Arsenal can go hell for leather against Bayern Munich on Wednesday as they attempt to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
The Gunners are attempting to make the most of a strong 2-2 first-leg result after coming from behind in the second half at the Emirates Stadium.Mikel Arteta’s side felt they were unlucky not to have a chance to win the game late on after Bukayo Saka collided with Manuel Neuer in the Bayern box.
Thomas Tuchel then diverted attention instead to a controversial moment when 35-year-old referee Glenn Nyberg seemingly ignored a handball by Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
The game had bubbled along throughout but promised to boil over full-time when Saka was furious at not being awarded a spot-kick.
He angrily quizzed the officials over the decision, while Mikel Arteta was furious on the sideline.It had been an entertaining battle before that, though, with Arsenal starting strongly before being picked off on the counter-attack by a lethal Bayern frontline. Ahead of what is set to be a tense affair in Germany, there is a new freedom available to players – at least for now.Arsenal were walking a tightrope at home, with both Declan Rice and Kai Havertz just one yellow card away from suspension.
The pair both have enormous roles to play in the reverse fixture and were central to the tactical plans from Arteta in north London.Both started the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday as well. Bayern, however, were able to rest and rotate their squad.
Tuchel wasn’t as fortunate when it came to suspensions, though, with Alphonso Davies being ruled out after picking up an early yellow in the first leg.He brought down Saka less than 20 minutes into the game and was targeted by the Arsenal players throughout.
Ben White and Saka on the right tormented him in the opening stages, finding the breakthrough from the same side.
The Champions League suspension cut-off point comes after every two rounds, with a three-booking threshold for the group stage and start of the knockout rounds combined.
Players receive a one-match ban at three yellows before the semi-final as well as at every other odd-numbered booking from there on.
The rules explain that “after the completion of every two rounds…in which a player was registered on a club’s list and eligible to play, the number of yellow cards he received that did not result in a repeated caution suspension is reduced by one.
This means that after a recent change of rules, none of Havertz, Rice, or Goretzka would be able to miss the semi-finals due to yellow card suspensions.
Notably, this wasn’t the case in 2012 with Chelsea, when Branislav Ivanovic was ruled out of the final after picking up a yellow card in the semi-final at the Nou Camp.
Red cards also carry the standard bans, though that is now the only way that players can miss the final.Unlike last week, whereby Arsenal had to carry the weight of possible suspensions for two vital players during their clash, there are no such distractions.
Now it is up to Rice and Havertz to use this freedom to their advantage on the pitch.
