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Photo from Freepik
Morning all.
PSG are the new European Champions after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0. Luis Enrique and his young French team were by all accounts, outstanding. I didn’t watch the final but I saw enough of their quality during the two semi-final matches against Arsenal to realise just how good PSG are.
The funny thing is though, as good as PSG have been this season, Arsenal created enough chances over the two legs to have beaten them. As did Aston Villa for that matter, especially in the second leg.
PSG play quick and free flowing football and that’s what I’m envious of because it’s just good to watch. Liverpool play in a similar way, possibly Chelsea too but Man City and Arsenal continue to play in the way they do which quite frankly, I find boring to watch. Obviously, City’s way has brought them success under Guardiola but in my opinion, much of that was because their way was not only something different but because they had the players who could find that inch perfect pass and finish yet now, I think they’ve been worked out and managers have found a way to disrupt their style of play. Just as I think managers have worked Arsenal out.
As fans, we tend to look at our own faults after a game we’ve lost or drawn but sometimes, one has to look at the opposition and what they’ve done too. When a keeper makes a save, do we credit him or blame the Arsenal player for not finding a gap between the posts? If one of our own players intercepts an opponent’s passage of play, it’s brilliant, yet when it happens to us, there’s usually someone to blame.
Arsenal drew too many games last season, we all know that, but did they all come about because Arsenal were just poor, or was it because opponents know how to stop us? A bit of both perhaps?
If Mike Arteta was watching the match last night, surely he would have seen how affective football played at a greater pace is more difficult for opponents to live with than a slow buildup before hoping for a perfect final pass and finish. Usually by the time the opposition has ten men back defending I hasten to add.
One doesn’t need to be a footballing genius to know that quick passes, pace and width is the best way to win football matches, or any team sport really. Even now I can close my eyes and see Patrick Vieira winning the ball in our defensive area, breaking away at speed before threading the ball to one of his teammates ahead of him.
Back then, I’m not sure Arsenal players were “allowed” to pass backwards. Lol
Obviously football has changed a lot since Vieira’s days, certainly in the Premier League but in certain European countries, the best teams still play in a similar fashion to how Arsenal did back in Arsene Wenger’s early days. Liverpool have just won the Premier League by playing in a similar way.
If Mikel Arteta is to win the Premier League or even the Champions League I think he has to change the way we play the game. Guardiola might have conquered English football quite early, but it took him six years to win the Champions League.
Catch up in the comments.