How ‘brave' Arsenal were denied by PSG in Champions League semi-final with familiar problem

Scottish Sun

08-05-2025

Timber was asked to play a different role and it caused PSG huge problems
BRAVE ART How 'brave' Arsenal were denied by PSG in Champions League semi-final with familiar problem
ARSENAL crashed out the Champions League to PSG despite Mikel Arteta's bold tactical plan nearly paying off.
The boss claimed the Gunners were the "better team" and the difference came in both boxes.
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Mikel Arteta's bold plan so nearly worked
Credit: Getty
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But missed chances and Mikel Merino's lack of goalscoring instinct proved costly
Credit: Reuters
PSG have goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and some other excellent movements from goalscorers Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi to thank.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans will be left scratching their heads again as to why the club refused to buy a striker.
1. Striker Light
Enough is enough - Arsenal need to spend big on a top quality No9 this summer.
Last night, there was more than one occasion when Arsenal won it back high up the pitch and flooded towards the area.
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But Mikel Merino inexplicably, even though he is not a striker, runs off to the left instead of going into the number nine position and when the cross comes in, there's nobody there.
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Arsenal's lack of a striker was clear to see
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They got into good areas but nobody was there
Other situations saw Declan Rice, who was covering so much ground, break into that area but make the wrong movements to lose the PSG defenders.
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Eventually, the Parisians began to welcome crosses and they made a whopping 43 clearances in the match - easy for centre-backs Marquinhos and Willian Pacho.
A striker must be Arsenal's one and only priority in the transfer window - if they had a centre-forward they could well be in the final.
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2. Brave Art
It was relentless in the opening stages from Arsenal and they deserved a goal - front-foot, pressing high and aggression in the tackle.
To help get Bukayo Saka running at PSG left-back Nuno Mendes, Jurrien Timber was playing like a right-sided No10.
When Arsenal had the ball deeper, William Saliba would shuffle across and Martin Odegaard would drop to receive it.
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It allowed Timber to go forward and then move wide to interchange with Saka.
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Timber drifted forward and combined with Saka
It presented PSG with a headache - does a midfielder follow the Dutchman and mean they lose their shape? Or do they allow him to go unmarked and double up on Mendes with Saka?
The tactic forced danger man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to do loads of defensive work.
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It made Kvaratskhelia go the other way
Timber deserves plenty of credit for playing the role so well and at times he was getting the ball between makeshift No9 Merino and Saka to overload the right.
The bravery was nearly rewarded with an early goal - fair play to Arteta.
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3. Incredible Donnarumma
The Italian stopper won the tie for PSG. The save from Odegaard is as good as you'll ever see a goalkeeper make. They should be playing it on loop at the their training ground because it was absolutely sensational.
He doesn't see the ball until it's gone through two defenders and Odegaard can't hit it any better. It's going into the corner and it bounces just before it gets to him.
He moves his feet, taking little steps on his line, like a tennis "split step" so he is ready to dive either way.
Donnrumma's save percentage is not that high compared to other keepers in the Champions League this season, but PSG's dominance means few shots come at him and it shows how good he is to constantly stay alert.
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4. Ab Fab
Ruiz goes under the radar but as an integral part of this PSG side and the Spain team that won the Euros last year, he should be spoken about among the best in the world.
His overall play is unbelievable. But his movement for the goal is incredibly clever.
PSG have a free-kick to be crossed from out wide and he lines up next to the Arsenal defence.
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Ruiz anticipated the ball dropping brilliantly
But the Gunners are not deep enough and the delivery comes in too far from David Raya to claim and the defence have to flick a ball clear after charging back to their own goal to deal with it.
Ruiz is smart enough to stay put on the edge of the box and anticipate a loose ball.
His genius bit of movement away from the backline, which are going in the opposite direction, creates the space for him and the goal.
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His first touch and finish was spectacular
5. Hak Attack
Hakimi was absolutely everywhere and he plays on the right by himself at times.
This enables the right-winger ahead of him to drift inside and create overloads elsewhere on the pitch.
Hakimi has all the attributes, but his game intelligence to move into areas that team-mates have vacated is extraordinary.
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PSG progress the ball up the pitch by creating diamonds and the right-back is always a pass ahead.
He bursts into inside areas when Desire Doue is wide or he overlaps and becomes the wide option if the winger is elsewhere.
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PSG use diamonds to progress the ball
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Hakimi's energy and intelligence to know when to move inside was exceptional