Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb: Wenger counts on his reshuffled pack to keep Champions League hopes alive

Down time: Arsenal have been playing catch-up ever since their shock defeat against Dinamo Zagreb in their opening group match
James Olley24 November 2015

Arsenal are expected to keep their Champions League hopes alive tonight, securing the win they desperately need against Dinamo Zagreb to begin the act of escapology required to reach the last 16.

But then, we’ve been here before. Arsene Wenger put it best when, in typically relaxed mood yesterday, he said: “We have a good history in the Champions League but I agree that this season against teams where we were favourites we have been disappointing.”

That is an understatement. Arsenal are in this awful mess because they were complacent and complicit in contriving to lose two games they should never have lost.

On both occasions, their opponents achieved a landmark in their history. Dinamo’s 2-1 win in the Croatian capital in September set the tone for Arsenal’s campaign. It was their first win in the group stage since 1999. Similarly, Olympiakos earned their maiden victory on English soil — a wait totalling 13 games — when taking advantage of more calamitous defending to beat the Gunners at Emirates Stadium on matchday two.

How damaging it could be for Wenger were his own historical achievement of 15 consecutive appearances in the knockout stages to end in such ignominious circumstances. Tonight is, in theory, the calm before the storm. They should beat Dinamo and Bayern Munich should beat Olympiakos. That combination of results is required for the Gunners to stay in the competition. But there is no margin for error. This is win or bust for the right to play another win-or-bust clash away to Olympiakos next month.

Wenger has been forced into shuffling the pack, with Francis Coquelin sidelined for “at least two months” — and almost certainly longer — with suspected knee ligament damage, while Mikel Arteta is out with a calf problem.

The manager suggests Calum Chambers, Mathieu Flamini or Aaron Ramsey — who only returned to training yesterday following a hamstring injury — are possible alternatives alongside Santi Cazorla in the defensive midfield position many identified as a weakness all summer long.

Wenger’s decision not to strengthen in that area will come under intense scrutiny should anything go wrong tonight; Coquelin was one of six players rested in their first game against Dinamo and Arsenal’s susceptibility on the counter was a major contribution to their downfall. “We got caught on a counter- attack and a set-piece [in Zagreb],” said Wenger. “That is the basic problem we face in 90 per cent of our games.”

They will face it again this evening. Coquelin’s absence is enforced this time around but a club with Arsenal’s resources should not be derailed by the loss of a 24-year-old who this time last year was on loan at Charlton with his top-flight career uncertain.

The Frenchman’s rise to prominence since then is credit to his improvement but the decision to retain the ageing Arteta and Flamini while not adding cover — especially if Polish youngster Krystian Bielik, signed last January, is not yet ready for first-team action — seems a huge risk on nights like this. Many would argue it is symptomatic of a wider malaise that has put them in this situation now. The squad Wenger places such unswerving faith in now have to dig him and the club out of a hole.

Midfield targets for Arsene Wenger in January

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Wenger once again lamented UEFA’s rulebook for failing to punish Dinamo after their midfielder Arijan Ademi was banned for four years following a failed drugs test against Arsenal.

UEFA rules dictate two players from the same club must be found guilty in the same season before a club can face sanctions but Wenger hinted at his frustration that his team were defeated by one effectively containing an ineligible player by suggesting the regulations “basically accept doping”. Wenger first espoused his concerns on Friday — the same day the club received a surprise doping inspection from UEFA. The whole episode felt like an addendum to the list of excuses as to why Arsenal fall short. But they have not fallen this short in Europe for a long time.

Dinamo came through two qualifying rounds and a play-off and have lost every group match aside from that win over the Gunners. Bayern hammered them 5-0 but Olympiakos needed a 90th- minute winner to record a 2-1 win in Greece three weeks ago. Arsenal must show the same focus and application as they did against Bayern in north London. Any such drop will leave them vulnerable to the unthinkable.

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