Tactical takeaways as valiant Arsenal go down swinging in Champions League exit vs PSG | OneFootball

Venturing to the Parc des Princes 0-1 down following their first leg Champions League semi-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal knew they had a monumental task on their hands to overturn this deficit against Luis Enrique’s phenomenal side.

With both teams losing domestically on the weekend, this added to the intrigue ahead of this mouth-watering clash.

While PSG were in the driver’s seat, Arsenal were desperate to turn the tie around to reach their first Champions League Final since 2006 — a match they lost to Barcelona, also in Paris. And the Gunners began proceedings full of gusto in their quest to defy the odds and reign supreme.

Coming out firing on all cylinders, early chances came from Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard to signal their intent. But Gianluigi Donnarumma was in scintillating form in net, producing some exceptional saves to deny the Gunners.

While Arsenal absolutely dominated the first 15 minutes, PSG admirably weathered the storm and settled into the contest.

A goal in each half from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi was ultimately enough for Luis Enrique’s men to prevail, even though Bukayo Saka pulled one back in what was a thriller at the Parc des Princes.

Below are three takeaways from this enthralling fixture, which PSG won to progress to the final against Inter Milan at the end of the month.

Donnarumma’s heroics

To touch back on the Italian shot-stopper’s display, and there was no doubting what a key factor his masterclass was towards determining the outcome of this encounter.

Stepping up when his team needed him, it was impressive to watch him put in such a formidable showing on the grand stage.

Such a decisive figure in this triumph, the way Donnarumma explosively and instinctively got up, down and across to prevent Arsenal was pivotal, with his electric save to deny Odegaard especially sensational. Here, the towering goalkeeper remarkably sprang horizontally to his left with precision to get a hand on Odegaard’s low blast to ensure the score remained level.

His aforementioned trio of interventions were also instrumental in giving his team hope and confidence that they could get through the Gunners’ fearsome start.

To further punctuate his magnificent night at the office, the acrobatic diving stop he chimed in with to direct Saka’s second-half curler off course was integral as well.

Donnarumma importantly parlayed his lightning reflexes with a fantastic command of his area and judgement from throw-ins, crosses, free-kicks and corners, for he dealt with these instances with conviction and authority for the most part.

Holding firm in fine style to continually help preserve PSG’s ascendancy in the tie, this legendary effort by Donnarumma will long be remembered as a major difference-maker in propelling his team to glory in this pulsating semi.

Arsenal’s right-sided dynamics

Another fascinating aspect of this game was Arsenal’s dynamics down their right, as the influence Saka, Jurrien Timber and William Saliba exerted was a real feature of Arteta’s men’s offensive forays.

With Arsenal’s central defenders splitting and PSG not super aggressive in their high press, Saliba duly took any opportunity he had to carry the ball upfield to gain territory. While this would eventually draw out an opponent, the infield positioning of Timber ahead of Saliba, and how Saka would hug the touchline, caused severe issues for Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with their marking assignments.

With Kvaratskhelia frequently caught in two minds, Arsenal expertly opened lanes to feed either the indented Timber, who was also helping give the Gunners a midfield overload, or Saka, who could receive 1v1 in a forward-facing posture to immediately get dangerous on the dribble.

It also warrants mention how Saka and Timber would cleverly rotate to create additional headaches and confusion for their adversaries in terms of who should be tracking them.

Given Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino, Odegaard and Rice would often be situated nearby, so Arsenal had a strong central presence and many nearby options, this also meant Martinelli could be isolated on the opposite flank to use his running power, directness and energy on the ball.

Proving a handy way to manipulate and bypass the French giants’ structure, this avenue worked wonders for Arsenal to regularly place them in advantageous areas to get at PSG in the final third.

Arsenal’s high press bears fruit

Arsenal’s spirited high pressing deserved plenty of praise in the second leg, for they were far more coordinated, connected and assertive in this compartment.

After their problems in the first leg, Arteta got his system spot on here, as Arsenal did a terrific job of compressing the pitch and minimising the available space PSG had to operate in.

Forcing a host of turnovers in promising areas, PSG struggled to implement their famed build-up due to Arsenal’s ferocity, physicality, compactness and timing.

Shifting across collectively to block passing routes, jumping crisply to close off options and angling their harrying to shut down routes behind them, it was notable how smartly Arsenal improved in this phase, as all the players executed their roles and responsibilities with aplomb.

Although the Gunners will be lamenting the fact they couldn’t translate their many advanced regains into quality chances, much upside could still be extracted from how effectively they performed in this regard against this truly elite passing and possession outfit.