German giants were brought back down to Earth somewhat after their 3-1 defeat in the Arsenal vs Bayern Munich midweek UEFA Champions League action.
Before that, the Bavarians had had a phenomenal start to the season, which saw them win their first 16 competitive matches in all competitions. Before the tie with the North London side, they had not dropped points in the Champions League before. Here are the three main takeaways from the Bayern loss to Arsenal.
Bayern Are Not in the Absolute Elite of European Football yet
Despite the great early form the Bavarians had this term, the place at the absolute top of the European game is still somewhat out of reach for them. The league leaders of the EPL and the UCL league phase, the Gunners have shown that they currently occupy that place, at least for now.
Sure, Bayern dominated PSG, the current holders of the European crown, in the first half of that recent encounter, but Arsenal have proven that they are a bit above the Parisians at the moment.
As for Bayern themselves, they are still too prone to defensive mistakes to be considered the best team on the continent at the moment. But having said that, the Champions League title won’t, of course, be given out now, but in late May.
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Arsenal vs Bayern Munich Verdict: Ball Possession Doesn’t Win Games, Goals Do
Another important takeaway from the Bayern loss to Arsenal is that possession isn’t everything.
The Bavarians had 57% of the ball in the Arsenal vs Bayern Munich clash, overall, and the statistic was far more in their favour early on in the first half. The problem was, they hardly did anything with it going forward.
In fact, the 1-1 equaliser by Bayern youngster Lennart Karl was one of the very few attacking highlights by the Munich side all match long.
That is reminiscent of the main problem that the Bavarians had during the reign of Pep Guardiola. They always had much of the ball, but in the big matches, they just were not lethal enough in front of goal.
It is, of course, a different era at Bayern now, with a coach, Vincent Kompany, who gives his players far more freedom than his Manchester City mentor did and who is arguably an even better man manager than the Catalan tactician was.
Still, dominating possession almost for possession’s sake cannot win games, if a team fail to move the ball forward promisingly enough. This is something that the Bavarians just were not able to do against Arsenal on anywhere near enough occasions.
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Trust the Process
Despite this one bad game, listening to the criticism now certainly circulating in the German press, would be completely wrong, as these same people who criticise Bayern today, were in many cases, precisely the ones who sang their praises yesterday.
Certainly, the team need to learn the right lessons from the defeat, but they should not question everything that was so very good early on this season. After all, they were up against an Arsenal side which seems to be at the top of their game now.
The Arsenal vs Bayern Munich result was certainly painful for the German record champions. But it was not by any stretch the end of the world. If they win their remaining three league phase matches, which they should do, they will comfortably finish in the top eight and thus move directly into the Round of 16.
At the same time, the Bayern loss to Arsenal may be a warning at just the right time.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Eibner
Recording Date: 26.11.2025
