Mikel Arteta and Arsenal made light work of seeing PSG when they collided in the Champions League group phase, but the French champions excelled since that defeat
Mikel Arteta prepares Arsenal for PSG in the last four of the Champions League as a potential final in their sights. The Gunners have already seen the French side this season – but this time they are a completely different prospect.
Arsenal drove to a 2-0 win over the Ligue 1 champions in October, making light work of a party that considered a European heavyweight. At that moment the side of Luis Enrique looked like anything but European champions, but six months later the landscape changed.
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored for Arsenal when they held down the Parisians, but the French outfit has since ended the hope of Liverpool and Aston Villa in Europe. They have also seen Manchester City and now want to end more English dreams.
Enrique finally has PSG to click and the way in which they defeated Liverpool, saw the rest of Europe standing up and watch. Arteta may have one about it on his fellow -spaniard, but the former Barcelona boss seems to have found a winning formula.
Arsenal himself knows that their season is Champions League of Bust when it comes to claiming silverware. They have risen to the challenge so far and have driven Real Madrid on sensational fashion, but PSG may have an even more difficult assignment.
The first stage takes place on the Emirates on Tuesday evening, while the Parisians are going to Noord -Londen for the second time this season. However, they are a very different threat and Arteta will do well to read little in the game they played in October. We look at how much has changed since that game.
Dembele is central
He was tipped for so long to be one of the fantastic names in Europe, but that was rarely the case in Barcelona. His switch to PSG initially did not lead to much change, but now, as the team's central attack point, he has really found his mojo. As long as he was used on the wings, but Dembele is now the false nine of the team and looks more comfortable than ever. He scored the PSG winner on Anfield in March and continued to damage the defense of teams with William Saliba who had to be in top form.
Teamethos excels
PSG has not had a quality problem for that long, they have had a togetherness. If you have Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in your front three, you will win in certain areas and in other losses. Mbappe was never known for its defensive working speed, but this PSG side has embraced the lack of a superstar. As a result, the wish, hunger and lack of ego have created a collective environment that we have never seen in Paris before.
Arsenal's improvised attack
Havertz was one of the goal scorers in October, but this time there will be no calling on the German. Injury ended his season at the start of the year and in his absence, Arteta is looking for someone else to lead the border. Havertz is far from the most productive players ever, but he is often credited to help the rest of the team function. The will of Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard, who can both fill in, do not represent the same problems for the PSG defense.
Contains Kvaratskhelia
When Arsenal played PSG earlier this season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wore Napoli's nothing. However, a step from January brought him to France and he quickly settled as part of the front line with PSG. Only the offside flag denied him a goal against Liverpool, but he produced some individual sparkle against Villa. He adds a different dynamic to the PSG attack and, if it can be checked, then the flowering desire remains that Doue entertains on the opposite flank.
Arsenal is all in it
Rinse back a few months ago and Arsenal will have thought that they could falter in the Premier League title race in Liverpool. They were looking for the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup had not started yet. Three trophies were on the table, but they have all passed by Arteta. It means that Europe is the only hope that he and the club have to end a silver crush that goes back five years. That extra pressure has fueled them in earlier rounds, but they are a lot of Champions League of Bust this season.
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