Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options.
Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes.
Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Arsenal were punished for those misses when Fabian Ruiz struck in the 27th minute before Achraf Hakimi’s clinical finish in the 72nd minute put PSG on course for the final against Inter.
Bukayo Saka reduced the deficit with 14 minutes left, but it was too late for Arsenal to avoid the latest agonizing flop of Arteta’s increasingly tortured reign.
Since leaving his role as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City assistant to replace the sacked Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium in December 2019, Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal after a bleak period prior to his arrival.
Photo: Reuters
The Spaniard has turned Arsenal into serial title contenders and a force to be reckoned with in Europe, but an FA Cup final victory against Chelsea in 2020 remains Arteta’s only trophy with the club.
Losing the biggest game in their recent history leaves Arsenal facing a long summer of regret over their lack of success in the past two transfer windows.
Arteta’s Arsenal legacy is in danger of being tarnished by the club’s curious decision not to sign a prolific striker.
Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced Arteta to use Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker with mixed results during the final weeks of the season.
However, even before Havertz and Jesus were sidelined, Arsenal missed the ruthless cutting edge possessed by Premier League champions Liverpool and elite European teams like PSG.
Arteta had tried to remedy that shortcoming with a move for England striker Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window.
However, Arsenal were unable to convince Aston Villa to accept their offer, prompting a frustrated Arteta to say that he was “disappointed” when the window closed without reinforcements.
Arsenal gifted the Premier League title to Liverpool with 13 draws — six more than Arne Slot’s team — as their lack of killer instinct was exposed. And as Arsenal poured forward in waves at the start of the second leg against PSG, it was clear what a predatory forward would have added to their vibrant team.
The sight of Saka blazing over with an open goal at his mercy in the closing stages perfectly encapsulated Arsenal’s attacking woes.
Arteta praised Donnarumma as “the best player on the pitch” rather than blame his forwards.
However, penalty area profligacy has been a recurring problem for Arteta throughout a reign that has promised more than it has delivered.
Without a Premier League title since 2004, Arsenal were runners-up to Manchester City for the past two seasons after squandering sizeable leads in the title race.
This season they could not keep up with Liverpool’s relentless form, so attention switched to the Champions League.
When Arsenal demolished holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, it seemed that they might win the tournament for the first time to validate the Arteta era.
However, that Achilles heel of errant finishing, combined with costly defensive mistakes, proved fatal against PSG.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice claimed they would need “big balls” and “magic moments” to beat Luis Enrique’s men.
Yet as Rice trooped miserably down the tunnel after the final whistle, it was painfully clear what they really needed.
“We were not strong enough in the boxes. That’s where we lost it,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said.
“We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things, but it’s not enough.”In front of goal is where games are decided and that’s where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way,” he said.
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