Mikel Arteta and Luis Enrique were at a crossroads over ambition when Paris Saint Germain (PSG) packed Parc des Princes to the rafters for Wednesday’s penultimate clash of this season’s UEFA Champions League. Cementing Paris’ resurgence in the Champions League, Gianluigi Donnarumma dished out a goalkeeping masterclass to help PSG record a famous double over the Gunners.
Starting without 1st leg’s sole goal-getter Ousmane Dembele, PSG hold on to a 2-1 win over Arsenal to join Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final. Bukayo Saka netted Arsenal’s opener before missing an absolute sitter as the Gunners capped off another trophyless season under Arteta’s watch. The Gunners have ended their campaign without a major trophy for the fifth straight season. Since Arteta arrived at Emirates, the London heavyweights have spent over 700 million pounds and added only one FA Cup to their trophy cabinet.
Arteta sack is on?
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s brass is rolling the dice on Arteta’s future after the painful Champions League exit. Arteta is believed not to be ‘in any sort of sack race’ at Arsenal. After Arteta’s dream of making Champions League history fizzled out in Paris, the report mentioned that the Spaniard must be ‘feeling the heat’. “He has taken Arsenal from eighth in his first season to within touching distance of the Champions League final and made them a stable presence in the top four, but Arteta needs to start winning things,” the report stated.
Even though Arsenal failed to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Paris, Arteta claimed his side was the best team in this season’s Champions League. “We were very close, much closer than the result showed, but unfortunately, we are out. I am very proud of the players, 100% I don’t think there’s been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out,” Arteta said.
“We are the league of farmers”
Luis Enrique couldn’t help but laugh after being told his PSG team have beaten all four Premier League teams they’ve faced in the Champions League this season
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League of farmers, no?
Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakim secured PSG’s 3-1 win on aggregate as Enrique earned plaudits for his tactical nous. Enrique masterminded PSG’s clean sweep over four Premier League sides (Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal) in Europe’s biggest competition at club level this season. Reflecting on PSG’s memorable run in the Champions League, Enrique delivered an iconic post-match barb.
Losing three of their first five UCL games, PSG were on the brink of early exit in January.
Once dubbed as a “farmers’ league” outfit, Enrique’s PSG side has reclaimed Europe’s juggernaut tag after parting ways with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi.
“The league of farmers, no? We are the league of farmers,” Luis Enrique told TNT Sports. “But it’s nice. We are enjoying the result and the compliments of everybody speaking of our team — our mentality, how we play. It’s nice.
“Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all [that Arsenal deserved to win]. They play the way they want and love to play, but in the two legs, we scored more goals than them and that is the most important thing.”
Arteta will return to the drawing board after a vote for stability but it is going to be a tightrope walk for the underfire manager next season. Meanwhile, Enrique has simply silenced PSG’s critics in the post-Mbappe era. After Reims (1955/56, 1958/59) and Marseille (1990/91, 1992/93), PSG is the third French team to enter the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League more than once. PSG’s road to Munich without global superstars is no fluke. It is the fruit of Enrique’s gritty vision.
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