Arsenal face off against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Wanda Metropolitano tonight.
The Gunners have been far from their best in recent weeks and have picked up just a couple of wins since the last international break.
However, they should go into tonight’s game with positivity after a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United.
Ahead of the encounter, Mikel Arteta’s side can certainly take some notes from the thrilling Paris Saint-Germain-Bayern clash last night.
PSG and Bayern played out one of the best Champions League games in history, with Les Parisiens ending up 5-4 victors at Parc des Princes.
Piers Morgan made himself look like an idiot by describing the scoreline as ‘not proper football’.
Here are a few things Arsenal can learn from that game.
Take the game to the opposition
Arteta has often been criticised this campaign for applying the handbrake approach to Arsenal’s forward play. It was once again visible during the 1-0 win over the Magpies, where the Gunners were pretty much hanging on for a slender victory.
Arsenal played much better on the road against Manchester City, but were unfortunate in a 2-1 loss. Kai Havertz squandered two clear-cut chances, while Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes were unlucky to hit the woodwork at the Etihad Stadium.
We expect the Gunners to start quickly off the blocks and put the pressure on Diego Simeone’s side, who are at home. The Spanish outfit recently lost the Copa Del Rey final to Real Sociedad, and Arsenal must seek to capitalise on any nervousness in Atletico’s backline.
Defensive organisation
For all the attacking football last night, the defences of PSG and Bayern were all over the place. With the chances that were created, the final scoreline could have been bigger. Arsenal have one of the best defences in Europe despite going through a lean run of results over the past month.
The Gunners had multiple defensive blemishes during the recent win over the Magpies. William Osula missed a glorious chance early on, while Bruno Guimaraes also came close to scoring. The biggest chance fell to Yoann Wissa, who lashed his volley over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Arsenal can’t afford such lapses against Atletico tonight. Julian Alvarez is one of the best finishers in world football at the moment, while Ademola Lookman has been in fine form since his mid-season move from Atalanta. The Gunners must be vigilant at the back and must guard against counter-attacks tonight.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com