Lahm expects Arsenal to counter-attack
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm believes Arsenal will sit deep once again when the two teams meet in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal beat Bayern 2-0 when the two teams met at Emirates Stadium two weeks ago, allowing the Bundesliga leaders the bulk of possession and making it difficult for them to find a way through their defence.
Bayern boasted close to 70 percent of possession, but they rarely got into dangerous positions in the final third — and Arsenal’s German centre-back Per Mertesacker praised manager Arsene Wenger’s tactics.
Bayern have twice failed to score in their last four competitive fixtures, and a return of eight goals in five matches following the last international break is way below their average of 2.94 goals in all 16 games of the season.
On Friday, Pep Guardiola’s side failed to win in the league for the first time, held to a 0-0 draw by mid-table club Eintracht Frankfurt with the Bavarians struggled to create chances for most of the match.
“We have to be more decisive in the final third, convert our chances, and be focused at the back,” Lahm told reporters. “Arsenal sat deep and waited for the counters, and in my opinion played relatively defensively. They don’t usually play like that in Premier League.”
The Gunners travel to the Allianz Arena having drawn 1-1 and won 2-0 in their last two visits. Bayern still top Group F, but a second defeat against Arsenal would leave qualification wide open for all four teams in the group.
“We’re playing at home, it’s a top match, and we aim to win,” Lahm added. “It’s an important game for us if we want to get to the next round.”
Robert Lewandowski added: “After the defeat in London we need points. Our situation is still good on six points, but we absolutely want to win. It will be most important for us to control Arsenal and also to score the first goal. It will get easier after that.”
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
