This season, Arsenal fans have reason to be happy. After 22 years of waiting, the often-mocked English team has taken over the Premier League. She could even have achieved the double with the Champions League. It came down to few things, notably two missed shots on goal from Eze and Gabriel. Despite numerous criticisms of the game produced by the Gunners, the Londoners can be proud of their season. Mikel Arteta is anyway. Disappointed after the failure in the final against the Parisians, he still congratulated his troops while looking forward to the future.
Arteta had to adapt to PSG
“We are going to have to make crucial decisions if we want to move up a gear. And we are going to have to be ambitious, because we are more than capable of it, but it will require great ambition, great speed and great intelligence of us.” He will certainly say similar things during the meeting which is planned with his managers and his technical staff in order to take stock of the season and prepare for the next one. The Sun explains that although it may seem from the outside that few changes are expected, Arteta and Arsenal want to make several changes.
The Champions League campaign and especially the final against PSG allowed them to confirm what they thought. Against Luis Enrique’s team, the best in the world according to the Arsenal coach, the Londoners had to adapt and defend. It was an obligation for Arteta, who wanted to control the striking power of the Ile-de-France residents. “In my opinion, this is the best team in the world. What they are capable of doing with the ball, with individual actions, I haven’t seen it. And it’s not expected to play in certain areas when you don’t have the ball, but they force you to.”admitted the Spanish coach.
An offensive and style problem
The Sun adds that Arsenal only had “24.7% possession on Saturday, the lowest percentage recorded by a team in the Champions League final since the 2003-04 season”. The English media also specified “the entire Gunners team, plus the six substitutes, completed 196 passes while PSG midfielder Vitinha completed 141 alone”. But there are still things to improve. This summer, it will be more of an evolution of the project than a revolution. The Gunners will be able to rely on a solid base, particularly in defense. On the other hand, The Sun indicates that the offensive sector must be improved.
“The Gunners spent lavishly last summer and paid around £180 million for three new strikers: Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres. They were valuable – especially in winning the title – but for the most important match of the season, Saturday, all three were on the bench. Arsenal needs quality players to complete their squad.” Despite Kai Havertz’s opener, it is believed that Arsenal were not helped by their attack in key moments of the C1 season. This is also the opinion of Sky Sports.
The transfer window will allow us to make adjustments
“Last season, the Gunners reached the semi-finals. They are getting closer and closer to the title, to PSG and to the final victory. You either win or you learn. But this feeling of missed opportunity will persist. Because even if PSG fielded a more competitive team at the start, the meeting should have tilted in its favor over time. Did Arsenal do what was necessary to take control of the match? To seize your chance at the decisive moment? Arteta wants to continue building the project. He will make changes, both on the transfer market and on the pitch, to perhaps give this team a more offensive game. He definitely got more resources on offense. At times, he tried to turn everything upside down.”
Jamie Carragher is also convinced that with a better attack, Arsenal could have done better. “I think the only way Arsenal played yesterday (Saturday) night was the only way they could have played to try and beat PSG. That’s what Arsenal are, they don’t have enough quality in attack. They need better attackers. » The transfer window will help remedy this and help Arteta bring more style and substance to his training according to the Times. “Arteta spoke of his desire to integrate creative and match-changing players in order to help his team evolve. The Arsenal coach wants his players to put pressure on their opponents thanks to players with the technical qualities to reproduce PSG’s performance against his team on Saturday in Budapest.
Strengthening the attack is the priority
THE Times adds: “Arteta said PSG had players capable of achieving feats and insisted on the need to have a fully fit squad to win finals. He was referring to the injuries of some of his players, such as Riccardo Calafiori, and the recruitment of players with a history of physical problems (…) In attack, Viktor Gyokeres did not solve the team’s offensive problems. Arsenal’s hopes of recruiting Julián Alvarez, renowned for his pressing and efficiency in front of goal, have dwindled in the face of competition from FC Barcelona and PSG. Junior Kroupi has become a potential target if Bournemouth agree to sell him. On the left flank, Arsenal missed Anthony Gordon, who left for FC Barcelona. The London club are also closely following Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa and have been offered Rafael Leão from AC Milan.
Still in attack, Igor Thiago (Brentford) is also cited. In the midfield, Mateus Fernandes (West Ham United), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United) and Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille) are appreciated. A right back but also a defender could also arrive to prepare for the future. In the axis, Castello Lukeba (Leipzig) is cited by the Times. In terms of departures, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard or even Gabriel Jesus are not guaranteed to stay, just like most of the players loaned last season. Arsenal wants to bring in new blood and take inspiration from PSG, particularly its style of play and its attack. The English will have a good envelope to achieve this.
