Was this result ever really in doubt? I would love someone to brave enough who thought Arsenal would be allowed to leave Munich with any points. It was inevitable. You look at the key injuries that Arsenal had, as well as Bayern being at full strength, and at home and also out to prove a point after losing a game in London they did not feel they should have.
That lubrication was always coming and I know deep down Wenger knew this.
Without the speed of Walcott and Oxlade as well as the quality of Ramsey, the counter-attacking option was pretty much non-existent. Even without those players, Arsenal had good chances in the way Sanchez and Ozil combined, but there were no runners who could skin past Boateng or Alaba, which would have given Bayern something to worry about. It's just a fact you can't go past. To play the counter-attacking system well, you need speed in your team.
What surprised me though is how open Arsenal were. I don't know why they didn't use the same tactics Frankfurt employed, to sit back, frustrate Bayern and see what pieces they could pick up when the chances arose. By being so open, it meant Lewandowski finally had some space to work in and do some damage. And we all saw how it turned out, as the Polish Nuke kept bullying and violating that Arsenal defense.
It might take one aback to say that a 5-1 scoreline does not surprise me. Well, that's just how good Bayern can be and what they can do when they are on their game. This is the club that gave Barcelona that heavy beating in both legs. They are extremely talented and against teams of Arsenal's level who give them space and think they can play them, it's going to be heavy punishment that will be handed out. So it's all in a day's work, however this scoreline is not a statement by any means. We've seen it all before, just for Bayern to falter at the semi-final stage.
As for Arsenal, I really don't see them reaching the knockouts. This is assuming they beat Zagreb at home, which they should. Having to go to Greece and hand them a substantial beating where they know a draw will sufficient to take them through, I wouldn't be one to put money down on the Gunners achieving that feat. The damage was already done in those first two games, and now they are paying for it. But this is football, and anything can happen, so I won't completely discount it from occurring. If they somehow pull off a miracle, as the gulf in class between them and Bayern show, they are not a team that should even be dreaming about making it into the semi-finals.
HH
