By Martin Graham
Arsenal face a familiar sense of unease ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris St-Germain, with fans returning to the city where heartbreak struck in 2006. This time, they trail 1-0 after a frustrating first leg at the Emirates. Manager Mikel Arteta insists his players will draw on their emotions – “rage, anger, frustration” – in the push to overturn the deficit.
A big part of that plan involves sticking with the 4-2-3-1 formation Arsenal adopted after being overwhelmed early on. In the first 20 minutes, PSG’s dominance was total: 77% possession and endless attacks as Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves pinned back Arsenal’s midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Mikel Merino. This freed Ousmane Dembele to exploit space and ultimately grab the winning goal.
The shift in formation, with Martin Odegaard dropping into midfield to track Vitinha, changed the flow. From that point on, Arsenal controlled more of the game, registering 55% possession and outshooting their opponents. The potential return of Thomas Partey could be vital in replicating that control, with the Ghanaian’s positioning expected to help nullify PSG’s fluid midfield movement and sniff out danger more effectively than Merino managed.
Key to Arsenal’s hopes is disrupting Vitinha, who controls much of PSG’s rhythm. In terms of passing and involvement, only Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich outpaces him in Europe. With Odegaard shadowing the Portuguese playmaker, Arsenal might just be able to unpick PSG’s control.
Once the tactical foundations are in place, Arsenal’s next step must be to use possession more intelligently – and that starts with Odegaard. Criticized for his limited impact, the Norwegian barely featured in the early stages of the first leg, recording just three touches in the opening spell. At one point, his absence forced David Raya and William Saliba into passing loops with no midfield outlet.
As the game progressed, Odegaard grew into his role, though he still fell short of influencing the game in the way he did during Arsenal’s dominant group-stage display against PSV Eindhoven. The solution may lie in deeper positioning. When collecting the ball earlier in build-up phases, Odegaard’s sharp combinations, particularly with Bukayo Saka, can help Arsenal navigate PSG’s press and establish greater control.
But composure alone won’t be enough. Arsenal must also match the intensity shown by Aston Villa in the previous round. In their second-leg fightback, Villa stormed PSG’s half with urgency and purpose. Manager Luis Enrique admitted his side had not been “so dominated” before. Arsenal have the tools to do the same, especially with the unpredictability of Myles Lewis-Skelly, whose dribbling in the first leg unsettled Achraf Hakimi.
There’s further potential chaos to unleash. Hakimi, caught between marking Gabriel Martinelli and stepping into midfield, struggled when Lewis-Skelly inverted. If Partey’s presence allows Rice to move higher up the pitch, his driving runs could replicate the kind of pressure that led Villa to rattle PSG.
Finally, Arsenal’s best shot at scoring could come from a familiar source: set-pieces. They’ve scored more goals from dead balls than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with an expected goal tally of nearly 16 from such situations. PSG, by contrast, have conceded 10 goals from set-pieces in Ligue 1, including six from corners – one of the worst records in France.
Although Arsenal only managed three corners and six attacking free-kicks in the first leg, more dominance in possession could tilt those numbers upward. If Arteta’s plan clicks into place, the North London side could find their edge through the very situations they’ve mastered.
