Arsenal aren't used to being UEFA Champions group stage underdogs. They've made a habit of being the seeded team that cruises through the group stage and waits until the quarterfinals or so to really be challenged. Those days are gone though. Last year they didn't win their group and Udinese put a real scare into them for 135 minutes just a month ago in their Champions League playoff. Now they will have a real fight on their hands to get out of a group that is really deadlined by Borussia Dortmund, their first group stage opponent.
Borussia Dortmund Vs. Arsenal, 2011 UEFA Champions League: Stopping Mario Götze - The Short Fuse
To make matters worse, Arsenal will have to open up in Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday. Oh yeah, and that Dortmund team has Mario Götze, their incredible playmaker who will be rested after missing the weekend match with a suspension. Thomas Wachtel of SB Nation’s Arsenal blog The Short Fuse takes a look at what the Gunners are up against on Tuesday and focuses on Götze.
In addition to the loud noises certain to be made by around 80,000 Germans, the team must be prepared for the football stylings of one other German in particular; that is, the aforementioned Mario Götze. Earlier today Arsenal Report shared some stats from Who Scored (and thus Opta) which frightened me deeply, and which I will now pass along so that they may frighten you as well. Götze has three assists and a goal in four appearances so far this year. He also leads Dortmund with 2.8 key passes a game and 4.3 dribbles, and he attempts more tackles and interceptions than left back Marcel Schmelzer or centerback Neven Subotic. Götze is just a really good player all-around, and he will absolutely have to be well-defended if Arsenal are to have a legitimate chance of winning the match. He surely is not Dortmund’s only weapon, but he is their most deadly.
There’s not much of an explanation in there of how to stop Götze. That’s probably because no one has figured out a really good way to do it yet, but Arsenal will have to because they are no longer the sure bet to make it out of the group stage that they once were.
For more on Arsenal’s buildup to the game, check out The Short Fuse. Keep it on our Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal StoryStream for updates leading up to the match, during the match and post-match. Check out SB Nation Soccer for news and updates on all of the UEFA Champions League action.
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