I just hope someone on that coaching staff taught the boys how to finish against a tall goalkeeper... Hit it low, hit hard, and close to his body. If you can't do that, then aim for the corner, high or low....but be accurate.
I don't want to see Trossard anywhere that team in the second leg. Not because of his miss. He loses the ball every time. And Martin Odegaard, even as his biggest supporter, I was distraught.
I hope Arteta gets it right tactically from the first minute. Cause in the first 20 minutes, the team was too deep. We were pressing with the back four intact. Only when Timber started to move up to the halfway line did our press start working.
We sorely missed Partey. But I sincerely thought this was one of the best performances I have witnessed from Rice at six. All the same, he seemed held back, and in the first 15 to 20 minutes, a little lost.
I loved Merino's composure, Rice showed his passing range, and Kiwior was solid. Saliba, great tackle to stop a sure goal, Raya great leadership. COYG.
Arteta will start Odegard in Paris - everyone knows that. Odegard will have a decent game this weekend and fool the coaching staff.
The sooner we come to terms with being stuck with him the better we'll sleep. I also highly doubt Arteta will look for a player to compete with him too. He's looking for a striker and, as usual, another defender.
Arteta should have subbed some fresh legs on at 70, but as usual plays everyone in the red too long.
Crazy game, could have been 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 or 2-1.
MLS stood out for me tonight as did Raya. Those half turns by MLS were Santi like, and immediately put us on the from foot and pushing forward quickly. Raya is world class.
The defense played well under the circumstances.
Does Martin ever shoot a low shot?
dembele was lucky, yes, I said lucky, as that shot went in off his shin and maybe his other foot before going in. Never makes that shot again in 100 takes. I know as I have scored a few goals like that.
Thought Merino was onside when the ball was delivered not before, whatever, it was decided by f'n vaR.
Think this game goes a different way with Kai, Gabriel and a fully fit Saka and Timber, full stop!
This match is an audition of what we'll likely be witnessing often next season when the partey haters finally get their wish. Someone like Un who believes Rice is the best #6 in the world and to those who thought playing Rice as six means pressing our opponents. When are people going to accept the fact that Rice is #8 and not great for us as #6. Last season, even without partey, it was jorginho from January till partey returned. But some of you want to turn arsenal to England national team. Rice doesn't have the skills set to play #6 for a big club. He can however become a world class #8. I like him and even want him as our captain but not as #6.
As disappointing as that was we are definitely very much still alive in the tie
I’d give us a 30% chance of winning from here given we are away from home and a goal down. But 30% is not insignificant. It’s very much on the table
Really the only question that matters is in the second leg will we play like we did vs Madrid or will we play like we do in the league again. If it’s the latter it’s a lost cause and we’re out. If it’s the former it’s still very much game on
PSG strike me as a team which can be made to feel very uncomfortable when you don’t play into their hands. That last 20 mins of the first half and first 10 of the second they were buckling and looked ready for a blow out collapse if we scored. We didn’t and then our own levels dropped and handed control back to them.
But I maintain they are a very good team that isn’t that scary if you play really well - we simply didn’t.
A reader/lurker of the blog for 10 years but I feel urged to post for the first time tonight.
I totally understand a lot of the frustrations but some of the reaction is like we're going into the second leg 2,3,4 down with an impossible task on our hands.
PSG came out flying against a starting 11 that they've been able to prepare for since Partey got booked and Jorginho injured.
The early goal shook us but we eventually settled into it and had good moments in the first half and should have gone in level.
I thought both teams looked gassed around 70 mins, us more so, but they had a deeper bench with some runners they could bring on.
The lack of substitutions is very frustrating and I would have liked to have seen Ethan given a bit longer but I wonder if those PSG close calls made them rethink the final 10 mins or so.
I wouldn't be surprised if Mikel and the coaches saw that we were pretty done physically and thought better to take the 1-0 with all to play for in Paris than risk conceding a second late on which I think would have shattered all of our hopes and probably the players as well.
How many times in the past have Arsenal shot themselves in the foot in these scenarios by pushing on for a goal leaving themselves exposed at the back, only to concede a goal that essentially kills off the tie?
Being conservative is painful to watch sometimes but I'd rather see us keep ourselves in with a fighting chance and not be like the old naïve Arsenal of a few years ago.
We weren't great but still created good chances and there were signs that their midfield can be overrun, especially with Rice being able to play his roaming role next week.
Partey will be a huge difference and even though Trossard was slow to release the ball, he actually battled ok vs. their CBs, so I expect Merino to get a lot of joy against them next week, which should allow us to get higher up the pitch.
This is a long way of saying, let's not throw the towel in. We're more than capable of getting it done next week.
Yes it's ultimately down to the coaches and the players on the pitch, but just like Madrid's crazy CL "auru" (which we gave a slapping to by the way), Arsenal have been trying to shed the "loser" mentality. Us fans have so much trauma that we still give up on this team way too easily and collectively than energy can quickly breed into the stadium.
We're in the fucking Champions League semi final with still a strong shout of going through!
And when we're still in with a chance of winning something, we have to back the team. I can't imagine anyone would have turned down this scenario if offered at the start of the season (league disappointment aside).
I've been tempted to chime in before but last night tipped it for me. Arsenal have disappointed me so many times over the years, but a lot of those times felt inevitable.
I just can't believe how many are throwing in the towel with the tie as tightly poised as it is.
Something I forgot to mention, PSG had almost 50 shots vs Liverpool and 45 vs Villa and still just scraped through both ties.
They're amazing to watch and could easily kill off the tie early if we're not on it, but this isn't peak Barca, Madrid, City, Bayern.
Arsenal have given me so many glass half-empty moments over the years but this isn't one. I don't feel flat like I did after the Bayern home result last year.
We feel more street-wise. We're competing with some of Europe's best without our #9 and best CB, limited bench options and with a couple of our attackers in average to horrendous form.
Think about past iterations of Arsenal that would have crumbled under the pressure of conceding early tonight (most never got this far). Players that didn't take responsibility and would visibly berate their teammates to shift blame from themselves. Players that would be laughing and joking with the opposition and begging for their shirts after we'd just been embarrassed.
Tonight was the first game in years that had my stress levels through the roof, because deep down I feel we can actually win this thing.
It has been 16 years since Arsenal played in a CL semi final and as Dissenter mentioned the atmosphere at the Emirates was disappointing, they were not the 12th man that was needed. Can you imagine what the atmosphere will be like in the Parc des Princes? The Ultras will provide a deafening, intimidating noise because this is their best chance to win the CL for the first time.
Yeh it's pretty poor from the supporters. Obviously an away side scoring so early will have an effect but we've seen much better atmospheres in plenty of games with less on the line than this one.
If you can't get up for a game like this, what's the point of going?
I think our home atmosphere on nights like tonight, when the excitement and enthusiasm drops and there are audible groans for misplaced passes, has a more negative effect on this team than a hostile away game.
I thought we'd gotten over those late Wenger and Emery years of toxic aspects of our home support. Being impatient for us to get over the line is one thing, but there's still a huge entitlement in our fanbase which is bonkers considering how long we've gone without the title or any sort or achievement in Europe.
I don't like how fickle and entitled some European club fans are but until the game is dead, they create brutal atmospheres for their opponents and put pressure on the ref to get the calls. Arsenal fans are a bit half-hearted when it comes to that stuff.
what i did like today was MLS. This kid is fearless, pocketed them a few times. I especially like when he decides to dribble into attack mode. He has long strides and moves the ball fairly fast up the pitch to lay it off and break the lines.
I agree with the folks saying KT as LB, push MLS into midfield for Merino and have Merino go CF would have been an option.
Mixing it up, keeping the opposition on their back foot with trying new tactics falls flat with this manager
Can’t help but feel Arteta froze in general in terms of game management. We didn’t make a sub until the 80th. To a degree I get no major changes in tactics as falling further than 1-0 behind was critical, but earlier personnel changes might have helped as some of the guys out there looked flat and another (Captain) was abysmal.
Tell me why PSG was confident and comfortable to play at the Emirates the first 30 minutes while we were nervous and anxious? Who was that down to? PSG pressed better and their passing was slicker and finally they just set back and were happy to take a 1:0 to Paris. Just as with the title also here at the CL there is always next season.
Correction, it is called reality. Did you observe the atmosphere when PSG played Pool in Paris? Yes Pool had 1 shot on goal and it was a smash and grab. With that crowd cheering on their team with a deafening noise what will a fragile AFC do? If there are penalties my money is on Donnarumma.
Why do you only come out when you can be negative? Since you think so highly of your own enlightenment…figure out what it says about you. Must be absolutely miserable to be around.
First off, don't apply your situation in life to others. Rather drop the blue pill and take the red pill and accept the reality and see the truth, while we have this manager we will be setup for failure and finish the 3rd season in a row in 2nd place with no trophy.
Are we even beating bournemouth this weekend?Because I am looking at the table and top 4 doesn't seem that assured either.Weve got Newcastle and Liverpool after that
we need top5 for CL and chelsea plays newcastel, pool and forest. It isn’t possible for all of those behind us to win all and even if all results go against us I think 3 points (like against soton) will make it sure but our points now should be enough anyway
Okay corrected but it would be even more embarrassing of we dropped to say 4th and win no trophy, though something tells me we will turn it around in Paris,Psg have serious weaknesses
There was a time when Saka-Ode partnership was electric. It now looks as though Ode is stifling Saka. Our attacking threat being well below par has coincided with Ode not shooting or taking on players.
Tets either needs to fix Ode or give more play time to Ethan.
I am not so optimistic as we will have to go at psg and leave things wide open for them to counter us quick.
Ode is not fixable. This is all he can give. Its been 2 straight seasons of the same. He is limited and now its being shown. He is a passenger without TP as some have said, and without Saka as well. Averse to attacking, getting into the box, shooting, scoring, etc. Ozil walks all over this fella.
I just hope someone on that coaching staff taught the boys how to finish against a tall goalkeeper... Hit it low, hit hard, and close to his body. If you can't do that, then aim for the corner, high or low....but be accurate.
I don't want to see Trossard anywhere that team in the second leg. Not because of his miss. He loses the ball every time. And Martin Odegaard, even as his biggest supporter, I was distraught.
I hope Arteta gets it right tactically from the first minute. Cause in the first 20 minutes, the team was too deep. We were pressing with the back four intact. Only when Timber started to move up to the halfway line did our press start working.
We sorely missed Partey. But I sincerely thought this was one of the best performances I have witnessed from Rice at six. All the same, he seemed held back, and in the first 15 to 20 minutes, a little lost.
I loved Merino's composure, Rice showed his passing range, and Kiwior was solid. Saliba, great tackle to stop a sure goal, Raya great leadership. COYG.
JUST FUCKING PUT IT IN THE BOX. AND SHOOT.
Arteta will start Odegard in Paris - everyone knows that. Odegard will have a decent game this weekend and fool the coaching staff.
The sooner we come to terms with being stuck with him the better we'll sleep. I also highly doubt Arteta will look for a player to compete with him too. He's looking for a striker and, as usual, another defender.
So, it's Partey and Co. to save us in Paris.
The tie is over,no way we are winning PSG at Paris
Imagine a RB being your first sub. And I love Benny Blanco. Think he is the best RB in England.
Arteta is his own worst enemy and why he will ever succeed. Over playing. Injuries. Bad subs.
93rd minute and we are doing horseshoe passes in our own end.
We need a player to compete with Ode next season. Hes been shite all season
Martinelli was garbage today. He should scored 2. At least.
Proud of the team, did all they could tonight!
Arteta should have subbed some fresh legs on at 70, but as usual plays everyone in the red too long.
Crazy game, could have been 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 or 2-1.
MLS stood out for me tonight as did Raya. Those half turns by MLS were Santi like, and immediately put us on the from foot and pushing forward quickly. Raya is world class.
The defense played well under the circumstances.
Does Martin ever shoot a low shot?
dembele was lucky, yes, I said lucky, as that shot went in off his shin and maybe his other foot before going in. Never makes that shot again in 100 takes. I know as I have scored a few goals like that.
Thought Merino was onside when the ball was delivered not before, whatever, it was decided by f'n vaR.
Think this game goes a different way with Kai, Gabriel and a fully fit Saka and Timber, full stop!
Still much to play for.
Get them at their oiler palace.
AFC can do it!
Enjoying the comments tonight... usual suspects bedwetting, but some great insights.
Game on. If we were 1-0 up heading to Paris, we'd not be celebrating. Mad that some folk are giving up. Honestly, so boring to live life like that.
These are Legacy defining moments.
Arteta had better be careful.
His new boss was watching and narratives get formed.
I’ll leave it at that
Berta isn't Arteta's new boss
This match is an audition of what we'll likely be witnessing often next season when the partey haters finally get their wish. Someone like Un who believes Rice is the best #6 in the world and to those who thought playing Rice as six means pressing our opponents. When are people going to accept the fact that Rice is #8 and not great for us as #6. Last season, even without partey, it was jorginho from January till partey returned. But some of you want to turn arsenal to England national team. Rice doesn't have the skills set to play #6 for a big club. He can however become a world class #8. I like him and even want him as our captain but not as #6.
As disappointing as that was we are definitely very much still alive in the tie
I’d give us a 30% chance of winning from here given we are away from home and a goal down. But 30% is not insignificant. It’s very much on the table
Really the only question that matters is in the second leg will we play like we did vs Madrid or will we play like we do in the league again. If it’s the latter it’s a lost cause and we’re out. If it’s the former it’s still very much game on
PSG strike me as a team which can be made to feel very uncomfortable when you don’t play into their hands. That last 20 mins of the first half and first 10 of the second they were buckling and looked ready for a blow out collapse if we scored. We didn’t and then our own levels dropped and handed control back to them.
But I maintain they are a very good team that isn’t that scary if you play really well - we simply didn’t.
A reader/lurker of the blog for 10 years but I feel urged to post for the first time tonight.
I totally understand a lot of the frustrations but some of the reaction is like we're going into the second leg 2,3,4 down with an impossible task on our hands.
PSG came out flying against a starting 11 that they've been able to prepare for since Partey got booked and Jorginho injured.
The early goal shook us but we eventually settled into it and had good moments in the first half and should have gone in level.
I thought both teams looked gassed around 70 mins, us more so, but they had a deeper bench with some runners they could bring on.
The lack of substitutions is very frustrating and I would have liked to have seen Ethan given a bit longer but I wonder if those PSG close calls made them rethink the final 10 mins or so.
I wouldn't be surprised if Mikel and the coaches saw that we were pretty done physically and thought better to take the 1-0 with all to play for in Paris than risk conceding a second late on which I think would have shattered all of our hopes and probably the players as well.
How many times in the past have Arsenal shot themselves in the foot in these scenarios by pushing on for a goal leaving themselves exposed at the back, only to concede a goal that essentially kills off the tie?
Being conservative is painful to watch sometimes but I'd rather see us keep ourselves in with a fighting chance and not be like the old naïve Arsenal of a few years ago.
We weren't great but still created good chances and there were signs that their midfield can be overrun, especially with Rice being able to play his roaming role next week.
Partey will be a huge difference and even though Trossard was slow to release the ball, he actually battled ok vs. their CBs, so I expect Merino to get a lot of joy against them next week, which should allow us to get higher up the pitch.
This is a long way of saying, let's not throw the towel in. We're more than capable of getting it done next week.
Yes it's ultimately down to the coaches and the players on the pitch, but just like Madrid's crazy CL "auru" (which we gave a slapping to by the way), Arsenal have been trying to shed the "loser" mentality. Us fans have so much trauma that we still give up on this team way too easily and collectively than energy can quickly breed into the stadium.
We're in the fucking Champions League semi final with still a strong shout of going through!
And when we're still in with a chance of winning something, we have to back the team. I can't imagine anyone would have turned down this scenario if offered at the start of the season (league disappointment aside).
If you’ve said all that after reading for ten years…what’s held you back?….
I've been tempted to chime in before but last night tipped it for me. Arsenal have disappointed me so many times over the years, but a lot of those times felt inevitable.
I just can't believe how many are throwing in the towel with the tie as tightly poised as it is.
Something I forgot to mention, PSG had almost 50 shots vs Liverpool and 45 vs Villa and still just scraped through both ties.
They're amazing to watch and could easily kill off the tie early if we're not on it, but this isn't peak Barca, Madrid, City, Bayern.
Arsenal have given me so many glass half-empty moments over the years but this isn't one. I don't feel flat like I did after the Bayern home result last year.
We feel more street-wise. We're competing with some of Europe's best without our #9 and best CB, limited bench options and with a couple of our attackers in average to horrendous form.
Think about past iterations of Arsenal that would have crumbled under the pressure of conceding early tonight (most never got this far). Players that didn't take responsibility and would visibly berate their teammates to shift blame from themselves. Players that would be laughing and joking with the opposition and begging for their shirts after we'd just been embarrassed.
Tonight was the first game in years that had my stress levels through the roof, because deep down I feel we can actually win this thing.
It has been 16 years since Arsenal played in a CL semi final and as Dissenter mentioned the atmosphere at the Emirates was disappointing, they were not the 12th man that was needed. Can you imagine what the atmosphere will be like in the Parc des Princes? The Ultras will provide a deafening, intimidating noise because this is their best chance to win the CL for the first time.
I think we play better away from home. The Emirates crowd sometimes, is too short/small hearted.
Yeh it's pretty poor from the supporters. Obviously an away side scoring so early will have an effect but we've seen much better atmospheres in plenty of games with less on the line than this one.
If you can't get up for a game like this, what's the point of going?
I think our home atmosphere on nights like tonight, when the excitement and enthusiasm drops and there are audible groans for misplaced passes, has a more negative effect on this team than a hostile away game.
I thought we'd gotten over those late Wenger and Emery years of toxic aspects of our home support. Being impatient for us to get over the line is one thing, but there's still a huge entitlement in our fanbase which is bonkers considering how long we've gone without the title or any sort or achievement in Europe.
I don't like how fickle and entitled some European club fans are but until the game is dead, they create brutal atmospheres for their opponents and put pressure on the ref to get the calls. Arsenal fans are a bit half-hearted when it comes to that stuff.
Whisper it... remontada 🤣
what i did like today was MLS. This kid is fearless, pocketed them a few times. I especially like when he decides to dribble into attack mode. He has long strides and moves the ball fairly fast up the pitch to lay it off and break the lines.
I agree with the folks saying KT as LB, push MLS into midfield for Merino and have Merino go CF would have been an option.
Mixing it up, keeping the opposition on their back foot with trying new tactics falls flat with this manager
Arteta wouldn't take such calls, not gutsy enough
Can’t help but feel Arteta froze in general in terms of game management. We didn’t make a sub until the 80th. To a degree I get no major changes in tactics as falling further than 1-0 behind was critical, but earlier personnel changes might have helped as some of the guys out there looked flat and another (Captain) was abysmal.
Who did he have on the bench? No one bruv. You think if he has Jesus and Havertz, he would not have changed it? Have some faith.
If you can't don't even bother supporting this club.
He did freeze, like he does in big games
When Rice was sent off against Brighton in August 2024, it took Arteta all of 11 minutes to bring on Jorghino and sub off Trossard.
By that time, Brighton had scored from a simple agricultural pass down the middle of the field.
Tell me why PSG was confident and comfortable to play at the Emirates the first 30 minutes while we were nervous and anxious? Who was that down to? PSG pressed better and their passing was slicker and finally they just set back and were happy to take a 1:0 to Paris. Just as with the title also here at the CL there is always next season.
You're a happy little f^cker tonight-- aren't you?
At least I don't suffer too much because of the loss and don't have any delusional thoughts that we will win in Paris.
You are a classless little bitch
keep living in that negative outlook of yours it's a wonder you didn't off yourself yet
Correction, it is called reality. Did you observe the atmosphere when PSG played Pool in Paris? Yes Pool had 1 shot on goal and it was a smash and grab. With that crowd cheering on their team with a deafening noise what will a fragile AFC do? If there are penalties my money is on Donnarumma.
Why do you only come out when you can be negative? Since you think so highly of your own enlightenment…figure out what it says about you. Must be absolutely miserable to be around.
First off, don't apply your situation in life to others. Rather drop the blue pill and take the red pill and accept the reality and see the truth, while we have this manager we will be setup for failure and finish the 3rd season in a row in 2nd place with no trophy.
Parteys stupidity against Madrid, called out so emphatically by Rice really hurt us this evening
Are we even beating bournemouth this weekend?Because I am looking at the table and top 4 doesn't seem that assured either.Weve got Newcastle and Liverpool after that
Arteta believes we'd win the CL so PL ranks immaterial lol
we need top5 for CL and chelsea plays newcastel, pool and forest. It isn’t possible for all of those behind us to win all and even if all results go against us I think 3 points (like against soton) will make it sure but our points now should be enough anyway
A shame we have to be even thinking about such things, but I make you right
Okay corrected but it would be even more embarrassing of we dropped to say 4th and win no trophy, though something tells me we will turn it around in Paris,Psg have serious weaknesses
There was a time when Saka-Ode partnership was electric. It now looks as though Ode is stifling Saka. Our attacking threat being well below par has coincided with Ode not shooting or taking on players.
Tets either needs to fix Ode or give more play time to Ethan.
I am not so optimistic as we will have to go at psg and leave things wide open for them to counter us quick.
Let's see
as much as I hate to say this raptora is right Øde is our weak link
if he doesn't evolve or increase his ego we should be better off with another creative player that can really unlock this team
Ode is not fixable. This is all he can give. Its been 2 straight seasons of the same. He is limited and now its being shown. He is a passenger without TP as some have said, and without Saka as well. Averse to attacking, getting into the box, shooting, scoring, etc. Ozil walks all over this fella.
Yep, to go from Caz or Ozil to Ode...
Ethan has been more exciting. Enough said.