'Difficult to take for Arsenal'
[Getty Images]
Arsenal still need a striker if they are to "go to the next step", says former defender Matthew Upson.
Having lost the semi-final first leg 1-0 to Paris St-Germain, the Gunners needed to win in Paris to progress to a first Champions League final in 19 years.
However, despite producing an xG of 3.14 in the game on Wednesday night, Arsenal could still not outscore PSG and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and 3-1 loss on aggregate.
"It is difficult to take for Arsenal. Another semi-final they end up losing. It's becoming a little bit of a habit, which is not great," Upson said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It just didn't happen for them in this game.
"There are so many positives about what Mikel Arteta has done with this Arsenal team, they're a very good side.
"For them to go to the next step, it is looking at the finer detail, but for me there is one glaring thing. It's that position that we are always talking about - a player that is going to produce those goals. Other players will benefit form that as well, Bukayo Saka will get more space, Gabriel Martinelli will have more space.
"When PSG break away you always feel they are going to put the ball in the back of the net. Arsenal don't have that level."
Listen back on BBC Sounds

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Huijsen recalls Mourinho and idol Sergio Ramos as he is introduced by Real Madrid
MADRID (AP) — Dean Huijsen thanked former coach Jose Mourinho and talked about his "idol" Sergio Ramos as the center back was introduced by Real Madrid in what he called 'the best day" of his life on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Spain international was signed by Madrid from Bournemouth in May to give the Spanish powerhouse its first reinforcement for next season. He signed a five-year deal after Madrid activated the player's 50-million pound (then $66.4 million) buyout clause. 'It's the best day of my life,' he said. "It's a dream to be here, and I'm going to give everything for the team. For me, Real Madrid is the best club in the world, and there is no other team like it.' Huijsen thanked Mourinho for bringing him to Roma on a loan from Juventus in January 2024. 'I was at Christmas dinner with my family when Mourinho called," he said. "When he calls, you have to listen. He's one of the greatest in the history of soccer, and I'm very grateful to him.' Mourinho had called Huijsen one of the 'best prospects in European soccer.' The young defender, who earned a first call-up by Spain for the Nations League playoffs in March, said he received a message from former Madrid star Ramos when his signing was made official. 'He's my biggest idol, the best center back in history,' Huijsen said. "I admire everything about him, he's the most complete center back. My first fond memory is the final of the (Champions league in 2014), when he scored in the last minute of added time. I was 9 years old.' Huijsen said he already talked with new team coach Xabi Alonso about his roles with the club that needs to rebuild a defense after multiple injuries to its backline during a mostly disappointing 2024-25 season. 'We talked a little about what he expects from me. I think it's going to be a great few years,' Huijsen said. "I think I fit in very well with the style of football Xabi wants to play. I'm going to try to contribute as much as I can, and I'll be delighted to help.' The highly rated defender was being sought after by other clubs in the Premier League after his standout season with Bournemouth. The skilled Dutch-born center back joined the Premier League team from Juventus for a reported 12.5 million pounds (then $16.6 million) in the offseason last year. He was a regular for Bournemouth since breaking into the team in November.


New York Post
34 minutes ago
- New York Post
Rory McIlroy explains how it's gone so wrong for him since Masters triumph
OAKMONT, Pa. — Rory McIlroy has not looked like himself since he reached the pinnacle of the mountain he'd been trying to climb for nearly 15 years when he captured the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam he'd been chasing. McIlroy tied for 47th at the PGA Championship last month, curiously refusing to speak to the media after all four rounds. On Tuesday, McIlroy spoke of 'trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago'' when re-setting his motivation and goals. 'I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year (and) it was nice to sort of see the fruits of my labor come to fruition and have everything happen,'' McIlroy said two days before the first round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont. 'But at the same time, you have to enjoy that. You have to enjoy what you've just accomplished. I certainly feel like I'm still doing that and I will continue to do that. 'At some point, you have to realize that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season — here, Portrush (the British Open), Ryder Cup — so those are obviously the three big things that I'm sort of looking at for the rest of the year. Weeks like Quail Hollow (the PGA) or even weeks like last week (Canada), it makes it easier to reset in some way, to be like, 'OK, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process and sort of what I'd been doing for that seven months from October last year until April this year.'' 3 Rory McIlroy during a practice round before the US Open on June 9, 2025. AP McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open winner, missed the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open when it was last at Oakmont. 'I don't really remember much about 2016,'' he said. 'I think I just tried to erase it from the memory bank.'' 3 Rory McIlroy talks to the media at the US Open. Getty Images That week, though, was the beginning of what became a line of demarcation for McIlroy's performances in U.S. Opens. He went on to miss the cut at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, which is a course McIlroy has not hidden his dislike for, and again in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills. 3 Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Canadian Open. Getty Images 'I missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2016, 2017 and 2018,'' McIlroy said. 'We were here (Oakmont) in '16, Erin Hills in '17, which is what it is, and then 2018 at Shinnecock. And I felt Shinnecock was a really hard one because I love that golf course, and to perform the way I did there, it really hurt me. 'Then I would go play Hartford (the Travelers) the next week and I'd feel really comfortable on a PGA Tour setup, and I think it was that week where it clicked. It was like, 'Why am I so comfortable here in Hartford but last week I had no clue what to do?' 'So that's when I made the decision at that back end of 2018 into 2019, I want to try to build my game around the toughest tests that we have in the game. Then as you've seen since 2019, six top 10s in a row at this tournament, obviously finished second the last two years in a row. And I've definitely become a much more confident US Open player and I'm way more comfortable on those firm, fast setups like you saw at Pinehurst last year and LACC the year before that. 'The U.S. Open went from probably my least favorite major to probably my favorite because of what it asks from you, and I love that challenge.''

Associated Press
39 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Huijsen recalls Mourinho and idol Sergio Ramos as he is introduced by Real Madrid
MADRID (AP) — Dean Huijsen thanked former coach Jose Mourinho and talked about his 'idol' Sergio Ramos as the center back was introduced by Real Madrid in what he called 'the best day' of his life on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Spain international was signed by Madrid from Bournemouth in May to give the Spanish powerhouse its first reinforcement for next season. He signed a five-year deal after Madrid activated the player's 50-million pound (then $66.4 million) buyout clause. 'It's the best day of my life,' he said. 'It's a dream to be here, and I'm going to give everything for the team. For me, Real Madrid is the best club in the world, and there is no other team like it.' Huijsen thanked Mourinho for bringing him to Roma on a loan from Juventus in January 2024. 'I was at Christmas dinner with my family when Mourinho called,' he said. 'When he calls, you have to listen. He's one of the greatest in the history of soccer, and I'm very grateful to him.' Mourinho had called Huijsen one of the 'best prospects in European soccer.' The young defender, who earned a first call-up by Spain for the Nations League playoffs in March, said he received a message from former Madrid star Ramos when his signing was made official. 'He's my biggest idol, the best center back in history,' Huijsen said. 'I admire everything about him, he's the most complete center back. My first fond memory is the final of the (Champions league in 2014), when he scored in the last minute of added time. I was 9 years old.' Huijsen said he already talked with new team coach Xabi Alonso about his roles with the club that needs to rebuild a defense after multiple injuries to its backline during a mostly disappointing 2024-25 season. 'We talked a little about what he expects from me. I think it's going to be a great few years,' Huijsen said. 'I think I fit in very well with the style of football Xabi wants to play. I'm going to try to contribute as much as I can, and I'll be delighted to help.' The highly rated defender was being sought after by other clubs in the Premier League after his standout season with Bournemouth. The skilled Dutch-born center back joined the Premier League team from Juventus for a reported 12.5 million pounds (then $16.6 million) in the offseason last year. He was a regular for Bournemouth since breaking into the team in November. ___ AP soccer: