Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team are so close, yet so far. Arsenal led the defending champions all the way to penalties after scoring early through Champions League final specialist Kai Havertz on a dramatic and intriguing night in Budapest. However, an Arsenal fantasy was dashed when Gabriel’s kick, his team’s fifth, was sent over the bar and into the joyous PSG crowd. Ultimately, they will have to settle for this season’s Premier League trophy. IAN LADYMAN, Football Editor, examines the fallout from a spectacular club season finale because there isn’t a league or European double to consider.IS IT TIME FOR ARSENAL TO CHANGE?
On this particular night, Mikel Arteta’s plan proved successful.
The Arsenal coach came here to lead PSG deep into the game on the strength of the discipline and defensive certainty that have been his team’s hallmark throughout their title-winning Premier League season, even though it may seem strange to say that on the night when their Champions League hopes vanished over the crossbar.
Arteta was aware that giving Luis Enrique’s large squad of French champions the kind of competition they never encounter would be his best chance of winning. It paid off, as evidenced by the fact that Arsenal defeated PSG to penalties. Against a genuinely talented attacking opponent, his strategies provided his team a puncher’s chance.
The last little nuances that are hidden in a penalty shootout—which can happen to any team at any time—were absent.
Even though this loss was brutal, it will also raise concerns about Arsenal’s future development well into the summer.
Without the necessity to create beautiful images, Arteta has created a winning art form. Win the big moments, set pieces, and clean sheets. We are aware of the process. It has been impressive in its own right and has brought Arsenal within a penalty kick of the championship.
But does Arsenal need to make any adjustments or changes in order to advance?
If a team is willing to enter its first Champions League final in twenty years and try to win on the basis of less than a quarter of the game’s ball possession, can it really be considered exceptional or outstanding?
Perhaps not.
After all, these possession statistics were typical of a Premier League match between Burnley and Manchester City.
This summer, Arsenal will undoubtedly add new players to their roster. It already has a ton of talented attackers.They don’t all need to be listed here.
At some point, it could be necessary to consider providing them with a little different platform to play on.
Under Mikel Arteta, Kai Havertz, who was mocked in his early days at Arsenal, has significantly improved.
In the Puskas Arena, a dejected Declan Rice passes the Champions League trophy.
ARSENAL HAS A CHANCE DUE TO THEIR DEPTH STRENGTH
The good news is that the new English champions are starting from a very solid base if they have to undergo a development phase at home. This was demonstrated via a few events in the game.
For instance, PSG’s possession percentage was 78% when they tied the score just after the hour, and it appeared as though the French team may soon score two goals. The Arsenal defense needed to be strong and resilient.
However, Arteta’s employment of substitutes was largely responsible for the subsequent change in momentum. Because Arsenal already had such depth, Arteta was able to switch up his whole forward line in the second half, which led to his team’s most successful stretch of the evening.
Bukayo Saka, for instance, is one of his team’s generational talents, but he doesn’t rely on them so much that he feels they must play every minute.
For a considerable amount of time, PSG found it difficult to match the intensity and momentum that Arteta’s talent and desire to shift his pack provided to his team’s football.
This ought to be the forum on which we discuss.
Cristhian Mosquera, an Arsenal defender, was somewhat fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for the penalty. On the other hand, when a foul is penalized, as it was in this instance, there is a claim that the punishment is sufficient on its own.
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Even though there were Arsenal tears before bed, the season concluded in a way that Myles Lewis-Skelly would not have anticipated during those arduous weeks and months when he appeared to be as far away from Arteta’s thoughts as possible.
His comeback to fame and greatness is a testament to the emotional development required to fit in so well with Arteta’s midfield. During his ninety minutes on the field, the 20-year-old was outstanding; he was enthusiastic, hardworking, and courageous enough to break forward from deep when the chance presented itself.
He might have been included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad if this late-season surge in form and opportunity had occurred a little sooner. Lewis-Skelly is a big supporter of Tuchel’s, but he didn’t think he could sign a guy who hasn’t played much first team football.
Given that he can also play left-back, there is an argument—as speculative as it is now—that he might have been a better option than Kobbie Mainoo.
He kept Arsenal in the match by challenging Khvicha Kvaratskhelia late in regular time, deflecting what could have been a PSG winning goal onto a post.
HAVERTZ: A BELIEF STORY
After moving across London from Chelsea at the beginning of the 2023–24 season, it’s difficult to watch Kai Havertz play for Arsenal without remembering how it all began.
Even the Arsenal supporters used to make fun of the German since he was so disoriented during those initial weeks. Signing a Chelsea player is one thing, but bringing in someone who can’t strike a barn door from six yards is quite another.
Despite not playing at their best, PSG managed to cross the finish line and keep their European title.
It’s amazing how Arteta has not only developed and shaped Havertz’s playing style, but also showed such sympathetic faith in him. Despite having a history of injuries that have also caused him some issues, Havertz has developed into an ideal outlet for this Arsenal style of play.
In addition to his ability to score goals—this was his second in a Champions League final—he also has the ability to sustain play and is prepared to run channels, something he never really did or was required to do at Stamford Bridge.
The major Arsenal acquisition of the previous summer, Viktor Gyokeres, was named man of the match after his club defeated Atletico Madrid in the semifinal. However, Havertz proved to be crucial, as Arteta always understood how he wanted to portray his team for this match in Hungary.
Next season, he will be essential once more.
Paris in a panic
PSG has now joined the select group of teams that have successfully defended the Champions League after taking so long to win it. If you look back to the European Cup’s early days, there were only ten clubs in this group, and PSG is now just the second team to achieve it since 1990, following Real Madrid.
At the last whistle, youthful forward Desire Doue declared, “We want more.”
They didn’t always play like history makers here, though. When PSG fell behind early on, it was unexpected to witness their level of concern.
When it was their opponent’s time to commence play, Luis Enrique’s players nearly instantly began sprinting after throw-ins and raced to get the ball back to Arsenal, even though they still had the entire game to turn things around.
Instead of playing for the better part of ninety minutes, they played as if they had ten. One of the reasons they were such a rabble in the first half was this.
The French champs just had no idea how to solve a puzzle they were unfamiliar with.
It hurts to say it, but Arsenal might have won this match if Mosquera hadn’t jumped in so hastily on Kvaratskhelia for the penalty.
