Defensive and defeated — how Arteta’s caution cost Arsenal the CL

MANY fans would blame either Eberechi Eze or Gabriel Magalhaes for the penalty shootout defeat to Paris St Germain (PSG) in the latest edition of the Champions League final. Personally, the defeat happened as soon as Kai Havertz scored the opening goal in the fifth minute of the game.​

PSG were there for the taking. For once, Luis Enrique’s men could not get into gear or find the flow of their game. Arsenal set up well but did not capitalise on PSG’s woeful performance in the first half.

After taking the lead through a chance created by the high press, Mikel Arteta’s men went into defensive mode and were happy to defend a one-goal lead.​

Instead of going for the jugular and looking for the second goal, Arsenal set up with two banks of five and every man behind the ball to stem PSG’s attack.

PSG were out of sorts and were there for the taking – if only Arsenal had been brave.

Time-wasting became the norm, and the referee had to repeatedly warn Arsenal players. Why Arteta proceeded with this tactic, no one will know.​

Arsenal are at their most dangerous when going on the offensive, rather than playing the pragmatic defensive game.

Throughout the season, being defensive did not earn Arsenal any points against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, yet Arteta proceeded to use this tactic after going one-nil ahead.

If only Arsenal had gone on the front foot, PSG could have been two-nil down at half-time. Instead, a one-goal lead was never going to be sufficient against PSG’s offensive power.​

Half-time allowed Enrique to address his players, and PSG came out on the front foot in the second half by moving the ball faster than in the first half. The quick passes opened up the defence and led to a mistake by Cristian Mosquera, who conceded the penalty that Ousmane Dembele scored. You cannot fault the 21-year-old, as he has much to learn, but if he had more experience, Mosquera would have let Khvicha Kvaratskhelia go and trusted David Raya to do what he does best.

With Raya in the form of his life, the chances were 50-50 at best. The young defender has a lot to learn.​

After the equaliser, the chances created by either side were low as they cancelled each other out.

It was a snooze fest, and after the entertainment of last year’s final, you could not expect the same this year. This is the uniqueness of football.​

Gabriel, being assigned as the fifth taker, given the high-pressure situation, seems a bit odd.

Did another offensive player pull out, or was it just Gabriel leading by example? Whatever the reason, you cannot fault him for trying – any other time, the ball would have gone in.

The saddest part of it all: the PSG goalkeeper did not have to make a single save in the shootout, as both misses by Arsenal were down to players’ errors.​

In the end, football is cruel – better luck next time.

Arteta and Arsenal will definitely learn from this and come back stronger.

Perhaps next time, Arteta will hope his star man, Bukayo Saka, shows up for the final, as completing only four passes in the biggest game of the season is not the mark of a superstar.

A true star player demands the ball and moves mountains to influence the game.

​Arsenal’s best player on the night was Myles Lewis-Skelly, and the occasion did not faze him.

Standing toe-to-toe with the PSG midfield shows exactly what type of player he can be in the future. That player has a very bright future ahead of him.​

As for PSG – congratulations on joining an elite club of back-to-back winners. Kudos to Enrique for building such a team.

Selling Kylian Mbappe definitely helped, because even after substituting his Ballon d’Or winner Dembele, the star player did not throw a fit or show attitude towards his manager – unlike a certain prima donna who plays for the white of Madrid.

Football is a team sport, and it is great that Enrique has the buy-in of all his players.​ Enjoy the off-season, and hope you do not go into withdrawal without football.

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