Arsenal are too naive to conquer Europe
Arsenal’s lack of savvy was exposed at Porto as they lost in the Champions League. Mikel Arteta learned a harsh lesson in the European game’s tricks and tactics. Arsenal have always struggled in the Champions League. Their best result was in 2006, when they lost the final to Barcelona in a cruel way, and they have not made it to the last eight since then.
Arsenal have been knocked out in the last 16 for six consecutive times, and Mikel Arteta has a tough task to end that streak. Porto edged Arsenal 1-0 in their first match on Wednesday, thanks to a brilliant goal from Galeno, a Brazilian winger, in the 94th minute.
Arteta admitted before the game that his team lacked the experience, as 95 percent of his players had never played in this stage of the competition.
Arsenal had only Kai Havertz with Champions League knockout experience in their starting line-up at Estadio Do Dragao. Arteta’s young team finished first in their group with some impressive performances, but their timid defeat in Porto shows they are not yet able to challenge the top teams.
Arsenal displayed the same lack of maturity at the end of the previous season, when they only managed three wins in their last nine Premier League matches and handed Manchester City the title, after being on top of the table for a record 248 days. Nothing has improved since then, and another season without any silverware is likely, unless Arteta’s players learn to be more savvy.
Outbattled & outsmarted by Porto
Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm against Porto, who disrupted the game and isolated Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka in attack. The Gunners were outmatched in the middle of the park, and the game’s unpleasantness was shown by the final foul tally of 36 - the highest in a Champions League match this season.
The visitors committed 22 of those fouls, as Porto effectively neutralised the Gunners’ big threat from dead balls by falling down at the slightest touch. “It seemed like a foul every time we made contact with someone, even before we kicked the ball,” Arteta said.
The Spaniard also commented on Porto’s strategy, after his team failed to produce a single shot on goal: “We have a lot of experience playing against these defensive formations. We were missing some things in the first half. We will take this as a lesson and improve for the second leg. The best thing about our team was the mentality. We wanted to play. We didn’t lack intensity. This is what we have to do against such a defensive team that doesn’t want to play.”
Arteta can complain all he likes, but the truth is Porto were the cleverer team on the night, and a bit unlucky not to win by more. In the 21st minute, Galeno hit a volley against the woodwork and then missed a rebound chance from close range, with the stadium speaker playing celebratory music by mistake thinking the ball had gone in.
What Arsenal need right now
Arsenal were close to securing a 0-0 draw in Porto, which would have given them the upper hand for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta’s team only had to retain the ball, which they normally do well, but they lost it three times in a row before Galeno scored the crucial goal.
Declan Rice recovered the ball after a poor David Raya clearance, but Stephen Eustaquio snatched it from him. Porto’s attack seemed to fizzle out when Galeno gave up the ball, but Martinelli made a terrible decision to try a 30-yard pass to Saka, which Otavio easily cut out.
The center-back quickly passed to Galeno again, and the 26-year-old had enough time and space to curl a superb shot into the far right corner. “I am very upset with how we threw the game away at the end, not handling that situation well enough,” Arteta raged after the final whistle. “You get punished in the Champions League. If you can’t win it, you don’t lose it.”
It was odd to see Rice backing away when Galeno moved to his right foot, but Arsenal’s record-signing confessed he was afraid of being red-carded, having been yellow-carded in the second minute of the game.
“It was a real blow because that can affect your mentality a bit,” he said. Rice agreed with Arteta’s words, admitting the Gunners will have to be “a bit more clever” in the most crucial games.
What next for Arsenal?
Arsenal have been in great form in the Premier League, climbing to third place, five points behind Liverpool with a game to spare. They also impressed by beating the Reds 3-1 at the Emirates earlier this month, but it’s hard to remember that they were in an even stronger position at this stage last season, and lost their momentum in the final run-in.
Arteta knows his team can’t afford any slip-ups in their next three matches against Newcastle, Sheffield United and Brentford. Porto will then visit north London on March 12, before Arsenal face tough tests against Chelsea and Manchester City.
It’s crunch time. One loss doesn’t undo all of the Gunners’ good work so far in 2024, but they can’t make the same errors they made at the Dragao again.
