Yes We Can: Confidence, corners and potential comebacks for PSG vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Straight into the analysis this week. I did my “Slam Poetry over hard-hitting tackles and emotional crowd roars” Sky Sports-esque hype package last week. And nothing has changed between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal this week, except the score at kick-off.

First up, on corners, PSG did exactly as expected – in that, they didn’t do a lot. There was a lot of protection around the goalkeeper, forming a six-foot wall around the six-yard box, with a couple of — poorly fitting — individual roles on Jurrien Timner, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior and Mikel Merino.

This gave a huge amount of space to Bukayo Saka on the edge which Arsenal failed to exploit, partially due to only amassing three corners in a dismal 90 minutes, and partially due to PSG suddenly running a hyper-caffeinated French Press.

On the offence, PSG went short (again, as expected), trying to suck Arsenal out into the wide spaces, and this exact tactic resulted in Marquinhos’ huge header from eight yards – another win for my minimalist approach to scouting. If you watched the game, you’ll remember Mikel Arteta’s men being moved around for fun in the opening half-hour, and this strategy from PSG fits nicely within that ideology.

In the same sense, Arsenal being sluggish, out of sorts, and out of ideas, nicely mirrors their “Gosh I hope Merino does something this time” approach to set-pieces.

Desperation reeked throughout Arsenal’s gameplan. David Raya was in John Muller’s favoured “Dyche Zone”, launching 50-yarders into the box as Arsenal tried any way to progress and attack. Every smart trick that even I, an idiot, hinted at was ignored in favour of directness –- no fake takers, no late arrivals, just basic hit-and-hopes.

Arsenal’s first shot of the game came after 23 minutes, as Kiwior headed one neatly to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s awaiting arms, more of a backpass than a serious attempt. The header came from 18 yards out, and the cross to supply it, another 30 yards behind that.

It was all summed up by Merino’s offside goal, which basically murdered the game in terms of deflating an already quieting crowd. Arsenal didn’t fake the taker to reshuffle the offside line, with Merino relying purely on literally inch-perfect arrival. And in his eagerness, it leads to a near three-minute VAR check that resets any momentum.

This has naturally led to a question of this method, the vintage “start way back and way off, and force your way back in like a BMW driver” that Nicolas Jover adores. I think the logic here is fine, but without the MacPhee-ian fake takes, it leaves you exposed to the ability of players to jostle. You also don’t ‘enact’ any problems on the defence i.e. they only have to defend from one direction. While you stop their momentum back, they can stop your momentum forward – it’s a battle of wills.

But if you have someone charging at the front and back post for instance… all of a sudden you contort that defence rather than just squeeze yourself close to it. Arsenal, realistically, made their ability to stay onside harder. It works sometimes, but it lacks a depth that was evident in the first leg.

There are easy fixes to all of this. Merino once again playing as centre-forward likely earns Arsenal more corners, which means more chance to test PSG’s weak setup. A fake taker initiative can help Arsenal reduce the offside stray, and lets them hit multiple parts of the box at once, rather than just focusing on Merino.

For the long hoofs, Merino was already learning to play as a target man in the second half to redirect these back central. The big Spaniard is obviously key, but Arsenal need to get smarter in how they unlock PSG using him.

There are, however, less simple counters to the fixes. PSG aren’t a static object. They’ll have watched Arsenal ship another two set-pieces to Bournemouth at the weekend, and likely taken notes.

Arsenal’s general lack of coordination has been a huge part of this season, and it was flagged up again Saturday. With constant injuries to Benjamin White, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, Merino, and the “welcome to the big leagues” arrival of Myles Lewis-Skelly, the side has lost its consistency that decides set-piece resiliency.

You only need to look at Nottingham Forest for evidence. Last season, only two players (including goalkeepers!) played more than 2,000 league minutes for Forest. They conceded 22 set-piece goals. This year, 10 have played more than 20,00, including all four defenders and goalkeeper that started against Crystal Palace: only seven goals conceded.

PSG can hit those same front-post spaces that were once guarded by Havertz, Gabriel and White, and instead are now shoddily and confusedly covered by Lewis-Skelly and Kiwior. I talked about it last week, and it took five days gave you a prime example! Moments before the goal, Merino can be seen directing White where to stand – to then see him perfectly blocked out by Justin Kluivert. The zonal markers of Kiwior and Merino are lost in a sea of “oo um should I’s”, et voila, your system gets undercut by scrambling once again.

Set-pieces need confidence, not desperation. Arsenal would be wise to remember that in Paris.