Arsenal had a relatively comfortable night on Tuesday as they dispatched PSG by two goals courtesy of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. The first of two games against sides drawn from pot 1 in the new league phase of the Champions League, Mikel Arteta will be delighted with the teams’ performance.
There were standout displays from the aforementioned Havertz alongside Jurrien Timber, who was brought off at half-time, and William Saliba with teammate Gabriel Magalhaes forming an immovable barrier. While the French side certainly were more threatening in the second half, the experience was there to see them through the match.
While not a league match, there will certainly be takeaways that bleed into their title form and the continuing momentum that is needed in such a scenario. One more game remains before the international break, but until then, football.london rounds up some of the key takeaways from the game.
The difference
This Arsenal team is massive. They were able to deal with the threat and skill possessed by PSG by, bluntly, barging them about and making them very uncomfortable, unable to play the way they wanted – I was somewhat surprised that Fabian Ruiz didn’t start to help cope with that.
Every game Arsenal play they look like they have an edge and against the best like Man City it means they will win certain battles that before they didn’t have hope of. Furthermore, they’re adding even more weapons to reinforce that principle too.
Merino makes his mark
One such player who has added another physical element is of course Mikel Merino. The Spaniard came on as a substitute for the second half and looked very comfortable entering a game at a pivotal moment in the clash.
His traits are perfect for this Arsenal side, the passing strengths, the physicality, the height and aerial presence – these all fit into the vision of Arteta’s side and the coming weeks are set to be very exciting as he begins to integrate further.
Not just about Nwaneri
While the game was being seen out, there was always an element of game management but also an air of expectation. Ethan Nwaneri had come on against Leicester City and shone, giving more credence to the calls to see him given a start, perhaps even this coming weekend.
However against PSG, Arteta instead decided in the final moments to bring Myles Lewis-Skelly onto the field. The teenager has definitely impressed but perhaps with the position and flair of his youth graduate colleague, he has been to a degree overshadowed and therefore the Arsenal manager bringing the 18-year-old on instead not only provides the player encouragement but also some grounding too which can only be a good thing.
I look forward to Saturday against Southampton and with an expectation of getting to see more of the youth talent coming through. It is certainly exciting times in many regards for the Gunners.