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As anyone from the visiting side will not shy away from telling you, a lot has changed since Arsenal last welcomed Paris Saint-Germain to the Emirates Stadium. Seven months is a long time, Luis Enrique insisted, and since their grueling league phase campaign the French champions have had to “pull their socks up.” To Vitinha, it is “obviously” different.
And, of course, they are right. The PSG that rocked up to the Emirates Stadium on Oct. 1 looked elegant enough when the ball was at their feet but utterly incapable of laying a glove on William Saliba, et al. Their front three combined for one shot, their best chance of the match falling to Achraf Hakimi 10 seconds before the end of 90 minutes. With Ousmane Dembele sidelined and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia yet to join from Napoli, there were few signs that Luis Enrique was building one of the two most intimidating attacks in Europe.
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Arsenal too were different. The muscularity of Gabriel, out until next season with a hamstring tear, next to William Saliba made it even easier to play without the ball, all the more so given they were shielded by the suspended Thomas Partey and Declan Rice. This was one of the games where the Martin Odegaard-less 4-4-2 looked extremely viable; Leandro Trossard is likely to remain from that side, Odegaard returned but Kai Havertz now gone.
The personnel have changed. PSG’s ceiling has risen, Arsenal’s floor is up for debate. What almost certainly will not change is how the hosts set about their task from the outset.
Asked by CBS Sports what he intends to take from that win last time out and apply to his team on Tuesday evening, Arteta said, “I loved the presence, straight away how we went out there. Our body language, the intensity, how aggressive we were. We played with real belief and determination and when you’re facing big opponents immediately you need to put the game in that context.”
Arteta was right, this was Arsenal at their most assertive. From the outset the likes of Rice, Saliba and Jurrien Timber asserted themselves on their opponents. They hit those first duels with a thud, Timber memorably shutting down Bradley Barcola almost entirely. From front to back Arteta’s side attacked and defended as a unit. Bukayo Saka won more tackles than anyone else, Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were no less effective in PSG’s third than their own.
That has rather been the story of the Champions League campaign. Real Madrid looked like a collection of individuals, Arsenal a relentlessly drilled side. PSG are not the defending optional force of their superstar hoarding days but still, a side that has coalesced in a matter of months will do well to be as in sync as Arsenal have been for years.
He added: “I take a lot of things from the game that we played here. We understand how strong they are as a team, the individuals that they have. But we have the same. When you get to this stage, I think the margins and the difference between the two teams are not big. It’s really the mindset, it’s the attitude and how we’re going to play the game tomorrow.”
That is a marked contrast with the mood in the PSG camp, even if they are a little defensive when any mention is made of Arsenal’s midfield might.
No wonder, given they failed to lay a glove on Arsenal last time out. Defeat in London set the French champions on a worrying early trajectory in the competition, defeats followed to Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. For a time it seemed that they may not even make it into the league phase’s top 24. Then came the addition of Kvaratskhelia, the blossoming of Dembele into a legitimate Ballon d’Or contender. It is hard to see this team being held to 0.4 expected goals again.
“There are huge differences,” said Luis Enrique. “I have reviewed the game from the beginning of October. We’re better now than we showed. In the league we had the most intense group phase and now we’re in the semis. We played games that could have been UCL finals.
“It didn’t put us in a good position but was a positive experience. We had to pull our socks up. Now we are a team that is very complete.”
PSG’s quality might have improved but they will still find themselves outnumbered on Tuesday. At least, they will if Arteta gets his wish from the Emirates crowd. “Bring your boots, bring your shorts, bring your T-shirts, and let’s play every ball together,” he told Arsenal supporters.
The last meeting was a curiously subdued big league phase game. With six rounds of fixtures still to be played, the value of three points was not immediately apparent in year one of the Swiss system. The Emirates Stadium had waited so many years for more big European nights but this didn’t really feel like one.
What did was the stunning triumph over Real Madrid, perhaps the most jubilant night in the near 20 year history of this ground. Or at least, the most jubilant night so far. Arteta wants more. “We want to do something special,” he said. “That place has to be something special, something that we haven’t seen. And I really hope that everybody that comes tomorrow to the Emirates and is watching and following us, brings that energy with them.
“Tomorrow we have a massive opportunity as well, as a club, as supporters, to demonstrate who we are and how far we still want to get together.”
In the seven months since these two last met it seems the balance has shifted PSG’s way. Theirs is the improved XI, they are the team that arrives at the semifinal with no injuries and suspensions. They have changed who they are but they cannot change who Arsenal are. That is a team with “the presence, aggression and intensity” to set any opponent off course. When they have 57,000 reserves in the stands aiding that cause, perhaps the result will be another thing that stays the same.
