PSG - Arsenal Wednesday 20:00 UK Time. - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

PSG - Arsenal Wednesday 20:00 UK Time.

HomeSteak

This is it, this might be the last game of the season for us. Funny I think we are better then PSG even without Havertz & Gabriel and whoever is out...but mentally...can we make it? Don't know. It was shocking how scared we started last week, for no reason what so ever, after beating Real Madrid and fucking beating PSG already this season....

Huge pressure on Arteta and the team, we are 1 game away from making it 5 years in a row finishing the season with our dick in our hand.

Now for the game the bookies give us no chance of getting into the final, and very little to win the game. PSG are huge favorites. And it makes sense, we have to attack, and they seem capable to just run into us...and of course, every corner against us is a goal, as we cannot defend at all, best defence in europe my fucking ass.

Kimpembe and Dembele are out for PSG. Lee took a knock and they are saying might not make it, but will make it I'm sure.
We cannot count on: Gabriel, Havertz, Jorginho and of course the semi profesional, bit time players that should not be in our squad: Califiori, Jesus and Tomyiasu(who might be dead at this point, no idea). Timber and Odegaard are listed as doubtful for us but I'm sure they will play, if you can call what Odegaard is doing out there as playing football. At this point he is just Tomyiasu, but on the pitch.

Even so, I still think we can do it. Just for once, go in there relaxed and just play what we know we can play.

Raya
Timber-Saliba-Kiwior-MLS
Partey-Rice
Odegaard
Saka - Merino - Martinelli.

We need Saka to make this his night and let's hope set pieces work in our favor, I think Merino gets a goal from a corner.

1-3 for us.
anyway 4 dollars a pound

Claudius

Can’t wait. This is comfortably the biggest game in the Arteta era - not life or death, just biggest.
Main thing here is to exercise control in the first 30 minutes, both on and off the ball. If we can do that, we will neutralise them and can build towards a goal.
Saka, Rice, Merino, MLS - I’m counting on you guys to get us to Munich.

Sicario2

Claudius you are right. This is HUGE for Arteta. Def his biggest ever game. The narrative is important. Even if we don’t win the CL, getting to a CL final v bowing out now will be a huge difference in how the season is viewed and how Arteta is judged.

If you want to try and achieve something you’ve never achieved before you got to do something special. Even fucking Spurs did something special in the semi final in 2019.

It could be one of our greatest nights in our history. I want PSG players and fans alike to be in tears come end of the game.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Do not want to see Trossard starting.

Panda

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert Imagine if Timber is injured and he puts Partey at RB we may as well not even bother tuning in.

FEBravo I don't think that can happen anymore unless you get a red. Wasn't that whole point of resetting the yellows? To stop players being suspended for final?

SimplyThePest Yeah I feel like we've definitely seen this script before and would be surprised if we manage anything the way we are performing atm unless we fluke it.

Really sick of watching us play football it's so slow and painful.

Sicario2

Claudius

Sicario2 fuck we are down to the bare bones. I hope they put their all into this game. A win here and I really don’t care about anything until Munich

FEBravo

I had this thought that we win but Saka gets a yellow and misses the final

SimplyThePest

Might be Arsenal-induced PTSD talking but I think we're going to damp squib this.

Don Pacifico

SimplyThePest you're not alone. We're definitely capable of it, you only need to look at some of the headline results we've achieved this season. Sadly, a large portion of this season (particularly the last month or so), has been very meh. The more it happens, the more you start to feel that's our dominant personality this season.

Arseblog was talking this morning about the need for some tactical refreshment this summer. Can't help feel that will be strongly linked to who we sign; if we prioritise players who can perform well in a system versus those that can perform well outside a system, I think opposition will continue to nullify us. Broken record but we need more chaos.

On the plus side, signing a player like Calafiori (albeit a defender and injured for a large part of the season!) feels like a step in the right direction. MLS has provided that individuality from time-to-time and Rice is also increasingly showing that in his game.

lorddulaarsenal

I don’t - I think Partey being back unlocks Sir Declan Rice to go on a Parisian rampage

Sicario2

An Arsenal player is going to write their name in their history books for us.

Claudius

Panda Really sick of watching us play football it's so slow and painful.

Easy solution: don’t watch

Qwiss

Panda Imagine if Timber is injured and he puts Partey at RB we may as well not even bother tuning in.

If that happens I might turn on Arteta completely. Another big upside of Partey leaving this summer would be him never playing at right back again.

FEBravo

Panda I don't think that can happen anymore unless you get a red. Wasn't that whole point of resetting the yellows? To stop players being suspended for final?

Yes, you're right! I thought two yellows separately in the two legs got you suspended for the final but I just checked. Only a red (direct or two yellows) get you suspended for the final

Panda

Claudius Haha not that easy is it? I will watch but with 0 expectations so at least no nerves or disappointment if we lose.

Burnwinter

My gut feeling is we're going to crumble, then get steamrolled at Anfield. Following which the recriminations will be long, boring and ugly. Good news is I've been wrong about our results every time I've made a prediction this season!

Sicario2

Burnwinter even if that plays out we still have a week to re-group and face Newcastle who we owe some revenge. Even if we did lose to Newcastle then all we have to do is beat Southampton (assuming 6th and 7th have won all their games till then). If we can’t beat the worst side in Premier league history then we don’t deserve to be in the CL next year anyway.

But one game at a time :-)

Burnwinter

Sicario2 If we can’t beat the worst side in Premier league history then we don’t deserve to be in the CL next year anyway.

If in the end we have to beat Southampton to guarantee Champions League we'll have crawled humiliatingly to the end of this season.

Imagine instead if we were to get past PSG then somehow also beat Liverpool at Anfield.

Stakes are very high and I hope and pray Arteta's finally developed the skills to manage the feeling and resolve possible in what's left of this squad. If we can't get the results then at least give us the performances.

But yes, one game at a time—let's just make every one of those games wins, thanks, that's all I ask.

awooga83

Going to be on a plane for this, apparently you can watch it on the flight although not done that before so all around going to be an interesting experience whatever.

As for the match I don't really believe we will get a result, I hope we can do something but right now it all feels classic Arsenal in these moments where we just don't have the ability to perform in the crunch moments. Going into it I feel like the Bayern game that we just won't have enough going forwards and right now we seem like we ship at least one goal which will kill us.

The team are low and don't look on form and me only Rice and Saka could do something and Rice isn't really the attacking player you would expect to always do something and Saka has been up and down since his injury.

But this is a big game and win or lose it will lead to views on Arteta and where he's got to.

lorddulaarsenal

If our rivals win out the chances are they’ll have a better goal difference than us.

We need to thump Southampton.

Claudius

Don Pacifico all of this makes sense.
On Calafiori, however, I think that is actually quite consistent with Arteta's way of thinking all along. When he first started fixing the team, he put in Zinchenko, and has since gone for Calafiori and then MLS emerged. All are given a somewhat free role that is effectively a left defensive midfielder. He has not liked Tierney there, and also admitted to messing up by trying to play Kiwior in that role. So he does allow a specific position to break out of structure - which is probably linked to the right side bias of the team - spaces open up to the left and an extra midfielder lets you move the ball quickly in theory.

We do need a Saka alternative up front. Will just make it easier to unlock teams. That can be any of striker, left wing or left 8. The position doesn't matter as much. It's somebody who can make their own supper.

Gazza M

Don Pacifico inspiration over perspiration. arteta needs to shed the moyesian prioritisation of size and stability because he's largely already achieved it.

Don Pacifico

Claudius agreed. It does give me pause for thought that we sanction individuality at LB but it is limited elsewhere on the pitch. As you allude to, we need someone who can take on that mantle further up the pitch. We're just too predictable and there needs to be scope for our players, particularly our attackers to be a bit more unpredictable.

Arteta talked a good game last season about bringing variety into the way we played but I'm yet to see that truly come to fruition. There have been hints of it from time-to-time, when we've seen some positional fluidity but it's not a consistent feature of our game. I believe some 'individual' talents will help us become harder to stop.