Arsenal has many faces that allow it to dominate and intimidate PSG

The first real insight into Mikel Arteta’s obsession with victory came during Arsenal’s Amazon documentary All or Nothing. As he famously raged in one particular dressing room: “If I lose a duel, I’m upset!” If you compare and contrast the version of Arsenal from three seasons ago with this one, you can see how much stronger and more competitive they have become, because the Duel-O-Meter is now off scale. He has much less reason to be upset.

Look at her. Jurrien Timber knocks the ball away with extreme precision. Gabriel and William Saliba showed as much joy and satisfaction with a good defensive action as with a goal. Declan Rice rushes for the ball. But – and this is where it gets interesting – you don’t just expect it from the players.

Listen to Kai Havertz: “I used to not be the player who won duels and everything, but now I love it,” he enthuses. He is transformed, his hunger for competition is constantly awakened.

Listen to Bukayo Saka: “We’re all attack-minded, we want to go forward, but the coach put a lot of emphasis on the other part of the game.” I’m sure when you’re on the sidelines you can hear him a lot when we don’t have the ball. It takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline because honestly I want to be further forward but that’s what the team needs. When I see the results, we concede a lot, it pays off and encourages me to keep going.”

Consent within this group is unyielding. They place demands on themselves and each other. You can all see the benefits of maximum energy and effort.

It is still far too early to predict what Arsenal might or might not do this season, but what is abundantly clear is their desire to fight. If that means attacking with momentum and speed, that’s great. If that means they stay tough and are hard to beat, they’re ready for that too. In their victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal needed a little of both and had the weapons to successfully handle different aspects of the game.

Calafiori wins the ball in the air (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

They have shown more composure and confidence in their two European competitions so far than last season, which is understandable considering it was a more cautious experience and they are heading to the Champions League for the first time in years. waters returned. Now they want to step in. Make a splash.

The team is currently based on a well-programmed pragmatism and they have been able to transfer this from the Premier League to Europe. It speaks to the maturation of the team. Arteta saw a developing character against PSG, which he really liked. “I think we showed a lot of maturity in the way we played and we put our stamp on the way we want to behave against top teams in Europe.”

He noted that the team now has a different sense of self in these matches. “I sensed something different in the way we prepared the game and how much they wanted to focus on it. I think they wanted to prove that we can be ourselves and be very dominant against a top team at home. It creates a special evening, the amazing European evenings against big clubs. This belief increases everyone’s energy and spirit.”

Arsenal can play diverse football. You can show different faces in different places to overcome different challenges in the game.

Arsenal started with their dynamic, exuberant face. Sometimes, when Donarumma had the ball at his feet for a goal kick, he would look up and see a pack of hyenas eyeing him – Arsenal’s front four high and hungry, eager to exploit a moment of weakness.

This victory was based on an aggressive first half, in which the hunt for goals was supported by quick tackles and strict defense of their own goal.

Soon it was, as the old song goes: “1-0 for Arsenal”. This was very well received, considering that the song was written 30 years ago in a duel between these two teams. It is worth noting that this was the last time Arsenal won a European Cup. The search feels very big.

The opening goal came at the right timing. The combination play between Leandro Trossard and Havertz is constantly improving as they combine their talents as a pair. Trossard, who was on the run, took one look and slowed his gallop in anticipation of finding a train. Havertz was trotting and suddenly switched to a sprint. The timing of the cross coincided perfectly with the run and Havertz was on track to continue his good scoring form.

Havertz scored Arsenal’s opening goal (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Captain Saka managed second place. His free kick had the surprise effect. While everyone expects a higher ball aimed at the giants in the Arsenal team, it was a low, flat throw that was so confusing that it evaded many players who might have touched it.

In the second half, when Paris Saint-Germain found enough footing to give the game some personality, Arsenal showed their stubborn, highly focused face. There was a period of five or 10 minutes when they seemingly flipped a strategy switch and retreated into their highly organized, deep block designed to minimize dangerous intrusions.

Arteta was happy with the goal, even if it was a less attractive half. He was aware that a few days ago his team were 2-0 up at half-time against Leicester, but then let them back into the game. He praised his team for “leading emotionally and staying in the game like we had to.”

Because there is more than one way to cook, Arsenal will have a much more refined European taste this season.

It was all too much for PSG. “We didn’t win any of our duels,” remarked Luis Enrique. “We couldn’t withstand this pressure.”

The certainty of dominating and intimidating a club that sees itself as part of the establishment in the latter stages of Champions League football is new for Arsenal today. It’s another solid step in the right direction.

(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)