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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has expressed his surprise at the team’s tactical approach during their Champions League semi-final first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners, fresh off a sensational quarter-final victory over defending champions Real Madrid, were widely expected to carry that momentum into Tuesday night’s clash. However, Mikel Arteta’s side produced a lacklustre start and were punished early, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring in the 4th minute to give PSG a 1-0 advantage heading into next week’s return leg in Paris.
Wright, speaking on his Wrighty’s House podcast, admitted he was shocked by Arsenal’s passive start and criticised the team for failing to take the game to their French opponents.
“I don’t want to be negative about the team, but I’m very surprised by the start of the game,” Wright said. “I wasn’t expecting that. To be honest, I thought PSG would sit back, but it was the opposite.
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“We should have been pressing them, but it didn’t happen. That’s the disappointing thing. I think we really missed a trick. The crowd was ready to scream and shout, and we didn’t take advantage of that.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Image credit: Getty Images)Wright also questioned Arteta’s tactical plan and suggested the team squandered an opportunity to seize control of the tie early on.
“I would love to hear Mikel Arteta’s post-match thoughts because I can’t fathom why we would sit off a team like PSG at home, let them play out from the back and stroll across the halfway line.”
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PSG, who have already knocked out Liverpool and Aston Villa, are now firm favourites to reach the final after another impressive Champions League display. But Wright remains hopeful that Arsenal can turn things around in the second leg.
“It’s only 1-0, but PSG did look impressive,” he said. “Then again, anyone would if you give them that much time and space in a semi-final at your place.
“They’re going to try to kill the game in the first 20 minutes in Paris, and Arsenal have to be ready for that. This is it for our season — the league is gone. We’ve shown we have the guts to do it before, and I believe we can do it again.”
Before the crucial second leg in Paris, Arsenal will face Bournemouth in the Premier League this weekend, while newly-crowned Ligue 1 champions PSG travel to Strasbourg.
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