Away Record Still a Problem for Guardiola and Bayern Munich After Arsenal Defeat

Bayern Munich entered Tuesday's Champions League clash with Arsenal in bullish form, having won every game for two-and-a-half months. They faced an Arsenal side that had lost to Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb in their first two Group F games, and many expected another win for the German giants, as they could have all but confirmed a spot in the knockout rounds and eliminated the hosts with a win.

Things did not go according to that script, however; the score at full-time read 2-0 to the hosts, who rode out an early blitz from Bayern to claim a well-deserved victory.

Social media buzzed in the opening minutes as Douglas Costa tore Hector Bellerin inside out. Pundits marveled at the majesty of Pep Guardiola's dynamic, fluid system. Yet Bayern didn't go ahead. And actually, Arsenal would have been a goal up at half-time if not for Manuel Neuer making arguably the save of the year from Theo Walcott's header on 32 minutes.

The Gunners dug in and, after surviving an early blitz, were more than a match for their guests. Early in the second half, Bayern resorted to posting possession stats via Twitter to suggest superiority. But a winner was not in the cards.

Arsenal would be first to score, and both goals were interesting in narrative. Olivier Giroud's opener on 77 minutes came following a fundamental error from Neuer, who misjudged the ball in the air from a set piece and left the Frenchman with a rather simple task to knock home. The man who had saved Bayern with two brilliant saves before the interval was unable to do the ordinary. Much like his team-mates further up the pitch, for all their skill moves, the German giants were unable to make many good chances to score. And certainly not enough to win.

The second goal was a bit of a personal triumph for Bellerin, who, after being humiliated by Costa and Thiago Alcantara, pounced on the opportunity to race forward and cross to Mesut Ozil to put the result to rest.

Bellarin's assist may have epitomized the situation at the Emirates on Tuesday night, with Arsenal absolutely desperate for points and Bayern perhaps lacking a bit of motivation with everything going their way in the weeks prior. Yet at the same time, the result would not have been much of a surprise with any conditions from kick-off. It was just the next result in a trend that has seen Bayern win just one and lose four of their last six away games in the Champions League.

Guardiola seems to have changed many things with his team this season, using more width, less possession and more quick transitions. And overall, it's suited Bayern very well. Yet at the same time, the Arsenal game is proof that he still hasn't found a reliable way to win tough Champions League games away from home.

Tuesday night's result of course does not spell disaster for Bayern and may not matter at all in their overall pursuit of titles this season. But it will serve as a warning that as invincible as the Bavarians have looked in the Bundesliga, there still are serious obstacles to overcome if they are to win European club football's most coveted prize. In his career as a coach, Guardiola's Barcelona and Bayern teams have won just three out of 15 away legs in Champions League knockout ties.

The German champions will need to do much better away from home if they are to become Europe's best once more. It's the greatest challenge they face, and following Tuesday's match, there still is some way to go.

@Mr_Bundesliga