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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barney Ronay at the Emirates Stadium

Mikel Arteta’s Big Energy show splutters against PSG to reveal Arsenal’s frailties

Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard
Declan Rice missed the presence of Thomas Partey as PSG outmatched Arsenal’s intensity. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Reasons to be cheerful. Hmm. Let’s see. Well, it’s only 1-0. There’s that. And this is a significant achievement given Arsenal were basically suffocated in the opening 20 minutes of this semi-final first leg, unable to breathe in their own stadium, stretched thin, starved of air and light by the deep blue machine of the Paris Saint-Germain press.

In those moments PSG just seemed to have more players in every sector, to be self replicating, João Neves appearing at the shoulder of every teammate like a ghostly butler. In the process Arsenal’s own aggressive approach was entirely disrupted by PSG’s combination of physical pressure and just making you chase, filling your legs with lactic acid, fogging the brain.

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