Arsenal player ratings vs Bayern – Ben White shines, POTY contender flops with 2/10
Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League after they lost 3-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night (17 April).
Munich star Joshua Kimmich bagged a sensational header in the 63rd minute to secure Thomas Tuchel’s side a 1-0 win on the night and a spot in the semi-finals in a nervy clash in Germany.
Football Insider has analysed the Arsenal starting line-up’s performances against the German giants.
PLAYER RATINGS
David Raya [7]
After a relatively quiet first half, he was quickly woken up just seconds into the second half having made an incredible save from a Harry Kane header. With two saves and 100 per cent pass accuracy, the loss can’t be blamed on the former Brentford man.
Takehiro Tomiyasu [3]
Got caught out on too many occasions against Munich’s rapid attack and also lacked when going forward. Was at major fault for Bayern’s opener for failing to track the looming Kimmich. Poor.
Gabriel Magalhaes [6]
Solid performance next to Saliba and his passing from the back was needed against the strong Bayern attack. He will be furious that his attack failed him. Solid.
William Saliba [6]
Assured at the back for the most part and could not be blamed for Munich’s winner. Lashed out a huge clearance in the 72nd minute to prevent a certain Munich doubler. With 90 per cent pass accuracy, 101 touches and five clearances, he put out a decent performance in Germany.
Ben White [8]
White’s huge block in the 23rd minute prevented Munich from bagging an opener and his exceptional positioning and defence-cutting passes proved a regular thorn in the Germans’ side. He managed 94 per cent pass accuracy and 62 touches, most of which were in the attacking half, and he tried to make a difference.
Declan Rice [6]
A typical General-like performance from the England international. Won three ground duels and managed three clearances to keep Munich from grabbing an opener. However, they proved too strong and passed around the former West Ham man with relative ease. Average.
Jorginho [5]
Decent stats, but don’t be fooled. Was too cautious with his passing, although no doubt Arteta would have instructed him to be passive. This conservatism was fruitful having secured 94 per cent pass accuracy, but more creativity would have been needed from the Italian.
Martin Odegaard [5]
Lively once again but Bayern limited his typical quality well. His first notable impact was a pop shot in the 30th minute and he did little after that. The solid Munich backline killed his flair and he was eventually limited to just making passes outside the box. Nullified.
Gabriel Martinelli [2]
Showed some decent pieces of skill – notably in the 21st minute with a neat bit of footwork which nearly caused the opening goal. While he is not a defender, he failed to track Kimmich for his opener and should have done much more to prevent him from scoring. He let his side down with just two attempted shots, 15 passes, one dribble and a 33 per cent duel success rate.
Bukayo Saka [3]
Player of the Year contender he may be, but the beast of 2023-24 has run out of steam at the worst possible time. Offered nothing in the opening 45 minutes and didn’t have a stab at goal when he had the chance. Came to life a bit in the second half and gave Noussair Mazraoui a few questions to answer. Regardless, he did very little to have an influence on the game having attempted no shots, no successful dribbles and just 21 passes. Ghost.
Kai Havertz [2]
Was he even on the pitch? Having managed just one shot, 14 passes and one key pass across the 90, it was a shock that Arteta kept him on the pitch. A real stinker.
In other news, Arsenal and Tottenham race for in-form Premier League striker.
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