Ex-Tottenham star aims dig at Arsenal before PSV Champions League clash | OneFootball

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Ivan Perisic pointedly noted that Arsenal "are always missing something" when it comes to getting over the line and claimed that his current employers PSV Eindhoven "have a good chance" of winning their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Perisic's jibe is felt more sharply because of his connection to Tottenham, Arsenal's fiercest rivals. The Croatian icon spent 18 months with the Lilywhites, appearing in two north London derbies - both of which he lost.

After making a miraculous recovery from an ACL tear at this late stage of his career, the 36-year-old has fought his way into PSV's starting XI and is expected to line up against the Gunners when they travel to Eindhoven for the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night.

Speaking ahead of that fixture, Perisic had some conditioned praise for Arsenal. "It's going to be tough," he admitted. "They are a really, really good team, a young team with a good coach, but over the last years they are always missing something to step up to win something.

"I know we're going to have a good chance to beat them tomorrow, I really believe in my team. Tactically we have to be at the top level to show something good against them."

Mikel Arteta's side haven't won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2020 / Michael Regan/GettyImages

Arteta's side have finished as runners-up in the previous two Premier League seasons and again trail Liverpool in this year's title race. Arsenal's only trophy during Arteta's five-year tenure was the 2020 FA Cup.

PSV overturned a first-leg deficit to surprisingly defeat Juventus in the Champions League knockout play-offs, with Perisic scoring in both ties. However, the reigning Dutch champions have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions. Scoring hasn't been an issue for Peter Bosz's side, but they are yet to keep a single clean sheet this calendar year.

"Defending starts with the attack," Bosz insisted this week. "Then we immediately put pressure on the ball, which allowed us to win it back quickly and often not have to defend at all."

The thoughtful Dutch coach warned that, despite their concerning run of results, PSV would not be changing their approach. "I know my team well and it's not a guarantee that with a low block you won't get any goals against," he huffed. "We have achieved success with this style of play and the same players." As Perisic was keen to point out, this recent iteration of Arsenal haven't tasted much success themselves.