3 Key Talking Points From Arsenal’s 2-0 Win Over Monaco – Former Arsenal Target Shows Why He Has A Bright Future

Arsenal failed to make it past the Round of 16 for the fifth straight season despite beating Monaco in the second leg at Stade Louis II. The Gunners needed to win by a three goal margin after they disappointing 3-1 home defeat last month. Although the odds were firmly against them from the start, the visitors showed plenty of valor in fighting till the last moment. Olivier Giroud scored in the first half to give the traveling supporters some hope.

Danny Welbeck almost doubled it before half-time. But the second finally came via a second half substitute, Aaron Ramsey who latched onto a poor clearance from Layvin Kurzawa and drilled home nonchalantly from inside the box. But although the Gunners huffed and puffed late on, it was to no avail as their European campaign ended in heartbreak yet again. The Monegasque faithful rejoiced in their first quarterfinal appearance since 2004, when they lost in the final to FC Porto.

Here are the major talking points from the game.

A bridge too far… again

Everyone makes mistakes. After all, to err is human. But a failure to learn from them and keep making the same ones again is a criminal offense and one that Arsenal have been guilty of making far too often. The Gunners have often been very naive and ignorant in the big games, leaving themselves too much to do as a result and the Monaco game was no different. Losing 3-1 at home, to a side that seldom scores goals, let alone away from home is simply unforgivable.

And as good as their performance on Tuesday, it was all in vain. Far too often, this has been the case for the Gunners, who have made it a habit of digging themselves too big a hole to climb out of. And having been given a favorable draw, there certainly isn’t any excuse for another exit at the Round of 16 stage. Time has come for Wenger to learn from his mistakes and set his sides up differently. For if he doesn’t, their supporters will be reliving the same performances and results over and over again.

Kondogbia is destined for brighter future

Eyebrows were raised when a highly-rated 20-year-old Geoffreyn Kondogbia, who was tipped for great things went to Monaco, a side who weren’t even in the Champions League. Some perceived the lack of interest from the big clubs as a sign that he wasn’t very good. But his performances against Arsenal have shown just why the Ligue 1 club paid so much to secure his signature last season.

Strong, athletic, confident on the ball and immense off it, the French central midfielder made several top European clubs take notice with his performance over the two legs. Given the task of marking Alexis Sanchez in the second leg, the Frenchman stuck to him like glue and even a yellow card didn’t stop him from his defensive duties, which he executed brilliantly alongside the experienced Jeremy Toulalan. Not only was a brilliant shield to the defense, he also showed brilliant anticipation and vision with some of his passing and his strength to simply slide past defenders as if they did not exist is reminiscent of a certain Yaya Toure. Still only 22, it might not be long before a big club come calling.

Monaco’s defensive resolve sees them through

Two goals up from the away leg, there is always a sense of complacency creeping in and the team to settle for a draw or even a 1-0 loss. But if anybody thought that Monaco were going to sit back and invite Arsenal on for the entire game, they were proven wrong by the home side’s fast start to the game. Although the visitors eventually started to dominate the ball and dictate play, Leonardo Jardim’s side still looked threatening on the break.

But once the second Arsenal goal went in, the home side simply sat back deeper and deeper and looked as though they were content to go through on away goals. While that is never a good ploy, when you have two commanding center halves ready to throw their body on the line, a goalkeeper who wants to come out and help his defense at every possible opportunity and two disciplined defensive mid-fielders, then that doesn’t look like such a bad ploy. And that was precisely what helped them in the end, along with the support from the crowd, to get past the finish line, even when their rock-solid defense was breached not once, but twice.