Sports
Inside Arsenal’s astonishing dressing room bust-up with Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shkodran Mustafi all in firing line
FURIOUS Arsenal stars are stabbing each other in the back over the club’s dreadful run of form.
The blame game in the Arsenal dressing room began after Brighton condemned them to a fourth successive defeat.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is desperately trying to restore team spirit after his angry stars turned on each other after the 2-1 defeat at the Amex.
Mesut Ozil, who recently signed the biggest contract in the history of the club, is in the firing line after another disappearing act.
January signing Henrik Mkhitaryan, struggling to find his feet at Arsenal, is under the spotlight for failing to track runners just as he came up short at Manchester United.
He and Ozil together are a soft under-belly which is being exploited by opponents.
Defender Shkodran Mustafi has also been fingered because he always passes the blame on to other players when Arsenal concede goals.
Hector Bellerin is also furious with Wenger after being axed just two hours before kick-off at Brighton.
Bellerin expected to play after training at right back in the build up to the latest defeat, but was told he was dropped when Wenger announced his team to face the Seagulls.
Wenger is desperate to rebuild team morale, but they are at war with each other after four straight defeats.
Arsenal have no hope of finishing in the top four of the Premier League and face a tough Europa League clash with Milan on Thursday.
Wenger is under massive pressure at Arsenal, but remains hopeful he can still get back into the Champions League if they can go all the way in the Europa.
But without a leader in the side, it appears an uphill task.
Against Brighton they went into the game without an idea.
They had no proper plans to deal with the Seagull’s set pieces, no specific tactical instructions, no real insight from one of the game’s greatest managers.
Wenger wanted Arsenal’s players to work it out for themselves, to find solutions on the field after three hugely damaging defeats on the trot.
Fine if you have Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry wearing the club’s famous colours.
Not so clever when you are relying on Mustafi, Ozil and Mkhitaryan to get you out of bother.
Wenger’s voice, full of authority and conviction when the Gunners were one of English football’s leading clubs, is losing its impact.
Nobody is listening anymore, nobody is really taking any notice.
The only murmur of discontent when Wenger named his side to start at Brighton was from full-back Bellerin.
The defender had trained for two days at right-back in the build-up to their trip to the seaside, but only found out he was out of the team when Wenger named the 11.
Calum Chambers, who played in the previous Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, was suddenly pressed into action.
Bellerin, battered by Arsenal Fan TV for wearing slippers around London, believed he was being made the scapegoat for their dreadful run of form.
In the event, it did not matter what team Wenger put out at the Amex on Sunday lunchtime.
They were destined to lose anyway, beaten for the fourth game in a row after goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray set Brighton on the way to a 2-1 win.
When they came in at the final whistle Wenger barely said a word, leaving the players to sit and stare vacantly at each other again.
Chris Hughton’s side had done some extra training on set pieces ahead of Arsenal’s visit, identifying some of the vulnerabilities in this shoddy defence.
Wenger used to have all the answers, passing on tips that turned the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Bobby Pires, Vieira and Henry into world beaters.
When Henry struggled for goals in his first few months in English football, Wenger pulled him to one side and told him to spend more time in the penalty area.
Those little touches, those chats with Wenger on the training ground, made all the difference.
More than two decades into the job, Wenger is starting to doubt his ability to rebuild this troubled club.
He does not review games, seldom showing Arsenal’s players where they went wrong, or telling them what to work on to get back into his team.
It is every man for himself now. The team spirit has been eroded, shredded after their morale-sapping 3-0 defeats by City in Cup and Premier League and the humiliation at home to Swedish minnows Ostersunds in the Europa League.
Arsenal, once a secretive, covert operation, is a leaky bucket now.
Wenger, 68, is all alone. The locals in Wenger’s neighbourhood of Totteridge, the upscale North London suburb that the Frenchman calls home, worry about him.
He often dines on his own, walking into some of the local restaurants instead of spending another night home alone.
Everybody at Arsenal — directors, players, supporters — are turning their backs on him.
He occasionally pops up to the boardroom before matches, spending a few minutes talking to some of the guests on the table reserved in the manager’s name.
Relations with the directors in London — chief executive Ivan Gazidis, Sir Chips Keswick and Lord Harris of Peckham — are not so good.
Wenger’s position is being reviewed on a game-by-game basis, with the names of various potential replacements being bandied freely around the club.
Unlikely as it is, the good work of Sean Dyche has been praised as Burnley close in on a top ten finish in the Premier League.
There are more and more names being thrown into the pot.
Henry, even though he has indicated he would be prepared to take it on, is not under consideration.
There will be surprise at boardroom level about the dressing-room view on their former midfielder Arteta, too.
Arteta, 35, is not popular at the Emirates. The Spaniard, now on Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City, is remembered for being far too happy with himself.
Arsenal’s board is terrified of making this appointment, fearful of the process as they prepare to replace the most successful manager in the club’s history.
They will have to come up with a name soon, identifying the right man to succeed Wenger as manager of this great institution.
Someone will need to come up with a bright idea.
Real Madrid produced a spectacular comeback against Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final with Joselu striking twice late on, earning them a 2-1 win on Wednesday to progress 4-3 on aggregate.
Alphonso Davies smashed the visiting German giants ahead in the second half but record 14-time winners Madrid produced a sensational comeback with Joselu netting in the 88th and 91st minutes.
Bayern Munich’s Canadian midfielder #19 Alphonso Davies scores his team’s first goal in spite of Real Madrid’s Ukrainian goalkeeper #13 Andriy Lunin during the UEFA Champions League semi final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 8, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Spanish champions Real Madrid face another German side, Borussia Dortmund, in the Wembley final on June 1, after they stunned the team they call their “black beast”.
Squad player Joselu, on as a late substitute, wrote his name in Madrid’s history books with his last-gasp brace.
Bayern Munich’s English forward #09 Harry Kane reacts to their defeat after the UEFA Champions League semi final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 8, 2024. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
“There have been a lot of times we have looked dead and buried, but we have that mentality of never say die,” said Real midfielder Jude Bellingham.
“Joselu deserves it all, he has been an amazing squad member this season.”
Madrid had enjoyed the better of the match but it seemed Davies’ superb strike had set up a repeat of the 2013 all-German final in London.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel made three changes from the first leg, benching veteran Thomas Mueller and Leon Goretzka.
Dani Carvajal started for Madrid after missing the first leg suspended and was heavily involved as the hosts dominated the opening stages.
Real Madrid players celebrate their second goal scored by Real Madrid’s Spanish forward #14 Joselu during the UEFA Champions League semi final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 8, 2024. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
Rodrygo Goes was inches away from converting Carvajal’s low cross and the Spain defender then cleverly set up Vinicius Junior with a pass nutmegging a defender, and Manuel Neuer tipped the Brazilian’s shot against the post.
The rebound fell to Rodrygo but his effort was weak and with a desperate arm Neuer was able to claw it out to complete a fine double save.
Bayern’s Serge Gnabry limped off injured with Davies replacing him before Harry Kane’s first flash of danger.
Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was alert to push the England captain’s vicious long-range volley around the post.
Neuer palmed away a Vinicius free-kick as the teams ended a high-intensity, relentlessly frantic first half level.
The second period was just as fraught, with Davies’ cross deflecting onto the roof of Lunin’s goal.
Vinicius was unplayable down Madrid’s left and Rodrygo prodded his low cross agonisingly wide of the far post.
The 38-year-old Neuer made superb saves to deny both Brazilian forwards again before the hour mark as Madrid controlled the game and ratcheted up the pressure.
However just as in Munich, when Los Blancos were at their strongest, Bayern pounced.
Kane fed Davies and the Canada international cut inside from the left and smashed a shot beyond Lunin into the far top corner after 68 minutes.
Madrid thought they had levelled moments later through Nacho but after a VAR review the strike was ruled out as the defender had grabbed Joshua Kimmich’s face before shooting.
Tuchel took off Kane in the final stages to try and hold on to victory but it slipped through his fingers as Madrid produced more indelible European memories.
Neuer, who had been sublime to this point, fumbled what appeared a simple Vinicius strike and Joselu gratefully bundled home from close range.
With Bayern reeling Madrid struck again, decisively. It was Joselu once more, the striker on loan from second division side Espanyol, turning home after Antonio Rudiger cut the ball back to him.
The goal was ruled offside but officials overturned the decision after review, and after nearly 15 minutes of stoppage time, Madrid earned the chance to go for their 15th Champions League trophy.
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