Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Emirates Stadium in a few days for a Matchday 2 showdown against Arsenal. Nonetheless, one pundit notes that the Parisians could face a team that opts for tactics associated with smaller clubs that aren’t of the Gunners’ status.
Last weekend, Arsenal could not hold onto a 2-1 advantage over Manchester City while playing half of this contest with 10 men. The English implemented a style that protected their lead rather than gamble and push for an insurance goal.
The North London club only had one total shot in the second half while allowing Pep Guardiola’s side to have 28 total shots in the final 45 minutes. As a result, Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane blasted manager Mikel Arteta for this style.
“When they won the ball back, which they did every now and again, try and look after it and try and get up the pitch,” Keane said (h/t The Mirror). “There was an incident when [Ben] White just kicked it out of play, [Declan] Rice a couple of times, just kicked it up the pitch.
“This is Arsenal we’re talking about – not a Championship team in the FA Cup – that’s hanging in there.
“They got a clean sheet last year, so they can get results. I’ve got nothing wrong with them defending and going deep, but when they got it, they didn’t do anything. I’m saying when you’ve got it, still look after it. When you do get it, try and get four or five passes together. They were just booting it, like a small team with a small mentality.”
PSG could consider this approach should they go up a man or if Arsenal decides to protect a lead. They know that they need the three points following their scoreless Matchday 1 draw against Atalanta.