Arsenal have been overwhelmed 1-0 by Paris St-Germain within the Champions League semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s facet had good possibilities via Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard however couldn’t discover a purpose to stage the match.
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Right here, BBC Sport seems at what was realized from the match.
Arsenal miss Partey
The most important problem for Arteta coming into this match was how he was going to arrange within the absence of suspended midfielder Thomas Partey.
The 31-year-old is a key a part of the Gunners midfield and picked up an affordable yellow card within the remaining couple of minutes of the match with Actual Madrid within the quarter-final which meant he missed this sport.
With the accidents Arsenal have and with Mikel Merino taking part in as a central striker in current weeks, Partey’s absence induced Arteta to shuffle his group round.
Merino dropped into his pure midfield place, Declan Rice moved deeper to a quantity six function and away from the quantity eight function through which he produced two player-of-the-match performances in opposition to Actual Madrid. Trossard got here in as striker.
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PSG have been dominant from the beginning of the match and had 75% possession within the opening quarter-hour, taking the lead within the fourth minute with an Ousmane Dembele strike.
Dembele so typically drifted into the house between Arsenal’s backline and their midfield, and PSG scored the opening purpose when he made that motion.
The query Arteta might be asking is – if Partey had been within the group, would he have been in a position to cease Dembele receiving the ball earlier than giving PSG the lead?
Partey has been in wonderful kind in current weeks and might be essential to the Gunners subsequent week if they’re to overturn the defeat and progress to the ultimate.
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Kvaratskhelia and Timber – a key battle
Paris St-Germain’s high quality wouldn’t have come as a shock to Arsenal or Arteta.
The French facet have knocked out two Premier League sides in Aston Villa and Liverpool to succeed in this level and beat Manchester Metropolis within the league section of the competitors.
Nonetheless, when Arsenal performed and beat PSG within the group stage in October they didn’t have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who signed for the membership in January for a reported 70m euros (£59m) plus add-ons.
Jurrien Timber has arguably been Arsenal’s participant of the season due to his consistency, high quality going ahead and his capacity to play wherever throughout the backline.
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However the Netherlands worldwide had a difficult first half up in opposition to the PSG left winger.
Kvaratskhelia obtained the help for the purpose, driving into the field and pulling the ball again for Dembele to information into the online from the sting of the field.
The Georgian was direct each time he recieved the ball and Bukayo Saka got here again to assist Timber defend as Arsenal seemed to double up on him.
Timber seemed extra snug within the second half when Arsenal have been in a position to have extra possession and he was in a position to get ahead extra himself.
However, it’s the first time in a very long time that an attacker has induced the Arsenal defender such issues.
‘If we do not have the ball, we die’ – Rice
These have been the phrases of midfielder Rice within the Arsenal pre-match huddle that have been picked up by the TV cameras.
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The worry that Arsenal wouldn’t have the ball performed out because the hosts did not get management within the match, with the away facet dominating the ball for big elements of the primary half.
Arsenal did get a foothold within the sport within the second interval and PSG, regardless of their quick begin, completed the match on 52% possession.
Mikel Arteta mentioned that it’s “unimaginable” to regulate PSG for 95 minutes and that it was the “small margins” within the sport that didn’t permit his group to select up a optimistic outcome.
“I imply, this is among the finest, beating all of the English groups, the perfect groups on this nation,” Arteta mentioned.
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“So, you can not dominate this group in 95 minutes. Unimaginable. Overlook about it.
“And it’s a must to perceive what it means dominating them and through which space of the pitch.”
‘The margins have been small’
It is solely half-time within the tie and Arteta says his facet will method the second leg the identical approach they did when going to Madrid with a 3-0 lead within the final spherical.
“We’ve got to go to Paris and win the sport,” he added. “We’re greater than able to doing it.
“I noticed two excellent groups, however the margins are so small. They’d effectivity in entrance of the purpose. The keeper as effectively made a distinction to see the outcome that we have seen tonight.
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“I do not know the share, however we’ve quite a lot of possibilities to be in that remaining. It’s important to do one thing particular within the competitors to have the suitable to be within the remaining. And the time to do it’s going to be in Paris.”
Luis Enrique expects PSG to ‘endure’
Donnarumma could have made two good saves to maintain Arsenal out however PSG additionally had possibilities to place the tie past the Gunners.
First Bradley Barcola pulled an effort vast after which Goncalo Ramos hit the crossbar late on.
And PSG boss Luis Enrique expects his facet to “endure” in Paris with out that cushion.
“I believe feelings are at that stage in these sort of matches so it is troublesome to analyse,” he mentioned. “Nice environment however we confirmed the sort of group we’re.
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“We tried to play our approach and scored the purpose early taking part in the way in which we play. We suffered generally however might have scored the second purpose. The second match goes to be very robust.
“We have to put together for the second match, it should be troublesome. The outcome means somewhat benefit for us. We’re going to endure, we all know that. I believe we will go to the ultimate however there’s nonetheless one match.”