Should Bayern Munich's Mauling of Arsenal Worry the Premier League?
Bayern Munich, in nearly every respect, are the club others aim to be.
Housing world-class superstars, incredible homegrown talent and one of the world's best managers, the German outfit is a benchmark for the upper echelon of club football. The Premier League's top teams pretend to be Bayern-like, but are not quite ready.
Champions League football often comes with surprises attached. Arsenal's 2-0 win over the Bavarian's over a fortnight ago was a jolt. Few predicted the Gunners would survive Pep Guardiola's men at the Emirates—much less keep a clean sheet—but they did, keeping their hopes of knockout qualification alive.
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Those aspirations are now on life support after a 5-1 drubbing at Munich's Allianz Arena.
Arsene Wenger, in his final two group matches, must beat Dinamo Zagreb at home, then Olympiakos away by a two-goal margin, all while hoping the Greek champions fail to earn a result vs. Bayern.
The Frenchman's odds of qualification are not impossible, but they are certainly slim.
Were Arsenal not level with Manchester City atop the Premier League table, maybe their current European predicament and lacklustre showing in Germany could be excused, but it cannot, because they are.
Expecting two consecutive wins vs. arguably Europe's best squad is asking a lot from the north Londoners—and should not have been expected—but the manner in which they lost is cause for concern.
Falling to Munich is no shame, they are a perennial juggernaut, but for an EPL title contender to lose 5-1, and be completely outclassed, puts England's current European plight in a dire context.
The Germans hardly looked to break a sweat. The nonchalant attitude of Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Robert Lewandowski's goals made one wonder what they would look like trying. Add David Alaba's screamer and the makings of a hiding were on display.
Matches against the world's elite are an opportunity to measure stature. Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is one of the toughest fixtures one can have, and Arsenal's 5-1 performance serves more as a warning to the Premier League than a harbinger for the Gunners.
In the EPL, Arsenal's worst away loss was to Chelsea. Jose Mourinho's men had the benefit of two red cards (Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla), and won at Stamford Bridge by two goals to nil—one of which a Calum Chambers own goal.
The Blues hardly dismantled Arsenal; Wenger's men did everything in their power to beat themselves. Against Bayern, conversely, the notion of hope was extinct.
Guardiola's side took 23 shots at Petr Cech's goal, 13 on target. Arsenal, who pride themselves on a free-flowing, expansive brand of football, mustered just seven shots—two troubling Manuel Neuer, one getting past (in spectacular fashion) by Olivier Giroud.
Therein lies the problem: Bayern's ease in scoring five, vs. Arsenal needing magic to score once, shows a troubling disparity in potential.
Wenger's side played the game of their season when hosting the Germans. Their 2-0 upset was a result earned from diligence, determination and utilising the counter-attacking threat of Theo Walcott. Bayern, not to be underrated, were handcuffed by key members being out (e.g. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Medhi Benatia) and having a generally poor display as a collective.
When on their game, however, Munich are virtually unstoppable. They were this week and, inspired to rebound before their home crowd, gave the Premier League's potential champions a black eye.
Expanding beyond, the Premier League talent pool is vast.
From top to bottom, every club employs some of the globe's best footballers, but none have the concentration of world-class talent found at Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
For England to regain its position as the world's best league, world-class talent must come in or be produced, then be collected in the same few squads, rather than disbursed over a wide spectrum.
What seems more likely than an English resurgence, though, is the Premier League losing a Champions League position due to UEFA coefficients.
If the likes of Arsenal cannot make it past the group stage, Serie A and/or Ligue 1 would repossess England's fourth UCL slot with open arms.
The Premier League brand can do nothing wrong. The globe loves the product and are attached to the clubs—only cataclysmic proceedings could ruin their business model, but having one of its flagship clubs exposed on a global stage by an outside entity, albeit a classy Bayern Munich, can do zero favours.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
