"They looked uncomfortable" - Rio Ferdinand says Arsenal duo were 'nervous' in UCL encounter against Bayern Munich
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel were nervous against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. He wondered if it was Harry Kane making things difficult for the center-backs and exploiting their inexperience.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand claimed that Kane made the best center-back pairing in the Premier League look jittery against Bayern Munich. He added that the duo who did well against Erling Haaland, but were unable to get on the same page on Tuesday night. He said:
"I don't know if it's him [Kane] or his presence. That's the most nervous or uncomfortable I have seen the two centre-halves. We talked them up before the game as being the best pairing in the Premier League. Today they looked uncomfortable. That's largely down to him. They rattled Haaland but Martin [Keown] made a great point, he is inexperienced compared to Kane. A different player, causes different problems."
Arsenal had to settle for a 2-2 draw despite taking the lead early in the game. They travel to Germany for the second leg on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich manager not happy with referee's penalty decision vs Arsenal
Gabriel was caught in an awkward situation against Bayern Munich when he picked up the ball from a David Raya pass. The Brazilian believed that the Arsenal goalkeeper was giving him the ball to take the goalkick but the referee had already blown the whistle and it was in play.
Despite spotting it, the referee opted against giving the penalty as it was a childish mistake. Thomas Tuchl was furious with the decision and said:
"I think the referee did not have the courage today to give a deserved penalty in a bit of a crazy and awkward situation. But he admitted on the pitch that he saw the situation and that a quarter-final is not enough for him to give a penalty for his mistake. He admitted he knew about the mistake the player made and that is a bit frustrating.
"It was from the goalkeeper, he was whistling and the keeper passed to the central defender, I am not sure which one it was but he touched the ball with his hand because he thought it is not in the game, but it was in game. The referee admitted it was in game and it was a handball. It was not worth looking at the mistake which is very frustrating for our players and leaves us angry."
The Champions League is the only possible silverware that Bayern Munich can win this season. Meanwhile, Arsenal are still in the Premier League title race and are on top of the table with seven games to go.