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Arteta given clear Odegaard verdict as Arsenal formation change poised vs PSG

Arsenal were unable to recover from an early goal in their Champions League tie at home to Paris Saint-Germain, and face an uphill battle against the young, flying French giants in the return fixture – and despite many frustrations with Mikel Arteta’s team, some Arsenal fans in the football.london comments section say that the final is still in sight.

An early goal from PSG’s Ousmane Dembele sucked the energy from a vocal Emirates Stadium, with chances from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino going unrewarded. Arsenal felt that they should have had a penalty late into the first half, following a challenge from Joao Neves on Mikel Merino, but the referee waved away the protests.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta said he still had belief in overturning their disadvantage: “We have to go to Paris and win the game. We are more than capable of doing it. I saw two very good teams, but the margins are so small. They had efficiency in front of the goal. The keeper as well made a difference to see the result that we’ve seen tonight.”

Despite a sour night in London, some fans agree with Arteta. Reader Greyeagle5758 says: “Once again, we showed that we can’t play against a team that employs aggressive, man on man defense. We had a couple of chances here and there, but PSG controlled the whole game, to the point were our best players couldn’t do anything.

“If someone has the game statistics, I would be willing to bet that Arsenal had way more back passes, than forward ones. All in all, unfortunately it wasn’t our night, and I’m not sure if it was because we couldn’t do any better, or because PSG didn’t let us do it. Hopefully we will play a much better game in Paris. We are still alive!”

The performance did nothing to convince commenter Blueleader: “Arteta is Arsenal’s weakest link, ALWAYS incapable of making substitutions when it matters. Time to trade-up, goodbye Mikel.”

NorthLondonisRed gave a resounding reply: “He’s gotten us to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in what… 16 years? And only the third time ever for the club. Think about that before insisting on axing the manager. Then realize that we have no #9 in the club due to injury, but still have made the Champions League semi-finals and are second in the Premier League. All this while also missing Saka for 3+ months, Odegaard for 2+ months, no Gabriel, etc.

“Mikel also masterminded the win over Real Madrid. He had it perfect for both legs. As far as today, what subs did you want? Who do we have on the bench that can change the match? Bring on Nwaneri earlier? Some might say yes, but we also needed to be careful to not concede again. Being down nil-1 is something we can overcome. Mikel is brilliant, and I think we’ll win in Paris.”

Martin Odegaard struggled under pressure in midfield, and Admin4321 writes: “Arteta should have the courage to substitute players who are not performing. Odegaard has deep in form for sometime now. The coach should have the courage to replace him.”

A tactical tweak would help him, says Gooner4162: “Arteta needs to change the formation so he can get the best out of Odegaard, Martinelli and Saka. That is a 4-2-3-1 with Odegaard playing the 10 role where he affects the game most and plays his best, and he also brings the best out of Martinelli & Saka.”

On our Facebook page, it was Thomas Partey’s absence through suspension in the quarter-finals that was the biggest issue. Lewis Blay writes: “It was a dreadful performance from Arsenal, way off it. First half was absolutely shocking, we missed Partey so much. I thought he would put Jorginho in and Merino up front. Our captain was shocking, but Saka was good.”

Satyajit Sarkar says: “I am little concerned with Odegaard’s hesitation to really push and take a shot himself at the goal when opportunity comes rather then looking for others to take the shot. It appears lacking in confidence to take a shot.

“It was equal in quality apart from what the results show. PSG was more organised in defence, physical and sharper in attack. Gonna be very challenging to to go in their home turf but, We Are The Gunners.”

B Nali Uunona writes: “Arsenal played very well, they had to adapt to playing without Partey. The last thing the fans should do is boo their players when they lose. Lose together and win together.”

Sampson Diku says: “You guys see how important Thomas Partey is for Arsenal?” Benjamin Wong adds: “You can’t party without your Ghana midfield wizard.”

Have your say! How do Arsenal reach the Champions League final now? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.