LOSS UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Arsenal 0 - 1 Paris Saint-Germain (1st Leg) | Tuesday, 29th April | KO: 20:00 BST | Amazon Prime Video/TNT Sports

So here it is…



5th May 2009

The biggest movies of the year were Inglorious Basterds, Avatar and the Hurt Locker. Dizzee Rascal and Kanye West (ahem) dominated the charts and David Cameron was still sat in opposition.

Lionel Messi was about to win his first Ballon d’Or AND Arsenal last played in the semi finals of a Champions League. We’ve waited almost 16 years… so many false dawns and even a half decade in the footballing wilderness of the Europa League but now…

WE’RE BACK!

You have to go even further back for our last winning semi final effort with this heart stopper against Villarreal in 2006.



That’s right almost 20 years since that famous night in the then Madrigal. Hopefully the spirit of Jens won’t be needed by Raya over the two legs…

Predicted Team



After the last round the line-up pretty much sets itself. The big hope is that both Merino and White come through their injury scares.

Whilst obviously it’s Merino who’s most important the bench is looking very light with this game probably arriving too soon for Calafiori and Jorginho even though they should be back for the return leg.

The threat of the team depending on whether it’s Trossard or Merino up front is night and day. In a few short weeks Merino has proven to be our signing of the season raking with both goals and assists.

The Opposition

After defeating the biggest name in club football in the quarter finals we now face probably the most in form.

From the new year they’ve won 23, drawn 2 and lost 2 with those two losses coming in legs against Villa and Liverpool when they still managed to progress regardless.

Now whilst as per usual they have steamrollered Ligue 1 their form in the CL has been iffy. A lot of people point to their form post January when they’ve comprehensively slapped up City (although so did we and even Real Madrid managed it) and Stuggart but to my eyes they have looked very uncertain at times against Villa and Liverpool.

Villa in particular had them fully on the ropes looking dazed and PSG needed a dodgy injury time allocation to really get them over the line.

PSG are one of the four other clubs that our manager has played for, and we have an unbeaten record against them having won twice and drawn three of our previous competitive matches, a record we extended earlier this season in the Group Stage when we comprehensively put them away.



Notice both goals coming from crosses… set pieces have proven to be a constant weakness for them this year so hopefully Joever has been cooking something up in the lab.

There are a few former players who’ve played for both clubs ranging from the ridiculous (David Luiz and Kaba Diawara) to the sublime with our once upon a time teenage phenom Nicolas Anelka sandwiching his time at Arsenal and Real between two stints with the Parisians.



Danger Man

extended. Again this isn’t necessarily the star studded PSG team that’s so embarrassingly flattered to deceive in Europe over the years.

Gone are the “Galacticos” of Neymar, Mbappe, Messi, Ramos and Cavani now replaced with a glittering array of youngsters such as Zaire-Emery, Barcola and in particular Desire Doue who looks scarily good.

We could also say Kvaratskhelia who’s arrival in January has coincided with a higher level for PSG but in terms of danger men it has to be the man with more goals than starts this year…



Ousmane Dembele who has been in frightening form in both Ligue 1 and Champions League.

COYG LETS SMASH THEM

 

[dino bravo]

I already told you about the penalty you pretended wasn't a penalty. Chance creation is also not the only indicator of quality. They had us playing their game for a longer period than we had them player ours. I'm not sure how or why you want to dispute that but if you insist then go ahead. I'm not going to agree.

I pretended? It would’ve been a travesty of a decision. Thankfully the referee agreed and VAR gave it the 0.2 seconds it deserved.

Glad you agree they didn’t create any other chances.

 

[Rasmi]

Yes because nobody does until they've done it and they're very young in terms of both the squad and the manager. That doesn't mean they can't learn how to win. Do you realize that the average age of our starting XI tonight was a whopping 1/4 of a year older than PSG's? We're still a very young team.

So we lost at home to a younger team and got dominated hmm

 

[Riou]

Imagine if Sp**s end up winning Europa and we end up trophyless again. Terrible look

The Arteta era of 2019-2025 could actually end up being...

Same amount of trophies as Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle, Palace, freaking Sp**s and Todd's Chelsea...and less than Ten Hag's United, in that time.

I have said this a few times, but I can't believe more people aren't upset/worried about it...that's potentially awful

 

[Batman]

That must be Henry's Monaco team.

Yup against Juve. Zidane was 26 and one of Juve's oldest players. Del Piero was only 23.

 

[Beany]

@Batman has already answered this. We were done tonight. No shame in that. Time to regroup.

They played a better game than us for sure - they scored early, maintained control for the next 30 whilst we were shook, and were prepared to soak up pressure in the second half.

But they’re not some kind of galactico team or in any way at all unbeatable - circumstance (and the ref) definitely went their way tonight in a game where in truth, the chances were finely balanced. They’ve had plenty of shaky performances and we know we can do way, way better than tonight.

We’ve made life difficult but in no way impossible. Many clubs of our undoubted quality have turned this type of result around. Time to step up.

 

[Rex Caudillo]

The commentators said there hadn't been 2 teams this young in a CL semi-final since 1998.

And neither of those teams went on to win the CL either.

Lovely stuff.

 

[Halcyon Daze]

If this lot scoop up my European dreams within their garlic stained claw and discard it like a piece of rubbish, they can forget about my holiday to the south of France in the summer. That will teach their economy. I’m not even joking. I’m being deadly serious. I’m honestly not joking. What do you think about Macron, eh?

 

[One Song]

I'm assuming Ødegaard played a lot of futsal growing up? Drag, drag, drag, try a scooped pass into the box and repeat.

 

[carter777]

Everyone taking it well..................

 

[Riou]

Anyway over to France we go to turn this around, we have such a good record in that country and it's not like our two worst ever European results like the absolutely brutal UCL final in 06 and Seaman getting lobbed from 50 yards in the last minute by an ex Sp**s player in 95, happened there or anything.

The omens are with us, lets fooking do this!

 

[viktor]

Barring a mad 15 minute spell against Villa they're the best side I've seen in Europe this year and nothing I saw tonight changed my mind.

Having said that we're still well in it at 1-0. We didn't play well, maybe we do next week? Maybe they have an off night? You never know. It's far from an impossible task anyway.

villa in second leg they have a brave play line breaking pass so many times that is why they can split psg midfield straight away close into final third also they make quick counter attack

we are too much playing safe pass when build up, too predictable our build up and slow, and our whole attacker (except saka) cannot hold ball and cannot going forward with dribble past opponent when they get ball in middle third that is why our build up stuck many times in middle third and in defensive third in first half & second half better

 

[Batman]

And neither of those teams went on to win the CL either.

Lovely stuff.

Well maybe if you hadn't used all your caravan magic on the Pacers being gifted an injury ravaged Doc Rivers coached team, we might have some luck here.

 

[Halcyon Daze]

Imagine if Sp**s end up winning Europa and we end up trophyless again. Terrible look

Not for you. You’d be harder than a Times crossword.

 

[Rasmi]

The Arteta era of 2019-2025 could actually end up being...

Same amount of trophies as Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle, Palace, freaking Sp**s and Todd's Chelsea...and less than Ten Hag's United, in that time.

I have said this a few times, but I can't believe more people aren't upset/worried about it...that's potentially awful

He has it’s easy it’s crazy. He has the media on his side, he has convinced people he’s managing a tiny club fighting uphill battle fighting giants. We haven’t scored from open play last 7 semi final matches we played and he’s on the verge of losing his 4th straight semi final

 

[Majora]

We can't criticise the players for lacking a winning mentality whilst simultaneously, the majority of the forum is acting like we're dead and out at 1-0 down after one leg. I'm disappointed in a lot tonight but above all, the Emirates crowd. Does make me wonder how much the importance of developing a winning mentality also applies to the match going fans. I think back to us chasing the league and how nervous and impatient the fans were. They were disgraceful tonight and Arteta, despite his own faults today, should call it out.

 

[One Song]

Hopefully in the 2nd leg we carry on playing the ball backwards until it gets to Raya, then he can try a hopeful diagonal out to Saka who is completely isolated.

 

[Rex Caudillo]

Well maybe if you hadn't used all your caravan magic on the Pacers being gifted an injury ravaged Doc Rivers coached team, we might have some luck here.

Lol this is misdirection you guys have used it all up for Towns to actually have a decent playoff series and steal it from the Pistons.

 

[Synical]

Thing is if you leave that game with no chances and total belt to ass even if it’s 1-0 the game’s gone second leg.

We worked Donnarumma with good chances when they sat back. Didn’t look very convincing from set pieces either.

Martinelli and Ødegaard killed us I have to say but the rest was decent game managing after we looked overran first 5 minutes.

Exactly. We have no right to progress with the injuries and suspension we had, but here we are being disappointed that we lost 1-0 to PSG

I think we have a good chance

 

[2Smokeyy]

Got to give Kiwior credit. I think he was one of our better players tonight and stepped in to fill the void left by Gabriel nicely.

In terms of the defence, not too sure about those risky passes at the back by Raya. Always a bit of unease and nervousness whenever it’s played across the defence.

 

[Batman]

Lol this is misdirection you guys have used it all up for Towns to actually have a decent playoff series and steal it from the Pistons.

I mean we've thoroughly outplayed them and are just a better team at basically every position lol. JB Bickerstaff also said that he hoped the refs let both teams play physical because he felt his team plays better through contact so he should be the happiest of all to have gotten what he wished for.