This was what this new format of the Champions League promised us: shocks every day. For PSG, after opening its European campaign with a victory against Girona, this first big poster arrives this Tuesday evening, with the trip to London on the Arsenal pitch.
Coached for five seasons by the Spaniard Mikel Arteta, Arsenal has become a formidable team under his command, runner-up to Manchester City in the Premier League two seasons in a row. Paris, which always has difficulty standing up to English teams, will have more than one challenge to overcome to leave the English capital with three points in the bag.
Set pieces: Arsenal’s strong point, PSG’s weak point
This was already one of the flaws of Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain last season: many goals or goal situations came from poorly negotiated defensive set pieces. If a slight improvement is to be noted this season, this remains a weak point, a breach into which Mikel Arteta and his team will not hesitate to rush since, on the contrary, these situations are part of their specialties.
Since 2021, the Gunners have integrated the German Nicolas Jover into their staff, a specialist in working on set pieces. Who works efficiently: this season again in the Premier League, 25% of the Gunners’ goals came from these situations. Beyond the pure tactical organization, the Londoners will have a significant advantage: their size. Saliba (1.92m), Gabriel (1.90m), Rice (1.88m), Havertz (1.93m) or Calafiori (1.88m) will be worth watching like milk on the fire.
In midfield: physical versus technical
This physical gap could particularly be felt in midfield. This season, Arsenal generally plays in a 4-4-2, with at the heart of the game a Declan Rice-Thomas Partey duo who are particularly well equipped for the tough Premier League matches.
Between two coaches who carry the idea of attractive football, possession and domination, this midfield battle will undoubtedly have increased importance. But Luis Enrique, who has already readily admitted it, has rather focused on technical quality than on the physical aspect, even if some of his smaller sizes (Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves) have nothing to be ashamed of in the impact. Faced with a team physically capable of absorbing its pressure, the battle for control of the ball promises to be all the more crucial for Paris.
What offensive animation without Ousmane Dembélé?
This was obviously not planned, but Paris will have to negotiate this shock without Ousmane Dembélé, one of its best elements at the start of the season. In addition to his numbers (4 goals, 4 assists in 7 games), the Frenchman is a player who disrupts, eliminates, creates situations, spaces and danger, and this with a consistency that Bradley Barcola still lacks a little .
Without him, Paris not only loses a major offensive argument against one of the most impervious defenses in England, but above all will have to reinvent itself. Facing Reims, without Dembélé, Luis Enrique opted for Randal Kolo Muani on the right side and Désiré Doué in the central role, held brilliantly by Lee against Rennes on Friday.