It’s happened again. It’s happened agaaaaaiiin! Arsenal have been knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the seventh consecutive season.
And they didn’t bow out with any grace whatsoever, as a third straight 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich saw Arsene Wenger’s side lose 10-2 on aggregate.
The Emirates Stadium was filled with boos at the final whistle and there was only one Gunners star who could muster a smile. That man was goalkeeper Petr Cech.
When your manager leaves you out for two games and it saves you the humiliation of conceding 10 goals… #ARSFCB #ARSBAY pic.twitter.com/Z4QgD7rYYP
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 7, 2017
Ridiculously, Wenger opted to leave Cech out for both legs, staying faithful to cup keeper David Ospina.
In fairness, Ospina is not at all to blame for this two-legged embarrassment, but quite how Wenger can justify not picking his best stopper in the biggest matches remains a mystery.
As it happens, Cech is probably relieved that Wenger left him on the bench for the two games against Bayern. His goals-conceded stats would have taken a right battering had he been in Ospina’s shoes.
In constrast to Cech’s post-game chirpiness, Gunners forward Alexis Sanchez looked absolutely miserable after being subbed off on 73 minutes.
You have to admire Arsenal’s consistency to lose home and away 5-1. Fair play. pic.twitter.com/a4Nn1e5a0W
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) March 7, 2017
This wave to the fans as he left the field looked pretty ominous too.
Alexis Sanchez waving goodbye to Arsenal fans as he’s subbed off vs Bayern Munich looks ominous?#ARSFCB
?Pictures from BT Sport pic.twitter.com/AoVD9NqlDM— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 7, 2017
One suspects he could be saying his final farewells this summer.