Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team have a huge European night ahead of them, with Wednesday’s Bayern Munich clash potentially able to make or break the Gunners’ season
Arsenal suffered a painful defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday
Arsenal’s title hopes were dealt a blow with Sunday’s defeat at home to Aston Villa, but their season is far from over.
The Gunners could have returned to the top of the Premier League table with three points against Unai Emery’s side. Instead, though, late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins left them two points adrift of leaders Manchester City with six games to go.
One surefire way to put that disappointment behind them would be to overcome Bayern Munich in midweek. Mikel Arteta’s team drew 2-2 with the German side in North London after seeing a late penalty appeal waved away, but victory in Bavaria would see them into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Ahead of that game, we have a look forward to Wednesday and a look back to the Sunday afternoon struggles. Here are Mirror Football‘s latest lines from around the Emirates Stadium.
Rice makes Bayern vow
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes victory at the Allianz Arena would be the perfect cure to help the Gunners get over Sunday’s setback. A draw in Munich would take the game to extra-time, while a victory by any scoreline would see the Premier League side through to the final four.
“We’re gutted and disappointed we’ve lost a massive game, but now it’s time for a reaction,” Rice said after the Villa game. “We’ve been on such an amazing run since January, won so many football matches, and got ourselves back into an unbelievable position after being written off at Christmas.
“Now that reaction starts in the Champions League against Bayern, so we’ll be ready for that. We have to park this (Villa defeat) to one side now. It’s gone, it’s a game of football, we’ve lost but we need to bounce back.
“It’s a great chance for us to get into a Champions League semi-final. Going to the Allianz Arena, it’s going to be a special night. It’s time to pull our socks up and show everyone why we’re in this position.”
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Martinelli singled out for Villa criticism
Arsenal legend Ian Wright called out Gabriel Martinelli for switching off in the Gunners’ loss on Sunday. The Brazilian, who replaced Leandro Trossard for the final 23 minutes, appeared to suffer a lapse in concentration in the lead-up to Bailey’s opener.
“Look at Martinelli, this is what we’ve been saying because Arsenal have been so good defensively this season,” Wright told Premier League Productions. “Everyone has been switched on but in this instance he switches off.”
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Gabriel Martinelli had an afternoon to forget against Aston Villa (Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
“Bailey is his man, that’s his man in this situation. He has to get closer to him, it’s as simple as that,” he continued. “Arsenal gave Villa too many opportunities late on and they took them.
“Martinelli switches off at the back post. He realised too late. That’s the difference. The margins are so small and the same thing happened against Bayern, a couple of lapses in concentration and they were punished.”
Martinelli, 22, has only made substitute appearances since returning from the injury he picked up against Sheffield United in March. Mikel Arteta will now have to decide whether to use him from the start against Bayern.
Arsenal and Liverpool’s seasons compared
After Manchester City’s victory over Luton Town on Saturday, the pressure was on both Arsenal and Liverpool on Sunday. Both were beaten at home, meaning the title race is in the hands of the defending champions.
Going into the season, fans of both challengers will have had certain expectations for the campaign ahead. Now, with the end of the season just weeks away, they’re coming to terms with whether those expectations have been met.
Which club can say they’ve had the better season, though? We asked Mirror Football writers to give their verdicts, and we got a range of responses across the board.
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