Champions League, which saw both reach the final in 2021, could be vital for Arteta in the competition, and he may now realise that competing with Europe’s biggest clubs, and six-time winners in Bayern Munich, requires him to start his stars with the most pedigree, and who may keep the coolest heads in tough situations.