FOUR Arsenal players and manager Mikel Arteta are handed the second-lowest grade possible in savage Bild ratings – after crashing out of the Champions League to Bayern Munich

Four Arsenal players and their manager Mikel Arteta have been savaged by German newspaper Bild for their performance in Wednesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich. 

Following last week’s 2-2 first-leg draw in London, Arteta‘s side struggled to lay a glove on the German giants and were dumped out of the competition, only three days after defeat in the league dealt a hammer blow to their title aspirations. 

Bayern found a lot joy down the Gunners’ right-hand side. Indeed, their 67th-minute winner from Joshua Kimmich came via a cross from that flank. Therefore, it’s little surprise to see the players involved so harshly rated. 

Three of the four Gunners stars given a ‘5’ by Bild – with 1 being their best rating and 6 being the worst – were predictably operating on the right.

Bukayo Saka caught most of the flack post-match after his anonymous display that was topped off by a woeful corner kick in the last seconds of the tie. 

The Gunners have been dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich for the fifth time

Bukayo Saka endured a frustrating night and was unable to exert any influence on the game

The 22-year-old ended his night with no goals or assists, shots, chances created or successful dribbles. He was joined by Ben White and William Saliba. 

Former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho was the other player slammed for his display at the Allianz Arena. 

German newspaper Bild savaged Arsenal players for their performances against Bayern

With the exception of Gabriel Martinelli, White was most at fault for the winner on Wednesday night which sent Thomas Tuchel‘s side through to the semi-finals. 

The right-back failed to close down Raphael Guerreiro’s cross which found Kimmich, inexplicably unmarked, in the six-yard area. 

Martinelli, along with five of his team-mates, was rather fortunate to receive a ‘4’ from Bild for his display. However, German magazine Kicker, reckoned the Brazilian was in fact the worst player on the pitch and savaged him with the only ‘5’. 

Off the back of a wonderful 2022-23 campaign, the 22-year-old has struggled for form, scoring scored just eight goals in all competitions. 

The poor production continued in Germany, with him squandering a superb chance to give the visitors the lead in the 30th minute. 

The Brazilian was one of a few Gunners players contesting a Champions League quarter-final for the first time and that inexperience was exposed by Tuchel’s side. Arteta admitted it could be years before his team are ready to lift the trophy. 

‘We tried against a team that had a lot of experience, the margins across the tie have been very small.’ He said post-match. ‘We made a mistake defending the box and we conceded a goal. 

‘The club hasn’t been in the Champions League for seven years, and in the first year back [people expect us to] play in the semi-final and final.

Gabriel Martinelli wasted a brilliant chance to give Arsenal the lead with a tame shot in the 30th minute

Ben White struggled to deal with the fluidity on the Bayern left and failed to close down the cross which led to their winner

Mikel Arteta’s side have been woeful away from home in the Champions League this season, winning just one of their five outings

‘We all wanted that, so badly, but you can see with many other clubs it takes six or seven years to get to this stage. We were very close, that’s the reality.’

The Arsenal boss was not spared by Bild and given the grade of ‘5’ after presiding over yet another away loss in the competition. His side claimed victory in only one of their five matches outside of north London. 

Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Takehiro Tomiyasu. Gabriel and David Raya were the players to receive a ‘4’, while skipper Martin Odegaard was the only performer who could leave Bavaria with even a modicum of pride, according to the outlet. 

The former Real Madrid midfielder was given a ‘3’ after doing his upmost to get something out of the game. Kicker did not quite agree. The Norwegian received one of the highest grades, but not top mark. That, interestingly was shared between Gabriel, Saliba and Rice.  

Bayern kept alive their hopes of winning a trophy with a mature display over the two legs against the Gunners

German magazine Kicker had a slightly different take on which players performed worst for the visitors

On the other side of the pitch, match-winner Kimmich and provider Guerreiro were predictably awarded the highest mark, while Harry Kane was lumped with a ‘4’, having been kept quiet by Gabriel.

Arteta must now try and lift his team for a tricky trip to Molineux on Saturday night. Despite ceding ground in the title race after their 2-0 loss to Aston Villa last week, the side remain just two points off the top with six games to play.