After the game, Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team was better in the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), even though the scoreline was negative.
Arsenal got knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-final by PSG with a 1-3 aggregate score, after PSG won the second leg 2-1 in Paris.
Arsenal really do look like a better team.
They dominated ball possession 54% to 46% and had 2.91 expected goals compared to PSGs 1.74.
The underlying numbers showed that they shouldve won the game, but football isnt played on paper.
Since the story can be seen differently on the pitch, many people still think Arsenal were better.
However, some also think theyre not, as Luis Enrique said at his own press conference.
Thats why perspective matters, and tactical analysis helps you understand the state of the game better.
This tactical analysis will show you what happened during the game, how Arteta outsmarted Enrique in some parts of the game, and how Enrique outsmarted Arteta in others.
Arsenal Tactics Vs PSG: Play Wide & Direct to Get Corners & Throw-Ins
Arteta learned from the first leg that PSG often used three players at the back to defend Arsenals build-up.
This means that Arsenal can create an advantage in that particular situation.
Arteta did two things in the second leg.
First, he made sure his wingers stayed wide to create width.
Take Gabriel Martinelli, for example.
In the first leg, he often switched positions with centre-forward Leandro Trossard.
This was mainly because Martinelli wanted to pull Marquinhos into the middle of the park to open up the left flank for Trossard.
However, this was not the case in the second leg.
Most of the time, Martinelli stays out wide and waits for the ball, just as Bukayo Saka did on the right.
PSG vs Arsenal tactical analysis
Arsenal wide wingers vs PSG.
Secondly, it is possible to play more directly through the goalkeeper.
David Raya played 24 long balls in the second leg, compared with 18 in the Emirates.
More often than not, the directi
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