Champions League: Arteta may have to throw out his rulebook to beat PSG
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League semi final, first leg match against PSG at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire
The nature of Arsenal’s imperious triumph over the reigning Champions League kings, Real Madrid, in the quarter finals, created an optimism among Gunner fans ahead of Tuesday's semi-final against PSG. An optimism that lasted all of four minutes when Ousmane Dembele’s shock opening goal raised those old doubts on whether Mikel Arteta and his side have the resources to see out a winning championship campaign.
After watching Liverpool steal their Premier League lunch last weekend, the conviction to make the most of their remaining chance of season glory was firmly focused on the midweek game with the Paris giants.
It was understandable that many in the fanbase would be confident of overturning the French champions after they silenced the Spanish giants, but it did overlook that this season’s Real Madrid have been spotty in form and not the juggernaut of previous years. Expecting something similar against PSG was naive, especially regarding English clubs. PSG had already scuppered the Champions League ambitions of Liverpool and Aston Villa along the way to this semi-final. Two sides that have proved their credentials in the Premier League this season, just like Arsenal.
To be fair to Arsenal, they quickly steadied the ship at the Emirates after the initial Dembele shock and can even consider themselves unlucky not to have equalised early in the second half from Mikek Merino, but for VAR to ruling it out with the most slender of an offside decision. But for all that was good with the Gunners, they didn’t ever look in enough control of the game to deserve the draw or more, as the French side and especially their midfield controlled the game and denied Arsenal the ball in a very smooth and fast-paced style of play.
PSG’s tactics and pace on Tuesday, and the exciting outcome of the 3-3 Barcelona v Inter match the following night, raises an observation that the continental game has transformed away from the possession ordered passing of the Premier League, ironically adopted from the Pep Guardiola and Barcelona school of methodical, even robot-like passing and possession of the ball, to a return of fast-pace switching of attacks and wings, with more of an emphasis on footwork and individual ball skills. A style that has fallen out of favour in England now, yet looks to be making an effective resurgence on the mainland continent.
Barca and Inter provided a great example of it on Wednesday night, where free-flowing and pacey attacks from either side yielded the goals, all the while the breath-taking dribbling skills of Lamine Yamal with Barca shows what an exciting evolution this could be for the game. That Yamal is still 17 is mind-blowing as he such a complete potent attacking element for Barca already.
Now if the defending of Barca and Inter matched the attack then this would be truly revolutionary.
That’s what PSG bring to the game. Their boss Luis Enrique clearly wants his team to blitz opponents right from the off. Their fast movement of the ball and quick switch of wings meant that Arsenal spent long periods chasing the game rather than dictating their game on home soil. Then when Arsenal did have the ball, their slow, methodical build-ups were rather handily dealt with by the French defence and despite creating some chances, the French side deserved the win.
It now means that Arteta and his side face a real challenge of turning the game around in Paris, which will not be easy. But it’s not impossible, both Villa and Liverpool beat PSG it must be remembered, Liverpool even away from home. Yet they both came up short eventually. Indeed, the two ousted English sides had their greatest impact when they cast away their careful plans and ran at the PSG side without regard for their regular build-up process. Villa scored three unanswered goals when they decided at 2-0 down to throw caution aside and tore into the French side and nearly turned the tie around but for running out of time. Playing pacey, uncomplicated attacks can beat PSG at their own game, even if no side has made it count overall so far in the competition.
Can Arteta overcome his process and let his players off the leash to upset PSG? We will see I guess, but he has shown he is usually unwilling to break the rules of play he learned under Arsene Wenger as a player and as assistant manager to Guardiola.
Arsenal have the potential to win this whether they adopt the debonair tactics or not. The clash of styles doesn’t necessarily mean that the methodical passing game is impotent. They did a lot better in the second half in Tuesday and but for the VAR call could have got back in the game. But still one thinks that if Arsenal are to win this tie, they will have to produce something special, something out of the ordinary, that they have not produced elsewhere, so far this season.
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