The Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich clash in the Champions League is quite arguably the matchup of the season in the competition thus far. Both sides have won all four of their matches in the competition thus far and Mikel Arteta’s side have yet to even concede a goal in the competition.
Arsenal has beaten Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Atletico Madrid, and Slavia Praha while Bayern have beaten Chelsea, Pafos FC, Club Brugge, and Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning champions. For what it’s worth at this stage
of the competition with how flawless the two sides have been, it could be considered the ‘final’ of the ‘group’ phase of the new-look competition as the Arteta and Vincent Kompany will duke it out for the top spot in the Champions League table. A win or draw keeps Bayern at the top, while a loss for the German Rekordmeister drops them below the Gunners.
Ahead of the match, both managers showed each other and their sides a great deal of respect, showing admiration for what they’re each doing so well so far this season. Having played against Kompany and a player and managed against him, Arteta explained that success is something he knew would always follow the Belgian, no matter what he’s doing or where he’s coaching. “My feeling was always that Vinnie will be excellent at whatever he chooses to do. I’m very happy that things are going well for him. He has a lot of presence, intelligence, love for the game. I’m not surprised at all,” the Spaniard enthused (via @iMiaSanMia).
On the other side of the coin, Kompany has seen Arteta’s managerial trajectory on his way to bringing Arsenal to where they’re currently at, poised for a potential first Premier League title since 2004. Of course, Kompany had experience both working alongside Arteta at Manchester City when the former was still a player and playing against him when he was Burnley manager. “He’s played a major role at Arsenal, and everything I’m saying now is what I said before when I brought Burnley here. He was a significant part of the coaching team [at Manchester City]. Pep Guardiola was the architect, and behind him were experts who provided him with feedback. Arteta was one of them. When he left, no one was surprised that he could become the manager he is now. We coaches want to win trophies, of course, but we also see how teams need to be set up and trained,” Kompany explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
Arsenal’s defensive record speaks for itself. They have not conceded a goal in the Champions League yet and have only conceded six goals in the Premier League from the 12 matches they’ve played so far. The next best defensive record in the English topflight is Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace, who have only conceded 9 times, but are in 5th place, nine points behind Arsenal. Kompany is well aware of how well-structured Arteta has his defense setup, but is eager for his high-flying attack to really challenge them. “Few teams defend as well in the penalty area. When it comes to set pieces, there are hardly any teams that are better organized. They’ve been together for a long time under Arteta, and you can see that. I’m looking forward to the challenge; we’re also in a good phase,” he said.
