Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals, but the French giants will have plans in place to avenge their recent defeat at the Emirates
Luis Enrique is devising a plan to ensure Paris Saint-Germain get the better of Arsenal in their Champions League semi-final clash. And the Spanish tactician will be hoping to learn from past mistakes after Les Parisiens already fell once to the Gunners this season.
Arsenal have made it to the last four of Europe’s elite tournament for the first time since 2009 following a resounding 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid. They’ve already shown they can take on PSG, having secured a 2-0 win when they faced off in the league phase earlier this season.
Mikel Arteta’s squad will be riding high on confidence after their impressive defeat of reigning champions Real, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli netting goals in a 2-1 away win on Wednesday. Arsenal executed their strategy flawlessly and dominated much of the match despite an early penalty miss by Saka.
However, Lucas Vazquez – who captained Real on Wednesday – had a less flattering perspective on Arsenal’s performance. And it appeared to mainly be a critique of the Gunners’ tactics attempting to defend a 3-0 first-leg lead.
“It’s a difficult moment. I think we tried today. It was a complicated match,” he told Movistar+ (via football.london). “We didn’t have all the chances we would have liked. We didn’t lose sight of the goal. There were interruptions [but] it didn’t happen.
“Maybe we lacked more clarity. More patience. They came to defend, to play their role. In the first half, they did almost nothing. In the second, with the team pressing, they found the victory.”
The humility shown by PSG manager Enrique following his team’s humbling in north London six months prior was in stark to that summary. After a match where Saka and Kai Havertz made the difference for Arteta’s men, Enrique didn’t mince words as he addressed the mountain his squad faced to measure up tactically.
“I think they are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment,” he told journalists following defeat at the Emirates Stadium. “With the ball they are a team very close to the top European level, and without the ball they are also very good.
“I would even say that they are one of the best teams in the world without the ball. They are a team with a real identity. We are similar but also have different styles of play.”
Enrique lauded Arsenal for being “much better in terms of intensity. In terms of pressure, they won every duel.” He also analysed PSG’s shortcomings and noted “our defenders failed to anticipate their attackers,” acknowledging the efficacy of Arsenal’s high-pressure game.
The ex-Barcelona boss even prophesised the defeat would not be the end of their rivalry and forecasted his analysis would not “be the same if we play each other again throughout the season.” And in what seems like a twist of fate, the two clubs will indeed lock horns again – this time on an even bigger stage across two semi-final legs.
Arsenal will have to make do without Havertz for both legs given he has since been ruled out for the rest of the season. Luckily, Saka is back in form having netted twice in five outings since his comeback from a three-month injury.
Arteta’s side – who host the first leg, just as they did against Real – will enjoy a six-day rest prior to that clash thanks to Crystal Palace’s FA Cup commitments. The situation is quite different for PSG, who face a gruelling schedule of three games in seven days as they return to London.
Barcelona academy graduate Arteta managed to outsmart his old friend and mentor Enrique when they faced each other as managers for the first time. However, the PSG boss’ humble approach of demanding more from his own squad might just be the key to settling scores when they head back to England’s capital on April 29.
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