Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal squad will have watched Paris Saint-Germain dismantle Bayern Munich and felt a sense of déjà vu from the French side. They’ve seen it before.
The way PSG beat Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals was the same medicine Arsenal got a year ago. Just as they did in the last-four clash at the Emirates last season, PSG came out flying away from home and took an early lead through Ousmane Dembele.
That year, PSG ended up having the better of Arsenal and went on to win the Champions League. Arteta is now tasked with preventing last season’s history from repeating itself.
If Arsenal produced epic resilience to beat Atletico Madrid, then Luis Enrique’s side put in a statement result. They turned up at Bayern Munich’s home – a place they know well given it was the stadium where they won the Champions League last season – and gave the German champions a footballing lesson.
They not only scored with the first attack of the game – a stylish break down the left that, despite being on the biggest stage, seemed rehearsed to the very blade of grass – but PSG then backed it up with a near-faultless display.
Ousmane Dembele put PSG ahead after just three minutes
The forward play speaks for itself. They have a Ballon D’Or winner in Ousmane Dembele – who on the night showed Harry Kane what is required to win an award like that – while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue look another level above what we saw from them last season.
But it is the midfield that continues to thrive. Fabian Ruiz, no longer a guaranteed starter given the form of Warren Zaire-Emery this season, ranked top for PSG for ball recoveries against Bayern. Joao Neves completed the joint-most tackles for them on the night – his four tackles making up most of the seven duels he won.
Meanwhile, amidst that steel, Vitinha showed his creative side, making the joint-most chances out of any of his team-mates. There is real balance in the middle of the PSG park.
But there was also maturity in a really challenging environment of Bayern away. This was, of course, a slightly makeshift PSG side given Zaire-Emery was put into right-back to replace the injured Achraf Hakimi.
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John Cross looks ahead to Arsenal’s Champions League final clash against PSG after the holders knocked Bayern Munich out with a thrilling 6-5 aggregate win
After a difficult start to the game, the 20-year-old midfielder soon got to grips with the game – and ended the match with PSG’s best pass accuracy rate of the game.
When Nuno Mendes got booked early on, many thought he would end up with a really difficult night against Michael Olise. His nine duels won said otherwise, with Olise mostly frustrated.
This maturity – which also saw Marquinhos and Willian Pacho shut out Kane for 94 minutes – was crucial in stopping a Bayern side who had scored at least three goals in each of their previous six games before the Champions League semi-final at the Allianz. The one they scored through Kane was highly undeserved.
Perhaps the most mature performance, however, came from Kvaratskhelia, who showcased his credentials as the world’s best winger right now.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s stats vs Bayern Munich
His running was a constant threat to the Bayern defence. He attempted six dribbles and won them all, setting up the crucial goal which sent PSG through, and settled them down. But the other side of the game did not go unnoticed.
His 11 duels won were the most out of any PSG player on the night, while his six ball recoveries were only bettered by Fabian Ruiz.
Linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, Arteta and Arsenal know all about him. But he will take some stopping. PSG have scored 44 goals in this European campaign so far, one behind the Champions League record set by Barcelona in 2000. This is an attack like no other, led by a front three at the top of their games.
Arsenal, however, can go into the Champions League final with a lot of confidence, irrespective of the attacking fluency PSG are showing.
It is worth remembering that the Gunners are the only unbeaten side in the Champions League this season, and their defence – which has kept nine clean sheets in 14 matches in this competition this term – can match PSG’s attack. Arteta’s side could even go into the final as champions of England.
While PSG got the better of Arsenal in the semi-finals last season, a key figure in those two ties was Gianluigi Donnarumma, no longer at PSG following his move to Manchester City.
Arsenal and PSG met in the Champions League semi-finals last season
Many felt Arsenal would have progressed if there was a different goalkeeper in the PSG sticks; now there is a chance to test that theory.
And so, onto Budapest at the end of May – where the best attack in Europe meets the best defence.
Given this has been a season where many have debated whether style or substance is the way forward, it feels a fitting final in a frenetic season.
