Arsenal lacked their attempt to reach the Champions League final against PSG and Martin Keown gave the reason why the men of Mikel Arteta did not cross the line
Martin Keown feels that Arsenal's lack of a good center has overtaken them in the end ', after their heartbreaking Champions League exit through the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners went to the French capital knowing that only a victory against PSG would do after losing the first stage of last week from last week. But the men of Mikel Arteta were unable to conquer their hosts, who won 2-1 on the night and 3-1 aggregated to book a date with Inter Milan at the end of the month.
Despite their defeat, Arsenal started the game with the part between their teeth and was a shame to fall back on the night when Fabian Ruiz sent a blast past David Raya.
Bukayo Saka kept Arsenal alive after PSG doubled their lead, but there was no fairy -tale comeback for Arsenal, who will end the season without trophy.
Another big summer seems to be on the cards in the Emirates after the club has chosen to sign a new No. 9 in January, despite the loss of both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus van Injury. And while they are in it to fill that void before the 2025-26 campaign, Keown played that as the main reason behind the failure of the club to reach the Champions League.
“You have to hold your hands on PSG,” Keown said at PSG after the game. “Hakimi, what a player he is. Arsenal can be proud of what they have done back in the Champions League this season in our second year. But it has overtaken us that we do not have a good center-forward, two are out tonight.
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“For PSG they don't have Neymar, no Messi, not Mbappe, completely out of the door, but now they are a complete side. I don't see forward players working so hard. How do you beat them? They have to be hot favorites to win now. You have to give them credit.”
Arteta was in Bullish mood after the game and, after congratulating with PSG with their triumph, he insisted that no team had been 'better than Arsenal' in the Champions League this season when he was asked if he felt that they deserved to continue.
He said: “100 percent. I don't think there has been a better team [than Arsenal] In the competition of what I have seen, but we are gone. This competition is about the boxes and in both boxes are the strikers and the keepers and those of them were the best in both games.
“I am so proud of the players. They earn a lot of praise for what they do in the context of the situation and the amount of injuries, probably the worst state that you could arrive here as a team. To get here with a different context and still to do that, it gives me a lot of positives for the future, but tonight I am very upset.”
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