Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that his side encountered a tactical issue in the early moments of their 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal in London on Tuesday.
French winger Ousmane Dembélé, who is of Mauritanian and Malian descent, struck in the fourth minute to give PSG the lead — a moment that ultimately proved decisive.
Dembélé’s sharp finish came at the end of a sweeping move that exposed Arsenal’s defensive shape, and the Gunners were unable to recover despite a spirited response.
Arteta acknowledged after the match that there was a specific flaw in Arsenal’s setup during the opening spell, which the team was able to adjust after about 20 minutes.
However, he declined to reveal what exactly went wrong.
“Then we had especially one issue that we corrected after 15-20 minutes. We sustained that for the rest of the game, which I think turned the game around.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special. We’re going to have to do something special in Paris to be there.
“I cannot tell you (the issue).
“I’m telling you it’s just something that is very specific but very important, especially the way we play. We corrected and it’s not easy to correct it constantly, but we did it and we did it much better.”
Arsenal did manage to wrest back some control and create chances, but could not beat PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who denied efforts from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Despite having a higher expected goals (xG) total, Arsenal lacked the clinical edge needed to break through.
Arteta’s side will now need a win in Paris next Wednesday to reach the final.
