Damning stats have laid bare the full scale of Arsenal’s Champions League exit after their semi-final defeat to PSG – capping off a season to forget for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal bowed out of Europe’s top competition after suffering a 2-1 defeat against the French champions, eight days after a 1-0 loss at the Emirates.
The Gunners initially started the night brightly with plenty of possession before fine saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma denied them.
Fabian Ruiz then opened the scoring just before the half hour mark, with Achraf Hakimi then doubling the Parisians’ lead, leaving Bukayo Saka’s late goal as nothing more than a mere consolation.
Arsenal’s strategy was clear in the opening exchanges – launch long balls into the box – and it almost paid off immediately when Gabriel Martinelli got on the end of Thomas Partey’s long throw but was denied by Donnarumma.
But this approach, though aggressive, proved ineffective, with Arsenal failing to capitalise on any of their aerial threats. In total, they launched 11 long throws into the box – the most under Arteta – but still couldn’t break through.
Damning stats have laid bare the full scale of Arsenal’s Champions League exit against PSG
The Gunners bowed out of Europe’s top competition after suffering a 2-1 in the French capital
The latest loss capped off a season to forget for Arteta’s side as their trophy drought continues
In total, Arsenal launched 11 long throws into the box – the most under Arteta
This defeat marks yet another disappointing chapter in a season that has seen Arsenal struggle to turn potential into results – with Arsenal now trophyless in five years.
Their latest semi-final exit extends a worrying trend for Arteta’s men, who have now failed to win a single semi-final match since their last major triumph – a 2-0 FA Cup victory over Manchester City in 2020.
In the past five years, Arsenal have faced Villarreal in the Europa League, Liverpool and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, and now PSG in semi-finals – with just two goals to show for it across all those two-legged ties.
And things aren’t much better domestically as Liverpool wrapped up the Premier League title with four games to spare.
A home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend only highlighted the problems, as Arteta’s side dropped 21 points from winning positions – a stat that that will leave fans wondering how a season with so much promise slipped so far.
Arsenal have earned praise for their attacking prowess from set pieces this season, with their well-drilled routines often catching opponents off guard.
However, there’s a glaring flaw in their setup – 38.7 per cent of the goals they’ve conceded have come from set pieces. Despite Nicolas Jover’s expert work on the training ground, the team’s defensive vulnerability in these situations has become a major concern.
Asked if he’s confident Arsenal will win a trophy soon after the defeat at PSG, Arteta responded. ‘It depends.
38.7 per cent of the goals Arsenal have conceded in the league have come from set pieces
Nicolas Jover has been praised for Arsenal’s set piece routines this season
‘This squad, two years ago, nobody believed that we could even probably qualify for the Champions League, not even think that we could finish second or compete in the league.
‘Or have the amount of points that we had that in any other year you are a champion. Or have the run and the results and the performances that we had in the Champions League.
‘But the reality at the end is that you need something to lose, and that trophy with all the work that we do, and disappointment is that it’s not going to happen.
Arsenal will seek to return to winning ways and end the season in style when they travel to new champions Liverpool on Sunday, before clashes with Newcastle and Southampton to close out the campaign.
