Arsenal aren’t yet out of this semi-final tie but the manner of their defeat at the hands of PSG on Tuesday night makes the likelihood of a comeback seem remote.
It was a disappointing night to say the least. It was a flat, listless, timid and ineffectual undertaking for large parts, so far removed from the intensity and desire we saw on display against Real Madrid. And that goes for the fans as much as it does the players. All round, it was lacklustre.
Quite why that was the case is truly a mystery. It was a huge opportunity for the club, a chance to really seize hold of the tie against an opponent they had already soundly beaten earlier in the campaign. Sure, there have been changes in Paris but the contrast from then to now was as chalk and cheese as you’ll see.
Given that backdrop, there was a great deal expected of Arsenal and they simply didn’t deliver. From the first whistle, they were overawed by the visitor’s intensity, their speed, power and desire to dominate. They had no response.
That they found themselves only a goal down in that opening 30-minute period was a mercy, so far were they off the pace. We’re used to seeing Arsenal control the pace, the territory and the tempo of the match. For most of the first half, they were dictated to. On a night of such magnitude, to turn in so half-hearted a performance is inexcusable.
Sadly, the nervousness and fragility evident in the team quickly spread to the crowd and a buoyant atmosphere leading into the match was utterly shattered, never to recover. That too was inexcusable. Having been so fortunate to secure tickets for the match, it seemed incredible that the support would come up so short on a night when their input was badly needed.
But, look, I don’t want to dwell too much on the fans because, more often than not, they will respond to what they see on the pitch and what they were seeing was simply poor.
To make matters worse, on the occasions when they did put a move together, or forge an opening, their poor execution in key moments cost them dearly. As has been the case throughout this horrible league campaign, Arsenal’s finishing was a long way short of where it needed to be. In the Champions League semi-final, you need to make the absolute most of any and every chance. Once again, in two one-v-one situations, it was the goalkeeper who came out on top in a scenario that really should favour the attacker.
In general, the Gunners improved after the break and they were unfortunate that Mikel Merino’s headed goal was ruled out for offside (he really had no need to be, by the way). That said, I felt PSG had an element of control over proceedings and, having invited us on, we really didn’t cause them too many problems.
And how could we? When the manager turned to his bench for options he found three academy players who were there to make up the numbers, a Chelsea loanee who everybody knows is finished as a professional footballer, and an 18-year-old who has barely 20 senior games under his belt. That’s the reality. The manager had to stick with what he had and what he had simply wasn’t performing.
And it is those realities that concern me the most. We don’t have Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz to turn to. We don’t have Riccardo Calafiori or Jorginho to change things, to freshen things up, to alter perspectives or offer flexibility. All we have is what we fielded and, at the highest level, it is unlikely to be enough.
I’m sorry if this is all a bit sobering but last night, we were exposed. Our misfortune with injuries, our shocking lack of attacking recruitment in January and in the summer just gone – both have come home to roost and it has cost us so dearly in this campaign.
There is still a chance to qualify for the final, I don’t discount that entirely. For all our shortcomings, we stayed in the tie but it is going to take something miraculous to progress from here. We’re going to need to find something that simply wasn’t in evidence on Tuesday night and that has been missing from our play since the start of the year.
I don’t hold out much hope.
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