Good draw for Arsenal but Wenger may leave Dortmund with regrets
Published:Although Arsenal did eventually get busy on the final day of the transfer window, there could still be some disgruntlement that Arsene Wenger settled for second best and avoided really pushing the boat out.
Arsene Wenger would have undoubted taken a draw away in Borussia Dortmund in his Champions League opener, particularly given the disappointing stream of results that Arsenal have suffered of late.
The game against the reigning Bundesliga champions was largely reminiscent of numerous Arsenal games of recent years, except worrying this time, the boot was on the other foot.
Premier League followers have grown accustomed to watching Arsenal supremely dominate the opposition in recent seasons without managing to win games.
Yet, this time it was Arsenal that landed the sucker punch, with Robin van Persie’s impressive finish one of only a few opportunities on the night for the Gunners.
However, Wenger may leave Germany with one regret and that is that he did not make a greater effort to sign Mario Gotze before the closing of the transfer window.
Gotze was certainly Dortmund’s chief perpetrator against Arsenal and his touch and link play was a sight to behold and something that is commonly seen in Wenger signings.
The 19-year-old was known to be on Wenger’s radar, but as is too often the case, the Frenchman was reluctant to pay what he deemed over the odds to land his man.
Spanish duo Juan Manuel Mata and Santi Cazorla are the other obvious pair that got away this summer, with Chelsea already enjoying the delights of Mata and Cazorla managing three goals in Malaga’s opening two league games this season.
Wenger did sign Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun to play similar roles and although it is early days, it seems unlikely that they will bring the same impetus and craft as those to have been rejected.
Two games unbeaten shows a hint of progress for Arsenal and they will be hoping to continue this at Blackburn next, which is a fixture that they are 10/11 in the Premier League odds to win.
