PSG vs Arsenal [2-1] Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg 2024/2025 – Tactical Analysis

After the game, though the scoreline was negative, Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team were better in the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League semi-final by PSG with a 1-3 aggregate score, after PSG won the second leg 2-1 at Parc des Princes.

However, Arsenal really did look like the better team, as they dominated ball possession 54% to 46% and had 2.91 expected goals compared to PSGs 1.74.

The underlying numbers showed that Arsenal FC should have won the game and booked their ticket for the Champions League Final in Munich, but football of course, isnt played on paper and only the final score matters.

At his own PSG press conference, Luis Enrique disagreed with Mikel Artetas post-match comments and said We are here because we deserve to be.

Thats why perspective matters and tactical analysis helps you understand the state of the game better.

This tactical football analysis will show you what happened during the second leg of Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain, how Artetas tactics outsmarted Enrique in some parts of the game, and how Enrique outsmarted Arteta in others.

Arsenal Tactics Vs PSG: Play Wide & Direct to Get Corners & Throw-Ins

Arteta learned from the first leg that PSG often used three players at the back to defend Arsenals build-up.

This means that Arsenal can create an advantage in that particular situation.

Arteta did two things in the second leg.

First, he made sure his wingers stayed wide to create width.

Take Gabriel Martinelli, for example.

In the first leg, he often switched positions with centre-forward Leandro Trossard.

This was mainly because Martinelli wanted to pull Marquinhos into the middle of the park to open up the left flank for Trossard.

However, this was not the case in the second leg.

Most of the time, Martinelli stays out wide and waits for the ball, just as Bukayo Saka did on the right.

Secondly, it is possible to play more directly through the goalkeeper.

David Raya played 24 long balls in the second leg, compared with 18 in the Emirates.

More often than not, the direction of his lo