Arsenal vs PSG: 3 Takeaways From a Tense Encounter

Last night, the curtain fell on Arsenal’s Champions League adventure. Beyond the pain of exiting Europe’s premier club competition at that stage was an even more bitter realization for Gunners fans. Yet another trophyless season had come to an end. But Mikel Arteta and his boys can take great pride in how they performed in yesterday’s Arsenal vs PSG matchup.

They played with heart against a revamped Paris Saint-Germain that looks like the strongest team on the continent. Les Parisians have become a well-oiled machine under Luis Enrique. But they adopted a more conservative approach against the Londoners yesterday, knowing a draw was enough to see them through to the finals. Here are some thoughts from the second leg of the second UCL semifinal.

Almost Doesn’t Count

Everybody knows, almost doesn’t count, Brandy sang. The lyrics of the R&B song will ring painfully true for Arsenal fans. Yet another season has ended with nothing to show for all the undeniable progress the team is making under Arteta. The last time the Gunners won a trophy was the 2020 FA Cup. It was hoped that that would be the beginning of a triumphant spell. Suffice it to say those hopes are yet to be rewarded.

Yesterday’s game was Arsenal’s last shot at a major trophy this season, but they couldn’t overturn the one-goal deficit from last week. The frustration and disappointment were palpable in Arteta’s post-game interview, in which he insisted his side was better. “The feedback I got from their (PSG’s) bench is that we were much better than them.” 

The statistics do bear his views out to some extent– possession was 54 to 46% in favor of the Gunners. His players registered 19 goal attempts compared to PSG’s 11. But PSG had more shots on target and converted more of these to help themselves to a 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes. 

False 9

Sticking with those statistics, who is to blame for Arsenal’s failure to convert their numerous chances into goals? Was it the players on the field? Bukayo Saka missed a glorious opportunity in the second half to level the game and possibly give his side the impetus to push for a win. But it must be remembered that though the number 7 has contributed handsomely to Arsenal’s goal tally this season, he’s not a striker.

Neither is Mikel Merino, who started the game in that position. Nor is Leandro Trossard, who came on in the second half to help find that elusive goal. Speaking of Trossard, why did Arteta start Merino ahead of Arsenal’s second-top scorer, behind the injured Kai Havertz? What are we driving at with all these questions? The absence of a natural center-forward could be at the heart of Arsenal’s abysmal conversion rate in front of goal.

But this Arsenal vs PSG tie didn’t give rise to this problem. One of the Gunners has suffered from for the better part of the past three seasons. Gabriel Jesus has been out since the ACL injury he suffered in January. But neither he nor the other four Gunner forwards, can be branded a 20-goal-a-season poacher. With all the chances they created last night, you could argue that a recognized striker would have seen Arsenal over the line. Maybe even helped them mount a stronger challenge against Liverpool for the Premier League title. But for some reason, Arsenal’s hierarchy has never seen the urgency in bringing in an established 9. 

Arteta’s mentor at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, made the ‘false 9’ system famous in his days as Barcelona coach. But even the Spanish football genius has seen the sense in employing a reliable finisher. When will the Gunners see the light?

PSG Is Not 100%

Luis Enrique and his men have been hailed as the best in Europe. It’s hard to argue with that in their current form. They won Ligue 1 with games to spare and crushed four of England’s best on their way to the Champions League final. Their coach even issued a tongue-in-cheek rejoinder to those who had denigrated PSG as the best in a ‘farmer’s league’.  

But are the Parisians really that unstoppable juggernaut set to sweep Inter Milan aside and claim Europe’s top prize? Yesterday’s game suggested there’s still some work for Enrique to do if they’re to be enthroned as kings of Europe. Before Ousmande Dembélé arrived to set up the winning goal, PSG, like their opponents, struggled to finish off their chances. 

Blessed with speed and guile as they are, Khvicha Kvaratshkelia, Bradley Barcola, and Désiré Doué couldn’t find the back of the net. PSG needed a piece of magic from Fabián Ruiz to open the scoring. A couple of Arsenal mistakes led to clear-cut chances for the trio, but they failed to convert. Were it not for Donnaruma’s dominance in goal and Arsenal’s wastefulness, the outcome may have been different.

Inter Milan may not be as forgiving as the Gunners. They converted four out of their seven shots on goal in that epic return leg against Barcelona. If PSG are to defeat so clinical a foe, they will need to make sure they capitalize on the dangerous situations they create. They will also need to tighten up their defending. Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and even the dependable Achraf Hakimi were guilty of rudimentary errors at the back yesterday.  

Can PSG Go the Distance?

Reaching their first UCL semifinal in 16 years is irrefutable evidence of Arsenal’s steady progress under Arteta. But their exit at this stage will hurt, as will the end of another season with no silverware to show for it. In delivering heartbreak to the Gunners, PSG showed proof of their growth. They’re finally showcasing their domestic dominance on Europe’s biggest stage. But have they matured enough to go all the way?