Champions League: Arsenal went down fighting but bad business cost them final spot
Arsenal's Declan Rice reacts after the Champions League semifinal, second leg soccer match against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in Paris, on Wednesday, Picture: AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard
Another May and, unfortunately for Arsenal fans, another fruitless season. But to be fair to the Gunners and boss Mikel Arteta, they at least went down fighting in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.
Last week, we suggested that Arteta would have to throw caution and most of his regular tactics aside if he was to achieve a turnaround in the result in Paris against PSG. And to their credit, especially for the first 20 minutes, the north London outfit threw everything they had at the French champions in a whirlwind series of attacks that relentlessly pounded the home side’s defences and goal.
And for a while, it looked like it just might work. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard tore into the PSG lines while Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka snuck in behind defenders looking for breaking balls. But for some bad luck and the inspired shot-stopping of Gianluigi Donnarumma, especially for the wonderous dive to deny Odegaard thunderous strike, they might just have claimed that surprise reversal in the aggregate result.
Had they managed to score in that early period then maybe the fantasy comeback might have unfolded, but once again, the usual and well discussed absence at the point of their attack let the Gunners down, and eventually, the shellshocked PSG re-established their footing and started some terrifically fast counterattacks that put the high line Arsenal back on their heels. A few close chances were parried away but when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s wonderful, curled effort came off the post, it became clear it was just a matter of time before the French side would score.
And so, it unfolded, with the two exquisite long-range goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi either side of the half, sandwiched between by a ludicrous penalty award for PSG that was deservedly and justifiably saved by David Raya in the Arsenal goal.
And while all looked lost, Arsenal, again to their credit, did not throw in the towel and got back into it with Bukayo Saka’s goal clearly rattling the French side’s confidence. Had Saka then taken that chance to put the ball into the empty net late in game, who knows if PSG would have fallen to bits in the same way they went down to Aston Villa in the quarter final.
But it was not to be. And for their professional and accomplished path through the Champions League, the French side and maybe more importantly, manager Luis Enrique, deserved to make the final where they will meet an Inter side who, the previous night, had edged past Barcelona in the other semi-final, in one of the most bizarre and tremendously entertaining goal fests we have ever seen at this level of the competition.
It will be a hard final to call, as it will be an interesting clash of styles. The French side thrive on the counterattack, while Inter will no doubt return to the typical Italian form and look to defend deep with maybe five along the back. However, Inter did show in the semi-final against Barca, that if all comes to all they are willing to mix it up with the best of them in all-out attack, if necessary.
Arsenal went out with their boots on, not that it will be much consolation to their fans. However, it didn’t help gain any neutral sympathy when Arteta claimed, after the game, that he thought his side were the ‘best team in the Champions League this season’. They clearly weren’t and I don’t think they’d have beaten any of the other sides in the semi-final either. Again, Arteta came across as arrogant when a bit humility might have sufficed in the situation. Especially when everyone and their dog knows Arsenal’s shortcoming was in missing out on g an outright striker last summer and even more so when they again neglected to go to the market at Christmas when it was becoming even more obvious that they would not succeed without an outright goal scorer.
This transfer neglect probably cost them their tilt at the Premier League title and definitely cost them in the Champions League run-in.
The manager may bemoan his hard luck on his points finish in the Premier League and unrewarded efforts in the Champions League, but the blame behind Arsenal’s fifth year in row without a major trophy, lies squarely at their own door, or at least with whoever decided that they could do without a striker for another season.
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