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

 

[HagnSprayGooners]

Full strength basically means Partey in the team to give Declan more freedom. If anyone is doubting giving Partey an extension, tonight might answer a few questions.

Yeah huge problems in the middle without someone like him.

And this is why I kept banging the drum for Rice at 8. In a relegation side he's great as a 6, in a team that's a much higher level he's a box to box eight who offers a ton in the opposition box.

Zubimendi signing is also very very important.

 

[HagnSprayGooners]

I guess you missed the fact both were offside.

Shouldn’t you be out celebrating anyway? Your broken clock told the right time tonight.

Wouldn't even bother, both this guy and that El Fakesta are cut from the same cloth.

 

[Synical]

nah man, our expectation always want to win major trophy after wenger left , if kroenke hire world class manager like ancelotti or elite manager like conte or tuchel or simeone THEN our fans will have expectation to win epl and ucl in 3 season,

the problem is kroenke hired arteta inexperienced people who never become coach in his life career that is why nobody expect us into this level

this club always have high expectation with the fact we won 13 epl with invincibles unbeaten + wenger won 3 EPL in 7 season (arguably won 1 EPL in span every 2 season) same thing george graham won 2 EPL in 6 season (won 1 EPL in span every 3 season), that is our standard expectation, that is our dna

but too much and too long only compete for top 4 in wenger era more than decade (after invincibles era) made this fansbase sleep too long, so they forget our standard which also that is why most our fansbase think compete title race is something so so big , the fact is even Sp**s finished 2nd in 16/17 + runner up ucl final in 18/19, so our expectation standard for this arsenal big club should win major trophy even before arteta joined arsenal.

I think our fan base is too arrogant and entitled.

Conte?! Yeah, right...he would not have delivered the league with the players that would have been available to him

Arteta-outers are delusional. Arteta is getting us there...brick by brick

 

[viktor]

Obviously, but context is important.

Obviously here the context is he has enough time 5 season at arsenal (half decade) + he build this squad as manager + spent more than 750m pounds + should deliver major trophy premier league last season 23/24 if he can beat west ham at emiratess

 

[Big Poppa]

You should be a PL coach, you’ve figured it all out.

Is he wrong?

 

[Synical]

Obviously here the context is he has enough time 5 season at arsenal (half decade) + he build this squad as manager + spent more than 750m pounds + should deliver major trophy premier league last season 23/24 if he can beat west ham at emiratess

What has Chelsea, Tottenham and United managed with more money spent, please?

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Current Nelli is way way way better than current Ødegaard.

And that’s saying something…

I dunno about that man, it's marginal at best. Nelli has brief moments but not many & his best asset is his workrate.

Hopefully see upgrades in both positions.

 

[Synical]

I caught the last few minutes, but when i saw the lineup, i knew we were going to be in trouble. The rice-merino-Ødegaard midfield lacks balance. Arteta should've played Myles Lewis-Skelly as a 6 and had Tierney at LB. I have always been an advocate of a Martinelli - Nwaneri- Saka front 3. If PSG can do it, why can't we? Arteta clearly got cold feet after they scored and was content with going to Paris a goal down.
I noticed how when Rice or Myles drove with the ball through the middle with a bit of ease. Why didn't that make Arteta move MLS to the middle? The bench looked threadbare tbh.

Oh god.. why has Arsenal not employed you for your technical analysis, FFS. You are clearly an oracle

 

[viktor]

I think our fan base is too arrogant and entitled.

Conte?! Yeah, right...he would not have delivered the league with the players that would have been available to him

Arteta-outers are delusional. Arteta is getting us there...brick by brick

man you disrespect conte, LOL who the hell arteta in this world football, tell me who is arteta in this world football ?? show me

the fact is he never become coach in his life career + has no legacy win major trophy before joined arsenal even until now still not deliver major trophy with potential trophyless for 5 season from 20/21 to 23/24 if he fail win ucl this season

while conte has a lot credit in the bank, now he potential deliver major trophy (league title at serie A) with small club like napoli because that small club only win 3 major trophy (3 league title) in club history + with the fact napoli finished 10th season before in 22/23 + kvara their important player left napoli on january 2025

YOU ARE TOO ARROGANT

 

[Gooner Zig]

We badly missed Merino at CF and Partey at 6.

 

[viktor]

Oh god.. why has Arsenal not employed you for your technical analysis, FFS. You are clearly an oracle

why not you try make point when reply his comment instead saying something out of the topic

 

[Rasmi]

I think our fan base is too arrogant and entitled.

Conte?! Yeah, right...he would not have delivered the league with the players that would have been available to him

Arteta-outers are delusional. Arteta is getting us there...brick by brick

Arsenal fans entitled? Compared to who? Ipswich fans? Tell us one big club that has less entitled fans? The fact you are dismissing Conte who is a pro win Seria A and big up Arteta is hilarious. This was 7th semi final matches in row his team has failed to score from open play

 

[dino bravo]

Score first next week or the tie is over. If they go 2-0, we won’t see the ball again. They keep it better than any side we have played in years.

Raya may get more joy hitting it long and have runners off Merino. Hoofing it to our midgets tonight was just surrendering possession.

 

[Synical]

forget about nobody believe us to reach semi final ucl this season (with merino & kiwior) because the fact is everybody believe that arteta should deliver premier league last season 23/24 if he can beat west ham at home and should deliver premier league trophy this season 24/25 after failed win premier league last season

Read your post back. It is actually BS .
Arteta should deliver despite having none of his first choice players available for most of the season and having received lots of ridiculous biased refereeing?!

Next year when I'm no longer watching I wonder if I will feel shadenfrade at all the idiot people who thought they knew better than Arteta when we are languishing in mid-table. I doubt it as I am a loyal person.

 

[Trilly]

Other than the goal and the shot Raya saved well from Doué, they created no (legitimate) chances at all. This is a team that had 46 shots against Liverpool.

It’s not seeing what I wanted to see, that is fact. Give me another chance they had in the entire game, as nobody else has been able to….did Raya make any other saves? That is my point.

On the balance of control maybe they did deserve the 1-0, but the big chances missed were ours.

Barcola and Ramos both missed massive chances that would have killed the game towards the end? I think you may have turned off early.

 

[viktor]

Odeegard came off in the 90th +1 min!! after put stinker performance, this arteta as manager barely consistent make good substitution in 5 season at arsenal,

 

[HagnSprayGooners]

Read your post back. It is actually BS .
Arteta should deliver despite having none of his first choice players available for most of the season and having received lots of ridiculous biased refereeing?!

Next year when I'm no longer watching I wonder if I will feel shadenfrade at all the idiot people who thought they knew better than Arteta when we are languishing in mid-table. I doubt it as I am a loyal person.

But when is the cut off point? You can't go into every season and make excuses towards the end if it doesn't work out.

We are now 5 years without a trophy. We've never won a champions league and we haven't won the league in 20 years. TWENTY.

There comes a point where you simply have to let someone else have a go.

 

[Synical]

Odeegard came off in the 90th +1 min!! after put stinker performance, this arteta as manager barely consistent make good substitution in 5 season at arsenal,

You have an agenda against Arteta.

Please tell me which manager you would replace him with

 

[HagnSprayGooners]

Barcola and Ramos both missed massive chances that would have killed the game towards the end? I think you may have turned off early.

Both were offside.

 

[db10_therza]

More important is taking the opportunities you create. We didn’t.

PSG had weaker chances but still managed it and kudos to Dembele for a fantastic finish.

We control every premier league game we play in, but get slaughtered for not creating anything.

You don’t understand football well enough for me to bother continuing this “conversation”.

Have a good rest of your evening though.