PSG vs Arsenal: The Debrief
My emotions after this match are still a bit raw even though it is nearly 12 hours later that I am sitting down to write this.
I knew coming into the match that it would be tough to overcome a one-goal disadvantage against one of the best teams in the world, and I had reminded myself that just about anything could happen in this match.
Even trying to prepare for myself that game took a lot out of me.
Ultimately, it didn’t end how we wanted but it was a showing that made me proud of this team. This whole Champions League run feels like such growth from last year, the difference between the PSV and Porto matches, the difference between the Madrid and Bayern matches. It’s a truism that you need to learn how to play these big occasions, and I think the team took many lessons learned from last year’s run.
Over the two legs, they can leave saying that they held their own and perhaps even outplayed the team that have a very good chance of going on to win this competition.
PSG vs Arsenal: The Graphics
PSG vs Arsenal: The Debrief
An Opening 15 Blitz nearly works
73.2% - Arsenal’s possession in the opening 15 minutes
98.3% - Arsenal’s field tilt in the opening 15 minutes
1 - Final third pass attempt for PSG, 6 in the middle third
68% - Pass efficiency for PSG, that has to be a season low for a slice of a game this long for PSG given the technical level of the team and I wish I had a better way to look that up
56 - Arsenal’s average starting position in this period in yards. PSG was 84 yard from the goal they were attacking.
8 - Touches in the box for Arsenal
5 - Shots for Arsenal
1 - Big Chance
0.6 - Expected goals
Arsenal came out and really pushed hard to get that opening goal to tie it up. It very nearly worked and it was only some good goalkeeping that kept them out.
Declan Rice had a big chance from a header that he missed just wide. A long throw into the box caused chaos and Gabriel Martinelli nearly poked it home. Martin Odegaard hit one as clean and true with more power than I have seen from him all season towards the corner and it was saved.
The flurry of shots and chances in the opening minutes was incredibly positive but PSG were able to take the punch. With hindsight, that might have been Arsenal pushing all their energy to try and get one back early but it was still mightly impressive to see them do that to a PSG team that to that point ever felt like they were pinned and pressured like that in a game this season.
This is a bit longer than the opening 15 minutes, going to minute 22, but the overall stats clearly show what happened in that period.
That was the period the match hinged on and it just wasn’t meant to be on the night.
I remain proud of this team and the way they fought to the end, even as the odds became insurmountable.
One-off finishing is the story… again
19 - Shots from Arsenal, the most PSG have given up in a match this season
2.7 - xG on my model, 3.0 on the Opta model both are the highest they had allowed in a match this season
6 - Big Chances for Arsenal, 1 scored
4 - Shots on target for Arsenal
2.2 - Post shot xG for Arsenal in this match from the 4 shots on target
I had already talked about the blitz early that nearly got them the goal but that wasn’t it for Arsenal. They continued to attack even after going down and like the first leg Arsenal were able to open up and expose PSG’s defense.
Arsenal didn’t add value with their chances, the post shot xG below xG and just 4/19 on target is below average, here but this was also a good goal-keeping performance, especially in that period where a goal for Arsenal would have tied the match and changed the dynamic.
I wrote about this yesterday, and it remains a timely reminder that generally finishing has not been the issue for Arsenal, even if in one match it was (just like you would probably say that the season long issue creating enough chances aren’t fixed by the showing today and Arsenal don’t need to address that in the summer).
There will be one-off matches where finishing disappears or you run into a hot keeper or you’re just fractions off, that is the way of the world sometimes. I broke it down deeper in the post above but it’s hard to come up with a metric that suggests there is a systemic issue for Arsenal or a trend that is concerning for the finishing.
Eyes turn to the summer
There are still three matches to go for Arsenal but they seem in this moment to be small potatoes for what will come.
Arsenal need 3 points to guarantee Champions League next season, and 7 points will mean they finish in second place again, no matter the other results.
I will watch the matches but I know my focus is going to start turning to more of a high-level analysis of the season and a look ahead to a pivotal summer where Arsenal look to put together the final pieces that can get them over the top.
With how tantalizingly close they have come these last three seasons, it shouldn’t take too much and maybe they can figure out how to get a top-tier good karma or luck generator for themselves.
That Odegard shot had me out of my seat cheering a super goal. How the hell did that 7 foot monster get down for that shot that came through a sea of legs like a guided missile? Truly, He was the player of the game Donnorumma. That guided missile from Odegard was one, and the one from Saka another...how do we score against a world class keeper having a worldy? I mean Saka might have redirected that ball into an empty net which would have put PSG under a lot of pressure and given us a lift. But, that was not to be. Proud of the team, now we need a few points to end the season and get to the BIG GIANT SUMMER that we HAVE TO HAVE or we are done.