The biggest match at Emirates Stadium for sixteen years started and ended disappointingly as a very early Ousmane Dembele goal divided the teams after a frenetic Champions League semi- final. As I am typing this without the opportunity to look back on events this will be a fairly visceral and reactive report.
Before entering the stadium, PSG’s ultras barricaded themselves around Arsenal tube station for no obvious reason. There was no violence that I saw but a lot of damage was done to the away seating when they visited in October.
The two line ups were much as expected with Arsenal replacing Partey in midfield by Rice dropping deeper and Merino playing in his more accustomed midfield role. The paucity of options on the bench for Arsenal was a major theme in this game but very little could have prepared us for the whirlwind start made by PSG.
One has become accustomed to lateral and cautious early periods of play in domestic league football but PSG flew out of the blocks dominating possession and scoring after four minutes. A long, vertical pass out of defence found Dembele in the centre circle. He sped forward and fed Kvaratshkelia on the left wing and when the winger returned the ball centrally Dembele drove the ball home from the edge of the area in off the post.
The goal stunned the noisy but tense crowd and the first twenty minutes were tough watching for Arsenal fans as PSG almost completely dominated possession. Vitinha and Neves were excellent in midfield and Kvaratshkelia and Doue on the wings held their positions out wide and were a constant threat to our full backs. Kvaratshkellia was aggrieved not to get a penalty after a challenge by Timber and Doue was foiled at the near post by Raya.
To combat the effectiveness of the high PSG press we had to go long mainly through Raya but as the half progressed we started to fashion opportunities in the PSG box. Donnarumma made a fine save from Martinelli and Merino was robbed by Neves when about to shoot. We claimed unsuccessfully for a penalty. The half was made even less pleasant by a pedantic referee Vincic who booked Trossard and Saka for ridiculous ‘offences’ and ignored time wasting and gamesmanship from the PSG team.
We needed to start the second half well and thought we had done just that when Merino headed in a Rice free kick a few minutes into the second half. After an interminable delay the goal was chalked off and although we had much more momentum in the second half, PSG were content to sit deep and try to catch us on the break. Barcola missed an excellent opportunity in the last ten minutes and Gonçalo Ramos hit the bar when he looked to me to be well offside.
Our best chance of the half came when Rice fed Trossard and Donnarumma turned his low drive around the post. So, a game that begin with a flurry of attacking play settled into a more conventional match although Arsenal played much longer than is their normal style.
As I write, a strong argument is going on behind me about Ødegaard and his very flat contribution again. Despite an admirable work rate Martin is failing to create much of note and I think Arteta has to decide if this is a temporary problem or whether the severe ankle injury he suffered in the autumn has diminished him permanently. I thought we had some admirable performances. MLS and Timber stuck to a difficult task very well. Rice and Merino rallied the side in midfield although Partey’s absence was keenly felt and Trossard fought very hard to retain possession upfront although it would have been a big help to push Merino further forward. It seemed perverse to throw on Nwaneri in the 86th minute and the size of our squad is an issue we must address in the summer.
The recent triumph of our ladies team who turned around a defeat at home to record an emphatic triumph in France shows that recoveries can be staged and if Partey can be added to the mix freeing up Merino for forward duties all is not lost.
But PSG will sleep more soundly than us tonight knowing that a very efficient first leg has been completed.
A fast but fair summary, TTG. We missed Partey, especially in the first 20 minutes. Having to play Rice as a 6 loses us everything he brings higher up the pitch as an 8. Merino could then have played as the false 9 rather than an 8. He naturally drops deeper than Trossard, which would have helped balance out the PSG overloads in midfield early in the game.
I don’t think it is heresy any more to say that MØ8 shouldn’t be starting in this team on form.
The final scoreline leaves us more in the game than I had feared would be the case during the first 20 minutes. PSG may be sleeping the sounder of the two teams tonight, but there might be some tossing and turning over there still being only a single goal in it at this point.
A fast and fair report, TTG. Being only a goal down leaves us more in the tie than I had feared would be the case during the first 20 minutes. On to Paris with all still to play for and Partey to unleash Rice higher up the pitch.
Getting to the half hour mark without conceding a second was a major accomplishment. We were rocking during that period and the tie could quite easily have slipped from our grasp right there.
Our midfield was particularly weak during that period, to the extent that I don’t think we’ll see Rice, Merino, Odegaard as our starting three again as a first choice (think back to earlier games in the season, same lack of potency).
I thought our defending for their goal was very poor. Dembele was allowed to stand unmarked in a dangerous position and must have been delighted by our lack of attention. Extaordinary.
Having said all of that, I’m optimistic that the game in Paris can be won. We’ll need to win it by two clear goals to avoid penalties and that will require Partey to start and every single player to be at their very best – which wasn’t the case last night. We made PSG look much better than they are (not quite Tottenham in disguise, maybe Bournemouth, the other even earlier goal merchants).
Had the disallowed goal stood last night, we’d have gone on to win that game.
NLFE
A disappointing night. I have not seen a more effective press since Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund came to the Emirates. Some hard thinking to do before next Wednesday.
Cheers TTG. Summed up well.
I’ve seen a lot about how they were much better than us which I disagree with. They were excellent in the first 30 minutes, the best team we’ve faced in a long time. But it was to our credit that we grew into the game and turned things around. Our XG was comfortably above theirs, and their goal came from a shinned effort from outside the box. I’d rather have our chances from that game than theirs.
I thought the Ramos chance was onside (but that Raya would have saved it if he’d hit it lower) and the Barcola one would have been disallowed for offside Ruiz, but it ended up being about fine margins, not one obviously superior team.
Partey’s suspension was so damaging to us. It pinned Rice back and every time he ran at them they were terrified. If we tweak the balance of the team and get a bit more from Saka and Odegaard we’ll have a decent chance. It will be up to us to take it.
UTA
C100 makes a very good point. Luis Enrique is an elite coach and they were superb in the opening stanza of the game . We talk about quietening the crowd away from home and they did that brilliantly , not just scoring but completely controlling the game . As Btm said we did well not to be out of contention after that period .
The Odegaard conundrum is very concerning. He has been an integral part of our success, the ring master, but he has had an awful season and was really ineffective yesterday . I think all true Arsenal fans are willing him to recapture his mojo but Arteta must be wondering if the player we built the team around no longer exists . This looks to me like a real drop-off in quality rather than a dip in form. It has gone on too long . You get reduced benefit in buying a top striker if your creative 10 has run dry . Nwaneri is too young to bear tge burden of being our starting 10.
Lots for Mikel to ponder . How I hope Martin can show his character and ability on the big stage in Paris next week
Excellent and swift report TTG. You absolutely nailed it.
I too feared a drubbing as I watched the first 20 minutes and we did well not to ship some tie-ending goals during that chastening spell. We did extremely well to keep it 0-1 and to fight our way back into the game but I felt there was a glaring Thomas Partey-sized hole in the middle of the field both in and out of possession. The need to cover for his absence constrained the games of both Rice and Merino throughout without closing that hole completely while MLS, ultimately in the second half, drifting across as far as ‘right half’ did help. Oh for a fit Jorginho!
As well as looking extremely effective with the ball in that first 30 minutes, QSG’s press was fearsome. As we tried to play out from the back, three men, moving in concert (I likened it to our famous old back four’s offside trap in reverse), converged on the ball carrier while others closed the passing lanes preventing any rapid breakouts. It seemed, especially in the first half that we had no space at all whilst they had acres of room to strut their stuff.
It’s a damn shame that Merino’s goal was disallowed. I haven’t seen the game back (no opportunity but not really ready yet) and I suppose the offside decision was correct (though it took them bloody ages) but the way the Slovenian referee and linesmen made many other decisions makes me remember the RVP episode at Barcelona, the last time it was clear that we were ‘done’. I hope the officials like their Qatari gem encrusted Rolexes. Although we did make several good chances in the second half and Donnarumma had to pull off several saves QSG made us spend much of our possession simply playing in front of their massed ranks and we were fortunate when they failed to seal the tie with their late breakouts.
The chap sitting next to me kept asking why Arteta didn’t change things as what we were seeing wasn’t working. He didn’t accept that Arteta didn’t have anyone on the bench who COULD change what we were doing. Sterling would have been as effective as a traffic cone, Nwaneri is too callow to make a difference, talented lad though he is, and there was simply no-one available who could be expected change things up. Arteta has a lot of work to do on that training pitch to come up with a way to win the next leg with those 11 plus TP5.
In the end, I thought everyone put in a huge effort against the best team we have played this season and they all deserve credit for that though some were below their best level. I’m not so down on Ødegaard as many. I do think we have seen the old MØ in flashes and he’ll come back to top form. Hopefully, in Paris.
It’s all still to play for. Let’s do this!
Thanks TTG – a very fair summary.
It was strange that knowing how PSG throw attackers high and wide as soon as they’re in possession, Kvaratshkelia was left in so much space on our right wing and had all the time in the world to pick his pass to Dembele. That goal knocked the stuffing out of us – apart from whatever tactical change was made – as did the silence before kick off that killed the atmosphere at a stroke.
The referee was inconsistent to say the very least – the Saka booking was quite ridiculous.
Our build up play was on par for this season – slow and sideways – we practically force opponents into the low block we don’t seem to be able to play against. I would like to have seen White on and Timber moved to left back, MLS pushed to 6 to release Rice up to 8 and Merino pushed up front in place of Trossard.
On the Odegaard issue, I have no knowledge of the situation but he does not look well to me. Maybe it’s just tiredness. Here’s hoping he, his wife and new baby are all in good health.
@6, Bath, Martin’s performance was so poor (tough to even type that) that it might have been worth bringing Zinchenko into the mix in the latter stages. Otherwise, I agree, I was shocked by the immaturity of our bench – had hardly heard of several of these (no doubt) future heroes in red.
There was no real question about the offside. I thought we were super poor in preparing for all of the free kicks. To stand four players a yard offside and then expect them all to get back onside after a hand is raised and a ball flighted is quite a big ask. We didn’t manage it on a single occasion last night, partly because the opposing defence didn’t let us run into the holes we sought to find.
I fancy MA8 to put it all right for the second game. I do worry about Martin.
To continue to challenge for both the title and CL, we need to replicate City’s squad of two excellent players for every position. An Odegaard back up is an absolute essential.
Thanks TTG, as others have said a fair summary of a disappointing night.
We did much better 2nd half and I hope we have learned a bit about how
to manage the game against them. Time to get those loins girded if I can
say that on a family oriented blog
Congratulations to CER and 21CG on their excellent piece for the Gooner which is published this week detailing a very enjoyable day at Goodison ! They took over temporarily the Countryman column which has become a big favourite among Gooner readers .
A number of Holics support the Gooner with donations and if you have a chance to do so it has evolved into an enjoyable and very positive read and has certainly put behind it the gloom and negativity of the years before Layth Yousif took it over . It’s nice to have a very worthwhile read still in the print medium and it’s a great magazine to pass on to other Gooners. If you’d like to subscribe details of subscriptions can be found at http://www.onlinegooner.co.uk.
To TTG’s point @5, Luis Enrique is an elite coach, and he made the tweaks of an elite coach to tip the fine margins in his side’s favour. Defending set pieces a yard higher to make it more difficult for our attackers to get back onside was one. Having Kvaratskhelia and Doué to do scissors runs with another attacker to draw Timber or MLS inside and leave space wide was another. Arteta sorted that out, but not before Kvaratskhelia had set up Dembele for the goal after just such a move. Gegenpressing in a 3-4-2-1 to give a one-man overload in midfield was another. It was a smart way to make the most of Partey’s absence and went a long way to explain why we had such a rocky first 20 minutes. That said, the crucial fine margin was Dembele’s shot not hitting the post a couple of inches to the right, in which case it would have rebounded away from the goal and not in.
One other thought. Donnarumma can blow hot and cold as a goalkeeper. He blew cold in the league phase game and hot last night. How he fares in Paris could have a big say in the result.
Trev@7: I agree that MØ8 looks wan. The baffling bit is that he still seems able to run his socks off, but he is not having the impact on games that we know he can.
Blogs has written sensibly about Odegaard this morning. I agree with him that the captain needs a good break in the summer, and that we need to recruit a player who can genuinely share minutes with him next season.
Ned is right that his physical output is still very high, even if his invention and quality, especially around the area, seem to have dropped off. To say nothing of his willingness to find space to shoot and then pull the trigger.
However, whatever may be the cause of his relatively unproductive performances, he is our captain, our squad building means we have no one else who can replace him and he has more than earned our support in what is a tough time for him more than anyone.
As we saw with the assist for Calafiori against PSV, he is still capable of moments of the sublime. He always gives all he’s got. And he is going to play all of our big games until the end of the season.
At this point in the season, analysis of longer term arcs falls away for me. We have a small number of important games and the focus must be on them. It’s only weeks until we can pick the bones of the season, but if we win two football matches we can become champions of Europe, and that is what the players will be focused on. Led by the captain.
I know the general attitude in the bar is very supportive of the team (obviously without losing reasonable analysis, criticism and commentary) but it seems an excellent time to wish and hope that Gooners everywhere remember, as Dave would gently remind us, to point the Cannons Out.
It’s all still up for grabs. UTA!
What GSD said @13.
An excellent analysis in the Athletic (£) of how PSG used our high press against us. They’ve been plotting this since at least the draw for the QFs and SFs was made, if not as soon as we beat them in the autumn:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6323159/2025/04/30/psg-structure-arsena-press-champions-league/
Can MA8 figure out a way to respond? TP5 will certainly help.
GSD @13 – Hear hear.
Bath @15 – it is good if a bit mind boggling to play against – at least as described.
Essentially they overload the midfield by advancing Hakimi on their right as Mendes moves inwards on the left, and Dembele drops into midfield too. That allows Doue and Kvaratshkellia to stay high and wide – as predicted in the preview 🙃 – to create those 1 v 1s.
It does leave room for us to attack high and wide too as Saka and Martinelli tried to do. Trouble was we either couldn’t finish, Donnarumma performed miracles, or Saka was halted by a booking having beaten Mendes and gotten himself clean through into the area.
Interesting and scary to see how we try to overcome that in Paris. Partey returning and Rice moving forwards will be a big part of it.
Trev @17, your preview did outline their attacking structure well but I had not appreciated before reading that piece how they had used our press against us.I do think the absence of TP5 was a key factor in our concession of their goal. Their attack was mesmerising in that first 20-30 minutes and we were rocking but showed the old Arsenal grit to keep the score to 0-1 before asserting ourselves for the next 45 minutes during which we could well have levelled or even won it until their two near things in the last 10 minutes. The score could have ended 0-3 but it could easily have been 2-1. The classic game of fine margins and a tie that’s not done yet. MA8 has some thinking to do.
Last night there was a host of sport on TV in UK. The World Snooker which is compelling and Premier League Carts which I enjoy. There were also three English teams winning at a canter in minor Duropean semi- finals . I flicked between games but a few observations of the football were –
– Bodo Glimt had done remarkably well to make a European semi- final. They were missing several players but sadly it constituted what will pass for a glory night at the Toilet Bowl. The video is probably out already
– United went into a hostile atmosphere but won very easily in Bilbao. On this evidence I would not attempt to sign Nico Williams. The intensity of PL football doesn’t appear to be for him . Hopefully United will encounter a Spursy response in Bilbao in the final. It’s no fun having to support ManUre
– I saw little of the Chelsea game but it was an absolute stroll for them. Let’s hope the final is a proper match
– Brentford ambushed Forest with a very canny tactical masterclass. Away from home they are a handful . Forest look to have shot their bolt. Forest and Chelsea have very tough fixtures left and Villa are too far behind so I suspect our 6 CL qualifiers will be –
Liverpool, Arsenal , C130 y ( for now) ,Newcastle , Chelsea and ManUre .If we win the CL I presume we have one more place . I assume the English co- efficient will be very high after this season
Bath @18 – they were amazing over that first 20 minutes. I think what that article also highlights is how cleverly their midfielders pulled ours out of position with their auto-switching of sides and direction – again, something Partey should help to cover.
The GHF Predictathon leaderboard for Match week 34 has been posted. Forest’s drop to sixth has has a big effect, but not always as you might expect. You know where to find it…
Uply dropping, CER rising and TTG going bottom is my scanned assessment.
Bath@15: Thanks for the link. As per my @12, I would say that Arteta did respond to Enrique’s counterpressing tactics, but it took 20 minutes for the response to be made and take hold. By then, we were a goal down and, perhaps, were fortunate it was not more. However, the changes, particularly Ødegaard dropping to fill the space PSG were creating in central midfield and our full backs not being drawn infield by scissor runs to give their wingers width high and wide, were why we ‘got back into the game’ for the last hour or so, and I am not sure one could say that Enrique countered Arteta’s counter. To Trev’s point, Partey’s absence gave Enrique’s counterpress tactics the optimal conditions in which to succeed.
A lot of movement in the Predictathon leaderboard this week. All but two players changed position, and the points improvement ranged from two to 70.
TTG did indeed drop to bottom of the Predictathon. All my efforts are going into the ‘ Ropey League ‘ !
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