Kevin Whitcher
Football is a results business, and on that level, Arsenal’s draw at the Parc des Princes last night was a very good point. Paris St Germain’s side are stuffed with star names, even after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I suspect they were favourites to top the group before a ball was kicked in anger.
Somehow, they conspired to allow Arsenal to take a point from a match they really should have buried before half time, such was their dominance. Edison Cavani, after scoring the simplest of opening goals, missed two sitters to keep the opposition in the game. Let’s face it, Arsenal in the opening 45 minutes were woeful.
The starting selection was an eye opener. I had suggested after the Southampton match that Arsene Wenger might be looking at playing a false number nine this season, using the more orthodox front man abilities of Olivier Giroud from the bench. Last night seemed to confirm that. A front three of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez and Iwobi (Walcott was injured), with Sanchez nominally the central attacker took the field and had hardly any impact as Arsenal struggled to put their passes together.
The goal PSG scored in the opening minute does not require great examination. It was rank bad defending from both Monreal and Mustafi. Cavani was allowed the freedom of the Arsenal box, and it wasn’t an isolated incident. Were their finishing a bit better, the home side could have won this game by a hatful, and ultimately paid the price for their profligacy.
David Ospina started the game at the expense of Petr Cech, which, given that Cech was on the bench, was obviously a sweetener for the Colombian international from the manager. Unlike against Olympiacos last September, he got away with it, as Ospina made several critical saves, with PSG cutting going through the Arsenal backline like a hot knife through butter.
Another interesting selection was the decision to stick with Coquelin and Cazorla at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. And there was me thinking Granit Xhaka was being rested against Southampton so that he could preserve his energy for this game. There was a thought that Xhaka would be partnered by Mohammed Elneny from the start, but the two only entered from the subs’ bench.
At half-time, by some quirk of fate, the Gunners were only a goal down. The second half saw improvement from the visitors, although let’s face it, it could hardly have got any worse. They got men forward more – Mustafi forcing the pace early on – and pressed with more conviction. However, they did leave themselves vulnerable on the counter attack, and PSG spurned more excellent opportunities to extend their lead, in no small part due to the outstanding display from Ospina.
Giroud replaced the Ox to provide more of a focal point, and eventually, an equalizer came after a blocked Iwobi strike was pounced upon by Sanchez. There was no further score and Arsenal finished with a point they hardly deserved.
To look at the bigger picture, in spite of the team only featuring one new arrival from the off, there seemed little cohesion and shape to Arsenal’s play. The best chances seemed to come from set pieces as in open play there were all too rarely enough bodies in the box when a player worked an opportunity from wide. With a false number nine, there is greater onus on the attacking midfield to overlap their forwards and throw the opposition into confusion. But it didn’t happen often enough.
So blunt going forward, and looking vulnerable in defence. Giroud’s dismissal for a second yellow means the false nine experiment will continue against Basel, but more telling will be whether Giroud makes his first start of the season against Hull at the weekend. If Perez is to become the first choice front man, he needs time to integrate with the team. If that is the plan, the folly of leaving it so late in the summer window to secure him looks like it will cost.
On the evidence of last night, I’d back PSG to win the group, because Arsenal – remember with only one new face starting last night – do not seem to have addressed the underlying problems that saw them fall short last season as Leicester took the title. And if Arsenal performed as they did in the Nou Camp rather than Parc des Princes, the result might not be dissimilar to the hammering Celtic took there at the same time the Gunners managed to escape with a point.
A case of getting away with it, but that kind of fortune won’t last. Arsenal need to up their game, but at the moment, it is difficult to see where that might come from.
We are recording the September Gooner Podcast this evening, with guests Layth Yousif, Ian Tanner and Ian Henry. Please tweet your questions or topics for discussion to @goonerpodcast, or email them to [email protected]
The current issue of The Gooner will be on sale at the home matches v Chelsea and Basel. Buyers at the ground also get a free A2 size poster of Alexis Sanchez. The issue can also be bought online here. (The next issue has been delayed until the game against Swansea due to the rain affecting sales at the Southampton match.)
Alternatively, you can simply pay £3.60 (postage included) via online bank transfer to –
Account name: The Gooner
Sort Code: 20-76-90
Account Number: 03004112
Please follow up the payment with an email to [email protected] stating your name and address, ideally with proof of payment such as a screen grab or pdf, or at least the reference that you used for payment (e.g. 260Smith). If the payment was made from an account with a different name, definitely inform us so we can match the received payment.
DIGITAL ISSUES
The Gooner is also available in digital form, through The Gooner App on iPhones and iPads, the Exactly App for Android devices and now Kindle Fire owners can also get their fix by searching the Amazon App Store for The Gooner.
You can also subscribe at www.exacteditions.com and read it through your internet browser as well as receiving a code which will enable you to access issues on all the above devices.
All digital subscriptions include access to our digital back issue library which dates back to August 2010.
