Arsenal must be ‘aggressive’ to shut down two Bayern Munich stars, says Jurrien Timber | Football

Jurrien Timber claims Arsenal will need to take an “aggressive” approach in their clash with Bayern Munich if they are to silence Harry Kane and Michael Olise.

Bayern and Arsenal sit first and second in the Champions League group stage standings ahead of Wednesday’s showdown, with Inter Milan the only other team to boast a 100 percent record after four matches.

There will be some intriguing matchups all over the pitch when the two teams meet at the Emirates and the Gunners will be aware of the wealth of attacking talent that Vincent Kompany has at their disposal.

Mikel Arteta’s men should be brimming with confidence, however, and will no doubt take inspiration from their 4-1 victory over bitter rivals Tottenham, which tightened their grip on top spot in the Premier League.

However, Arsenal have not beaten Bayern since October 2015, when Olivier Giroud and Mesut Özil scored in a 2-0 win over the German giants in north London.

The Bundesliga champions are also in exceptional form after securing a thumping 6-2 home win over Freiburg at the weekend.

“Even if it wasn’t first versus second, Bayern are a big club with a great team, great players, great coach, so it’s going to be a tough game either way,” Timber said of Arsenal’s opponents.

“These are two teams that want to pressure, that want to play and I think it will be an exciting match for the fans as well.”

Olise completed a brace and Kane scored again as Bayern put Freiburg to the sword in Saturday’s largely one-sided Bundesliga match.

Kane now has 24 goals to his name in all competitions and carries with him an incredible record against Arsenal that dates back to his days at Tottenham, with the England captain scoring 15 times in his 21 appearances against the Gunners.

Regarding the challenge facing Arsenal in silencing Kane, Timber explained: “It’s not going to be easy, of course.

“After a few clean sheets, people keep talking about the quality of the defense, but I don’t think it’s just the defenders.

“If you look at our performance against Tottenham, we scored three goals, but defensively it was also incredible.

“It’s the whole team trying to mobilize and do a little more.

“Also, with the absence of Gabriel (Magalhaes), everyone knows how important he is for us and, at the same time, as defenders you have to step up your efforts.

“Everyone takes responsibility in terms of offense and defense and we go from there together.”

According to Timber, Kane has proven beyond doubt that he is one of the most complete center forwards on the planet with his goalscoring exploits for Bayern.

“He’s an incredible striker, everyone knows that,” added the Dutchman.

“He has so many qualities, he has been doing it for so long already and now at Bayern Munich he is also one of the best players in the world.

“It will be a great challenge for us, as a team, as defenders, to stop him tomorrow.”

Likely to face Olise at the Emirates, Timber is preparing for a “very tough” challenge against the former Crystal Palace man.

“To be fair, it’s just like any other match,” Timber responded when asked how he would approach his fight against Olise.

“Every week, every game, there is someone again who is very difficult to defend against. Fortunately, I am not alone on the pitch, we do it as a team.

“I’m just going to try to be aggressive and always focus on my defense first and then my offense as well.”

Despite Arsenal’s exceptional form this season, Timber insists there is still plenty of room for improvement for the team, both collectively and individually.

“It’s about remaining humble, approaching the match calmly but also aggressively,” continued the Dutch defender.

“Also, I think Sunday against Tottenham was an incredible game but there are so many things that, personally, I know I can do better, defensively but also from an offensive point of view.

“It’s the same for the team, so it’s about trying to find those things all the time. We still have a level left to reach.

When asked if he was playing the best football of his career, Timber smiled and said, “I don’t know, but I’m just trying to get better every time, every game, every day.”

“It also depends on the environment I operate in and the culture we have here. Everyone is trying to push each other.

“We have a big team so we have to push each other, but we also try to win something.

“I think I’m in the right environment to develop and become the best version of myself.”

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