Europa League
Disaster Strikes In France To Leave Ten-Man Gunners On The Brink
Arsenal’s last two seasons have been riddled with shambolic away performances. Thursday’s Europa League round of 16 3-1 defeat to Rennes was one of the worst of the lot. A Gunners side devoid of leadership and filled with poor performances capitulated after being reduced to ten men. Rennes’ – 10th placed in Frances Ligue 1 – gave a tremendous account of themselves in what was one of the most important games in club history. The result leaves Arsenal with it all to do in the second leg of the tie next week in London.
The only positive from an Arsenal perspective was they were able to grab a precious away goal. That means if the Gunners manage to win 2-0 at home, they will progress to the quarterfinals. Arsenal’s home form compared to away form has been like night and day. The Gunners were able to overturn a 1-0 first leg loss to BATE in the last round to win 3-1 on aggregate. This time against stronger opposition the hole may be too deep to escape.
A Bright Start
Strangely. Arsenal got off to the perfect start. The raucous home crowd was silenced by Iwobi’s opener in just the third minute. The Nigerian collected the ball on the left wing and cut inside to deliver a cross. The teasing pass left the goalie in no man’s land. Koubeck watched helplessly as the ball slid past him and into the far post. Iwobi’s final ball is notorious for not being up to par with the rest of his game. It isn’t a coincidence that one of his rare goals resulted from what was supposed to be a pass.
Rennes grew into the match in the following half hour, but Arsenal remained the dominant side. The Gunners could have been two or three ahead if not for excellent goal keeping, wayward finishing, and questionable offside decisions. Just as the pattern of play had taken shape, the match was flipped on its head.
Greek Madness
Typically Arsenal’s best defender, Sokratis may have cost his side the tie in a ten minute span. The Greek defender was shown two yellow cards for avoidable offenses that simply didn’t have to be made. It was the second that hurt the most. The defender got his arms tangled with an attacker who was nearing goal. The attacker knew what he was doing when he went to ground, despite probably initiating the contact. The ref showed no hesitation when reaching for the red card.
Arsenal’s night went from bad to worse on the ensuing free kick. Bourigeaud’s shot was hit directly into the wall but rebounded directly to him. This time he went for power instead of precision and hit a volley as well as they can be hit. The ball screamed through the depleted wall and into the top corner. A truly spectacular hit that he will remember forever. Rennes were suddenly level with a man advantage.
How Not to Play with Ten Men
There is an old adage in football that teams are harder often harder to break down with ten men than with eleven. Arsenal proved that isn’t always the case and often appeared like they were playing down two men. The Gunners limped to half time level but didn’t make the needed adjustments at the break. The team was sloppy in possession, chased an equalizer unnecessarily and looked devoid of confidence and leadership.
To make matters worse, Emery’s substations didn’t work at all. Aubameyang was withdrawn which took away their only outlet. Guendouzi replaced Iwobi and turned in a shocking, undisciplined performance that was highlighted by him knocking himself over while trying to shoot. Lastly, Ramsey was unable to influence the game at all when replacing Ozil, leaving the Gunners with even less control of the match.
Arsenal’s resistance didn’t last long. A series of Cech saves kept the score level until the 65th minute when Monreal turned the ball into his own net. The Spaniard’s went from scape goat to outright villain 20 minutes later. The defender was caught high up the pitch as Arsenal turned the ball over. Instead of recovering defensively, he threw a tantrum on the sideline, exasperated with his teammates. Rennes promptly counterattacked and Sarr, the man Monreal was marking, scored with a gorgeous diving header.
Ben Arfa Makes Arsenal and Emery Look Foolish
Unai Emery is developing a reputation for clashing with star players. His battle with Özil this season is tame compared to his conflict with Ben Arfa. When Emery was at PSG he banished the French playmaker from the team for over a year. Ben Arfa conveniently is now Rennes star man and had a point to prove in this match.
The tricky attacker was the best player on the pitch. Confident and energetic, he continually ran at the Arsenal defense, drawing countless fouls and even one of the key yellow cards on Sokratis. Ben Arfa was unlucky not to score, but the final score line sufficiently made his point to the Arsenal coach. Emery needs to think long and hard before going to war with another star player.
Can Arsenal Progress?
If the match had finished 2-1, Arsenal still would have been considered favorites to win the tie. At 3-1, Rennes are now the much more likely side to progress. Arsenal ran themselves into the ground chasing the ball with ten men and must play a massive game home to Manchester United on Sunday. Rennes will likely rest some players in their match Sunday against Caen in hopes of completing the upset in London.
Emery is considered the Europa League expert, having won the competition three times. He will need to show he’s deserving of the title to pull Arsenal through. If Arsenal lose to United, finishing in the top four will be extremely difficult. They could then be eliminated from the Europa league four days later. If they don’t play better quickly, both of Arsenal’s avenues into the Champions League could disappear within a week.
Photo credit to Stade Rennais FC via Twitter
