'5 Points which can help Arsenal Progress after the 3-1 loss against Monaco'

The defeat against AS Monaco have surely made the task a bit heavier for Arsenal in the 2nd leg, if at all they want to progress to the next round of Champions league. The 3-1 scoreline was in the favor of the French side, who have a superb defensive record at Stade Louis II, and it will surely take a far-more improved performance by the gunners to give them a slightest chance of advancement in the tournament.

But, as we know in football nothing can be taken for granted, so Arsene Wenger must take this five steps in order to overcome the two-goal deficit.

Per Mertesacker must be dropped.

Yes, the lack of pace in the German Defender was clearly exposed in the first leg, which also opened the defense line of the whole team which made the job easier for the Monaco strikers. So, if Wenger wants a positive result in 2nd leg, he must drop the German and instead select the quicker Gabriel Paulista alongside Laurent Koscienly.

 A Proper mid-field player!

Another important place where Arsenal lacked was the mid-field, Mr. Wenger gave Jack Wilshere a precautionary rest in the first leg and instead chose to play Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin in the middle of the park, on the reflection of which we saw what grave error it was.If Either of Wilshere or Ramsey is fit to play in 2nd leg, Wenger should not think twice to deploy any one of them alongside Coquelin to ensure that the Gunners have a stable base at the middle of their park.

Wojciech Szczesny must be brought back

Yes, it’s time to bring back the polish international after David Ospina failed to convince his form in the first leg , failing to stop the three goals against the French side, especially the third and much easier to save goal which was scored by Monegasque. So, Arsene must consider Wojciech in the 2nd leg in order for a possible victory against the French side.

Have More Patience

Arsenal have bad habit of concentrating more on attacking rather than focusing on their defensive strategies, which leads them to a subsequent ‘sucker punch’ in their face. Arsenal needs almost 3 goals in the 2nd leg in order to qualify but that doesn’t mean that they have to get those goals within the first 15 or 20 minutes. There should be some stability between their attacking ambition and the defensive strategy, and that balance will only be the turning point for them.

Play Monreal instead of Gibbs

It was a big mistake when Mr. Wenger chose to play Gibbs over Nacho Monreal in the first leg, when the Spaniard was in the peak of his form. As we know that Gibbs has a tendency to get caught up the pitch, so selecting him was nothing but a gamble that didn’t pay off well. So, If Arsenal wants to win the second leg by a margin of 3 goals they need to play their best man in form.

So, this will be the five points that I think Arsenal Should keep in mind and must implement if possible, so that they can have the score-line which can help them progress to the next round of the tournament.

/Anuttam/