Following Arsenal’s exit in the group stages of the UEFA Youth League last season, the club’s coaching staff assessed ways in which to improve in the competition.
After the 3-0 defeat to Sporting yesterday, however, Arsenal’s hopes of progressing beyond the knockout stages are looking increasingly remote once again.
Arsenal have secured just one win in the competition this season and have lost their other four matches. They face Monaco at home in their final game but are currently in 29th place in the table and must finish in the top 22.
To make matters even more difficult, Arsenal are set to be without Max Dowman against Monaco after the 14-year-old received his third yellow card of the competition.
Despite his age, Dowman has continued to stand out as one of Arsenal’s best players in this tournament.
Sporting evidently identified the threat of Dowman ahead of yesterday’s game, which resulted in him being fouled on numerous occasions.
If Arsenal are knocked out of the Youth League then further questions need to be asked about the club’s performances in this competition.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have certainly been missed but the overall displays have been rather passive.
Arsenal need to show greater confidence against European opponents if they are to make progress at this level.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorge_bird
Suffering from talented youngsters moving up to the first team squad. Finishing in the top 22 looking very unlikely.
According to the text feed from UEFA, Max Dowman was fouled eight times in the first half alone resulting in free kicks. There may well have been more fouls that went unpunished. Not one foul resulted in a yellow card. I’m puzzled that the Arsenal management seemed content to expose a fourteen year-old body to such treatment. He is undoubtedly a prodigious talent, and will have a fearsome physique when he matures – but surely he needs more protection, either from match officials or the coaches.
The referee did help protect him by banning him from the next match…