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Mathys Tel: The Bayern forward that could take the game to Arsenal

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Arsenal were disappointed to only draw their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie with Bayern Munich, though in truth it could have been worse. The Germans were devastating on the counter-attack, with the Gunners wide open, exposed, almost naive, and looking brittle. Ultimately the 2-2 draw leaves a perfect mix of both opportunity and tension for viewers, but somewhat more difficulty for Mikel Arteta to judge tactically.

By Karl Matchett

Dominate possession and keep an attack-minded approach, as talent and season-long form suggests they should, and Arsenal run the risk of being countered on again with regularity. Sit back and keep tight, waiting for their own chances to strike on the break, and the problem is that they are inviting the likes of Harry Kane to have opportunities more often than might otherwise be the case.

A decisive factor in how Arsenal may approach the match from the start could be some absences for Bayern: since that first leg in North London, each of Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and goalscorer Serge Gnabry have picked up injuries. They are the lightning outlets, the pacy ball-carriers and the secondary goal threats either side of Kane – and only Sané stands a reasonable chance of involvement in this return fixture. Add in the suspended Alphonso Davies from left-back and a huge amount of the German club’s speed and ability to thrust forward as a unit is suddenly gone.

But to suggest they have no counter-attacking threat left would be a wild mistake; indeed, the impact of one other player this season, who didn’t even feature in the first leg, might prove Arsenal’s undoing: Mathys Tel.

Despite not playing a minute at the Emirates, there’s every chance Tel starts at the Allianz. Jamal Musiala will be one of Thomas Tuchel’s starters behind Harry Kane, and perhaps Thomas Müller another. The third will depend on Sané’s fitness – but whether as starter or impact sub, Tel will surely be a prominent option for Bayern after playing the full 90 minutes at the weekend in a 2-0 win.

He continued his impactful campaign against Köln with four shots, nine touches in the box, two successful dribbles and winning two free-kicks – as an outlet and a goal threat, he’s a hugely talented secondary option for Bayern. A centre-forward by preference, the 18-year-old has had to make many of his appearances this term off the bench and from the flank.

There, his speed is of obvious use when attacking spaces, on counter-attacks or looking to become an extra presence in the box – as five goals from just 677 Bundesliga minutes attest to.

In fact, though it’s clearly a fairly small sample size as he tries to break into the side, Tel is second in the the Bayern squad for goals per 90 minutes (0.66) behind only teammate Kane, but above everybody in the entire Bundesliga – including Kane – for shots per 90 (4.9).

Switch attention to Europe and Tel is in fact averaging even more efforts in the Champions League (5.18) but the sample size shrinks further so as to not quite be any kind of evidence just yet, with 140 minutes from his one start and seven cameo appearances from the bench. Even so, he scored against Manchester United in the group stage with just three minutes on the pitch, netted against København from only 13 and assisted against Galatasaray in 18. Clearly, this youngster doesn’t need a whole lot of time to find his groove and find the spaces – and take shots when chances fall his way.

And therein is where Arsenal must beware. The sheer volume of high-quality chances they gave up against Bayern when there looked no immediate danger will be one factor; Tel’s speed and ability to rapidly get strikes away will be another. Bayern tallied an xG of 1.92 against Arsenal in the first leg from eight shots. Aston Villa then scored twice in the final five minutes at the weekend in the Premier League, again big chances given up almost out of nothing.

Finally, there’s one Arsenal-specific factor which that defeat leans into: the moment when pressure hits and the squad crumbles. It has happened season after season and although they look like they are getting closer to finally surmounting that obstacle, they haven’t done so yet. They still let Bayern sneak out alive; they still let the title lead slip away on home soil.

If Bayern strike first, it wouldn’t be new, or a surprise, if Arsenal meltdown again. They haven’t shown that mental resilience to overcome such a setback. And in Mathys Tel, they’ll sooner or later face the exact type of player who has hurt them so much over the last two fixtures, and who might well extinguish their European hopes once more.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern game with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.

Mathys Tel: The Bayern forward that could take the game to Arsenal

Arsenal were disappointed to only draw their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie with Bayern Munich, though in truth it could have been worse. The Germans were devastating on the counter-attack, with the Gunners wide open, exposed, almost naive, and looking brittle. Ultimately the 2-2 draw leaves a perfect mix of both opportunity and tension for viewers, but somewhat more difficulty for Mikel Arteta to judge tactically.

By Karl Matchett

Dominate possession and keep an attack-minded approach, as talent and season-long form suggests they should, and Arsenal run the risk of being countered on again with regularity. Sit back and keep tight, waiting for their own chances to strike on the break, and the problem is that they are inviting the likes of Harry Kane to have opportunities more often than might otherwise be the case.

A decisive factor in how Arsenal may approach the match from the start could be some absences for Bayern: since that first leg in North London, each of Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman and goalscorer Serge Gnabry have picked up injuries. They are the lightning outlets, the pacy ball-carriers and the secondary goal threats either side of Kane – and only Sané stands a reasonable chance of involvement in this return fixture. Add in the suspended Alphonso Davies from left-back and a huge amount of the German club’s speed and ability to thrust forward as a unit is suddenly gone.

But to suggest they have no counter-attacking threat left would be a wild mistake; indeed, the impact of one other player this season, who didn’t even feature in the first leg, might prove Arsenal’s undoing: Mathys Tel.

Despite not playing a minute at the Emirates, there’s every chance Tel starts at the Allianz. Jamal Musiala will be one of Thomas Tuchel’s starters behind Harry Kane, and perhaps Thomas Müller another. The third will depend on Sané’s fitness – but whether as starter or impact sub, Tel will surely be a prominent option for Bayern after playing the full 90 minutes at the weekend in a 2-0 win.

He continued his impactful campaign against Köln with four shots, nine touches in the box, two successful dribbles and winning two free-kicks – as an outlet and a goal threat, he’s a hugely talented secondary option for Bayern. A centre-forward by preference, the 18-year-old has had to make many of his appearances this term off the bench and from the flank.

There, his speed is of obvious use when attacking spaces, on counter-attacks or looking to become an extra presence in the box – as five goals from just 677 Bundesliga minutes attest to.

In fact, though it’s clearly a fairly small sample size as he tries to break into the side, Tel is second in the the Bayern squad for goals per 90 minutes (0.66) behind only teammate Kane, but above everybody in the entire Bundesliga – including Kane – for shots per 90 (4.9).

Switch attention to Europe and Tel is in fact averaging even more efforts in the Champions League (5.18) but the sample size shrinks further so as to not quite be any kind of evidence just yet, with 140 minutes from his one start and seven cameo appearances from the bench. Even so, he scored against Manchester United in the group stage with just three minutes on the pitch, netted against København from only 13 and assisted against Galatasaray in 18. Clearly, this youngster doesn’t need a whole lot of time to find his groove and find the spaces – and take shots when chances fall his way.

And therein is where Arsenal must beware. The sheer volume of high-quality chances they gave up against Bayern when there looked no immediate danger will be one factor; Tel’s speed and ability to rapidly get strikes away will be another. Bayern tallied an xG of 1.92 against Arsenal in the first leg from eight shots. Aston Villa then scored twice in the final five minutes at the weekend in the Premier League, again big chances given up almost out of nothing.

Finally, there’s one Arsenal-specific factor which that defeat leans into: the moment when pressure hits and the squad crumbles. It has happened season after season and although they look like they are getting closer to finally surmounting that obstacle, they haven’t done so yet. They still let Bayern sneak out alive; they still let the title lead slip away on home soil.

If Bayern strike first, it wouldn’t be new, or a surprise, if Arsenal meltdown again. They haven’t shown that mental resilience to overcome such a setback. And in Mathys Tel, they’ll sooner or later face the exact type of player who has hurt them so much over the last two fixtures, and who might well extinguish their European hopes once more.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Bayern game with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.