These guys need to have a long, hard look at themselves…
There were some particularly abject displays in the final bunch of Champions League last-16 fixtures this week.
SEE MORE:
Arsenal news
You’re A Fake! Arsenal Legend Bob Wilson Slams Arrogant Piers Morgan
Six Big-Name Managers Who’ll NEVER Win The Champions League, With Arsenal, Man City & Barcelona Bosses
Unsurprisingly, it’s Arsenal who feature the most in our Worst Champions League team of the week.
Check out who the unlucky XI are below:
GK: Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund)
Weidenfeller’s terrible parry on a Juventus cross was one of the key reasons for the Serie A side’s opening goal and eventual 2-1 win.
RB: Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City)
A harsh choice, admittedly, but despite his hard word both going forward and defensively he almost undid all of that with a ridiculous challenge in stoppage time that handed Barcelona a penalty and what should have been a 3-1 lead heading to the Camp Nou.
It didn’t matter but it was unimpressive to say the least.
CB: Per Mertesacker (Arsenal)
Caught out again and again with his forays forward leaving poor Laurent Koscielny mercilessly exposed.
Has the unfortunate knack of being involved in all three Monaco goals after causing the deflection for the first whilst his total lack of pace and awareness ensured Arsenal were caught on the counter and punished for the second and third.
CB: Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Was given a real lesson from Barcelona and Luis Suarez in particular who ran him ragged in the first half. His nadir coming when he effectively played a one-two with the Uruguayan with a deflection to hand the La Liga side the opening goal.
LB: Gael Clichy (Manchester City)
May have ruined any chance of a Manchester City fightback in the second left after getting himself recklessly sent off for a silly foul just as the Premier League champions were coming back into it following Segio Aguero’s goal.
CM: Fernando (Manchester City)
Once again the expensive summer singing didn’t look up to it as he struggled to deal with Barcelona’s vivacious passers in the middle.
He improved in the second half but was continually sloppy on the ball that it felt like he was a ticking time bomb.
CM: Henrik Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
Looked like he’d never played with his team-mates before, struggling for the the entire night to get on the same wave length.
A far cry from the early season form showed by the Armenian.
LW: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Looked deadly coming into the match after two delicious goals at the weekend but struggled for the entire match to impose himself on proceedings and failed to create anything from what little service he had.
CAM: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
It’s not that Ozil was terrible, he just hardly did anything with the ball.
Instead he contrived to give it away cheaply in the first half, looking for guilt-edge passes before doing little of note in the second except keep the play ticking over.
Hardly justifying the £42 million price-tag against Monaco.
RW: Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Walcott came on for Olivier Giroud and immediately could have put Arsenal ahead but instead hit the ball straight at the Monaco keeper before proceeding to block the effort of Danny Welbeck and deflect it over the bar.
CF: Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
One of the poorest night in an Arsenal shirt for the Frenchman who went off after 60 minutes to the faintest smattering of boos.
It was definitely a night to forget missing chance after chance after chance. After chance. Indeed, had he had his shooting boots on then even with Monaco’s two goals, Arsenal still could have been winning and heading into the second leg with a much healthier mind-set.