Arsene Wenger admits his Arsenal side will be going nowhere if they put in any more performances like the one that saw them suffer their worst ever European defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Having beaten the German champions a fortnight ago in London and with only goal difference keeping them off the top of the Premier League, Arsenal would have fancied getting a result at the Allianz Arena.
The club had not lost on their previous two visits but were thoroughly outclassed as Bayern secured a 5-1 victory that leaves their Champions League hopes in a precarious position.
Costly defeats to Dynamo Zagreb and Olympiakos mean a result for the latter in Munich next time out would see Wenger’s men knocked out – even if they win their final two Group F matches.
And the Frenchman knows his team need to up their game to remain in Europe and keep their title tilt on track, with a North London derby at home to Tottenham Hotspur coming up on Sunday.
“We were extremely poor defensively and were not at the races,” he conceded.
“The funny thing was that when we went forward every time we looked like we could create chances but with a defensive performance like that you are going nowhere.
“No matter how many we have, we have to give it all for a chance to qualify. We now focus on the championship on Sunday and turn up with a different performance, we are in a strong position in the league but if we play like we did today we are going nowhere.”
Things started badly on Wednesday as Laurent Koscielny was ruled out late on with a hip problem.
His replacement Gabriel Paulista was culpable of playing Robert Lewandowski onside to allow the in-form Poland international to open the scoring.
A Thomas Muller double and strikes from David Alaba and Arjen Robben, who scored within a minute of coming off the bench, proved more than enough to beat an abject Arsenal side who pulled one back courtesy of a superb Olivier Giroud volley.
“There is still a chance to qualify,” Wenger added.
“There is a small chance but it is a real one. But we have to realise with the kind of performance we have today that our chance is at a minimum.”
Although Arsenal are now reliant on others to seal their feat, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola insists his side will be looking for a win against Olympiakos to sew up top spot.
“You make this question to a coach and a club then you have to know it is impossible to not try and win the game,’’ he said when asked if he could assure Arsenal the group leaders will not settle for a draw.
“Arsenal fans need to be calm. The players are going to go and try to win against Olympiakos, we might not be able to do that but not because we weren’t fighting but we want to be first in the group.”
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High fever (40°C/104°F)
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Nausea
Vomiting
Swollen glands
Rash
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
SPEC SHEET
Processor: Apple M2, 8-core GPU, 10-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Display: 13.3-inch Retina, 2560 x 1600, 227ppi, 500 nits, True Tone, wide colour
Memory: 8/16/24GB
Storage: 256/512GB / 1/2TB
I/O: Thunderbolt 3 (2), 3.5mm audio; Touch Bar with Touch ID
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Battery: 58.2Wh lithium-polymer, up to 20 hours
Camera: 720p FaceTime HD
Video: Support for HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, ProRes
Audio: Stereo speakers with HDR, wide stereo, Spatial Audio support, Dolby support
In the box: MacBook Pro, 67W power adapter, USB-C cable
Price: From Dh5,499
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
