5 things Arsenal need to do to pull off a Monaco miracle

Arsenal travel to Monaco to try and get three goals and a clean sheet so that they can finally move to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League after a number of failed attempts.The Gunners last went to the quarters back in 2010 and since then it has been a steady procession of getting knocked out in the Round of 16. After finally getting what seemed to be the luck of the draw with Monaco, Arsenal did an Arsenal and shot themselves in the foot in the first leg, giving away three goals at the Emirates and essentially giving the pass to the next round to the French side on a gold platter.But all is not lost yet, and all that the Gunners need to do is score three goals against the stingiest defence in European competition and not let them score any. Here are a few things they need to do to achieve that minor miracle:

#1 Keep a clean sheet

All the talk would be about Arsenal’s forward line, but equally important will be how well Arsenal defend in this match. If the first leg was anything to go by, there aren’t high hopes that this defence can keep a clean sheet. But with Arsenal in fine form in the last few games, as well as seemingly having learnt how to play without the ball, there is still hope for the fans that Arsenal can do what is needed.

While the entire team will be responsible for defending, the focus will obviously be on the back 5. Per Mertesacker has not been at his best off late and has had to thank Laurent Koscielny a number of times for being able to quell off the danger whenever the big German messed up. But such lapses won’t be helpful for Arsenal this time around. Monaco would be looking to kill off the game early and the Arsenal defence needs to be on its toes to give the gunners a chance to pull off a miracle.