Pundit brands Arsenal naive for letting lead slip against Bayern Munich

Rio Ferdinand expressed his dissatisfaction with Arsenal’s performance as they allowed their lead to slip in a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last night.

Arsenal made a bright start and took the lead through Bukayo Saka. However, two costly mistakes later allowed Bayern to score twice and take the lead for the first time in the match.

The German side came close to securing another victory in London, but late substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard combined to salvage a late equaliser for the Gunners. As a result, Arsenal now heads into the return leg with hopes of securing a win and progressing further in the competition.

While Arsenal has demonstrated solidity at the back in Premier League games, evidenced by their unbeaten run in 2024 and their status as the team with the most clean sheets in the top flight this season, their defensive lapses in the Champions League draw against Bayern Munich were cause for concern, as highlighted by Ferdinand’s critique, who said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘At that point, they were shattered. He’s [Neuer] taken Mickey at Emirates flicking it up above his left foot.

‘Kiwior, you have to win your one-v-one battle. You can’t allow that. And once he [Sane] gets beyond him here, it’s all about Leroy Sane he’s deceptive. 

‘He’s moving and the Arsenal back four I think naivety plays a part the way they’ve let him run slides straight through the middle of that,’ he added.

Just Arsenal Opinion

We could have done much better in that game, and we need to be perfect in the reverse fixture to avoid a defeat.