At a Glance:
Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday evening.
The Gunners have a difficult task at hand against a frightening PSG side.
However, Julien Laurens has explained how he thinks Mikel Arteta should approach the game.
Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday evening, and an expert on Luis Enrique’s blistering side thinks there is a game plan Mikel Arteta should implement, which could see the Gunners come out on top.
The North Londoners were crowned Premier League champions last week, sparking wild celebrations on the streets of N5 and across the globe. Arteta’s team’s attentions now turn back towards European competition, as he and his players look to secure a historic double.
PSG present Arsenal with a frightening proposition. The Parisians boast an array of talented attacking players who can hurt even the greatest defences in the world.
Despite this, journalist Julien Laurens has outlined how he thinks the Gunners can navigate their way past PSG and win the trophy that has eluded them for their entire history.
Julien Laurens explains how he thinks Arsenal could beat PSG
While Arsenal flaunt the meanest defence on the planet, this could be made irrelevant by a moment of magic from one of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Desire Doue. The PSG front three are outstanding, and the Gunners’ defensive game will have to be at its very best to stand a chance of negating them.
That said, journalist and PSG expert Laurens believes Arsenal should focus on what they can do to Enrique’s side rather than being concerned with what these attacking players could do to them.
Speaking on the Arsenal Vision Podcast’s YouTube channel, the Frenchman argued that Arteta should deploy his most technical players and try to control the game from the outset.
“The problem is, you also need a very mobile number nine, to go back to the Havertz vs Gyokeres points, to be able to do that [play into full-back areas],” he said.
“You can’t just hoof the ball from Gabriel for Gyokeres to run. By the way, if Gyokeres runs, Saka and Trossard will need to run as fast to be with him, otherwise he’ll be on his own with Pacho, Marquinhos and Mendes.
“Personally, I don’t think this is the game plan that should work. For me, more than trying to hit PSG in transitions, because Saka is not that player and Trossard is not that player.
“If you had proper runners, a Luis Diaz or a Barcola on each wing, sure. But that’s not the case. So for me, I would go more to ‘let’s try to control that ball’. Let’s try to almost beat PSG at their own game.
“I think you need physicality too. If you can’t have physicality and technical ability, like Kimmich and Pavlovic for example, this is great.
“So, Rice and Lewis-Skelly, for me, would be a perfect double pivot. The it’s about what you ask of Odegaard or Eze on the ball as the third midfielder.”
Juliens Laurens is right about Arsenal’s approach
Laurens is right; Arsenal cannot afford to bunker and allow PSG possession. They need to press high, get control of the ball and prevent the Parisians from playing in the areas they want to play in.
PSG’s biggest weakness is also arguably defending their own box. While they have defenders who excel at defending in big spaces, such as Willian Pacho, they struggle when forced to sit deep.
Not finished yet. pic.twitter.com/SswVKi08PT
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 28, 2026
Thus, the Gunners need to get sustained waves of possession high up the pitch, putting the PSG backline under pressure. They might just buckle.
If Arteta implements these clear game plans, then the Spaniard’s team have a chance.