Victory over Everton Should Not Gloss over the Defeat against Monaco
Arsenal bounced back from the miserable Champions League defeat at the hands of Monaco to register a 2-0 win over Everton. At this stage last season, this was a match between two teams chasing a top four place. Despite signing several players like Romelu Lukaku on a permanent basis Everton have struggled this season.
A win at home against a team with just three away wins all season should not lead Arsenal into complacency yet again. The 2014/15 Premier League odds from Betfair places Arsenal as the firm favourite for a top four finish at odds of 2/3.
Over the last decade, Arsenal have had the tendency to overlook poor results in crucial matches by looking at victories in less meaningful encounters. The way in which the Monaco defeat may have been forgotten by a large section of the players and fans appears to signal an alarming trend. Despite suffering massive defeats against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, Arsene Wenger has given the impression of being satisfied with a top four finish at the end of every season. The Frenchman, though, cannot allow a similar feeling to set in once again.
The 3-1 defeat against Monaco puts Arsenal on the verge of yet another Champions League exit at the last 16 stage. The exits in previous years at the same stage were in completely different and difficult circumstances. Opponents were largely favourites to win the Champions League in the respective campaigns and they include the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Wenger should not be forgetting a defeat of this magnitude, as it came against a team not in contention to win the French league title.
Wenger would have wanted to approach the Monaco match with due diligence, but the complete naivety shown by his players once again has left him without words to explain. Time and time again, Arsenal have been found guilty of allowing themselves to be counter-attacked quite easily. Considering the experience of the manager and the prestige of the club in this competition, one would be expecting the players to stop repeating the mistakes.
It was only a few weeks ago when Arsenal received a lot of plaudits after masterminding a fantastic defensive performance against Manchester City. Despite not dominating possession, Arsenal managed a 2-0 win. This victory should have provided the lessons for Arsenal to approach a big match, but it was all forgotten against Monaco.
The only excuse Wenger might have is that his players may have taken the opposition lightly, despite the manager stressing on numerous occasions that there are no easy games at this stage of the Champions League.
Getting back to the weekend, the win over Everton was crucial but it is certainly not sufficient to stop Arsenal from thinking about the Monaco game. Top four rivals like Manchester United and Liverpool managed to win their matches. Hence, it was of paramount importance for Arsenal to get three points, while the match also progressed in such a way to allow striker Olivier Giroud some much-needed confidence.
The Frenchman had one of his worst nights against Monaco, but he was back to his devastating accuracy against Everton. The French outfit may have a two-goal advantage along with three away goals to the name, but a glimmer of hope does exist for Arsenal in the return leg. Only an early goal will kindle any hopes of a comeback, but that will prove difficult since Monaco have one of the stingiest defences in Europe. They have conceded just 19 goals in 27 league matches with their latest shutout coming this weekend against title chasing Paris St Germain.
The odds of Arsenal winning the Champions League have decreased dramatically after the defeat to Monaco. Betfair provides odds of around 7/5 for Arsenal to get a victory in the return leg, but even a victory may not be enough. Arsenal are 4/1 to qualify for the next round while Monaco – with their home advantage – are backed at 1/7 to progress.
Arsenal are still in a great position to finish in the top three, while they have an upcoming FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. As the defending champions of the FA Cup, Arsenal will be dreaming about their title defence going to Wembley and not just stopping at Old Trafford. It becomes imperative now that Arsenal do not forget the defeat against Monaco and use it to do well in the remaining competitions.
