Why Arsenal’s midfield can silence Bayern Munich at Emirates

Jack Wilshere

Arsenal warmed up for Wednesday night’s Champions League action in perfect fashion, with a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool on the weekend, but they now prepare to face a much sterner challenge against, arguably the greatest team in the world, Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians, who stormed to success in the competition last season, have continued to improve since being crowned as the Champions of Europe in May 2013. Domestically, they have just advanced to the DFB Cup semi-final with an effortless 5-0 win over Hamburg and are unbeaten in 21 outings in the league. Pep Guardiola’s men are significantly ahead of the competition, with second-placed Leverkusen 16 points adrift, in the Bundesliga.

Arsene Wenger’s side face their greatest challenge of the season as they prepare to welcome Bayern to the Emirates and the London outfit’s tactics will have to be immaculate if they wish to overcome a side bursting to the brim with world class talent.

The midfield battle will be particularly important, with the likes of Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Gotze, Thiago Alcantara, Arjen Robben and Tomas Muller all available for Bayern. Even without European Player of the Year Frank Ribery, who is unavailable due to injury, Guardiola has an overwhelming array of talent at his disposal.

Ultimately, Wenger’s set-up in the centre of the pitch will be imperative in order to achieve any form of success. With Aaron Ramsey injured and Mikel Arteta suspended the Frenchman is fairly limited with his selection options. However, like he always has, he will make the most of his hand whilst attempting to orchestrate an unlikely victory.

Mesut Ozil will feature as the attacking fulcrum of the club’s central midfield trio. The German’s contribution could prove pivotal for the Gunners and the fan’s will be hoping for an impressive performance from the £42.5 million summer signing.

It has not been all plain sailing for 25-year-old since his move to the Emirates and he has come under criticism recently despite impressing in his first few weeks in London.

He is, however, beginning to improve in the bigger matches and this trend will hopefully continue when Arsenal face the Bavarians. Wednesday’s fixtures provides the perfect opportunity for Ozil to prove himself once and for all, ironically against an opposition who, for the most-part, feature alongside him on the international stage.

Ozil has already proved himself as Arsenal’s most creative Champions League contributor this season, by a long stretch. With 16 key passes to his name, he has fashioned a far superior number of chances to second-placed Jack Wilshere, who has totaled just four.

Arsenal Top Chance Creators In CL

The German will find himself up against full-back, turned defensive midfielder, Philipp Lahm (or perhaps Bastian Schweinsteiger if he is deemed fit for a return to first-team action) if Guardiola opts for his favoured 4-1-4-1 formation. Ozil will be charged with unlocking a well-organised Bayern side by creating opportunities for Arsenal from in-behind Lahm and his defensive teammates.

With Tomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in support out-wide he should have plenty of movement on either wing, whilst Olivier Giroud will do as well as he can to hold the ball in his usual lone centre-forward position. Ozil’s fantastic passing ability will be vital in terms of Arsenal’s link-up play in this fixture – this season he has registered an average accuracy of 86%. A single missed pass in the attacking third could instantly become a defensive issue against the Bavarian’s formidable attacking unit.

Jack Wilshere is likely to feature in a more reserved role, especially considering the absence of the experienced Mikel Arteta. The young Englishman still has plenty to prove if he wishes to fulfill his suggested potential and these Champions League nights are without-doubt the highest stage at which he could display his pedigree.

He will certainly have his hands full against an opposition midfield that is likely to feature Toni Kroos and Mario Gotze. Despite scoring twice in the group stages he may be forced to play a more restrained role if Wenger sees a defensive style as the most appropriate approach. However, I don’t think this will be the case. Essentially the Gunners have nothing to lose against Bayern and, with the home advantage in the first leg, I would expect them to attack the German champions whenever possible.

Wilshere will act in a box-to-box role if this is the case, moving between attack and defence whenever a transition is required. He is usually strongest in a more advanced role and he will therefore be forced to adapt his game in order to counter Bayern.

Arsenal’s number ten will be the man to get the ball moving in the centre of the park for the Gunners and his efforts will prove influential if the London outfit are to get anything from the match. He favours a short passing game, much like the rest of the Arsenal midfield, and his ability to knock the ball past an opponent is vital for creating space in the centre of the park. He has completed 100 passes in Europe this season, having played just one full match, whilst he has found success in 59% of his attempted take ons.

Jack Wilshere Duels Won In CL

We have already witnessed the impact that Wilshere can have on this Arsenal side during his performance against Marseille before Christmas. He sank the French outfit with a fantastic double, following a somewhat lacklustre performance from the rest of his teammates. If the 22-year-old is able to impress against Bayern, Arsenal will be in with a shot at victory.

Mathieu Flamini could feature alongside Wilshere as the club’s deepest-lying midfielder. The 29-year-old’s experience has been invaluable throughout the current season and against Bayern the situation will be no different. He has been Arsenal’s best midfielder in Europe up until this stage, accumulating a Performance Score of 119 points during his four appearances.

His statistics make for impressive reading and having completed 90% of his passes he has proven himself as one of the Gunners’ more accurate and reliable players. Furthermore, his defensive work-rate will be a considerable asset, removing, at the very least, some of the pressure from the back four. So far this campaign he has averaged five Defensive Actions per match – the fourth highest total when compared to the rest of his teammates. He has also found success in 55% of his attempted tackles.

Arsenal went closer than anybody to knocking Bayern out of Europe last season, losing on away goals after a 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena. It would be outrageous to rule them out of contention – like many already have – at this early stage.

The Gunners may be lacking the vast number of world class names when compared to their opponents, however the club are more than capable of challenging the Champions of Europe. With Wilshere, Flamini and Ozil occupying the central channel, Wenger’s midfield could have the perfect balance between attack and defence.

With this in mind, we can only hope the Gunners will look to take the game to Munich, but one thing is for sure, we are in for an exciting week of European action.