Morning all.
I’m not going to dissect the game, performance or penalties. But, as disappointed as I felt last night and still this morning, I cannot help but feel Arsenal were shortchanged. A great goal scored early by Kai Havertz gave us the perfect start but it seemed to me that defending the lead was the priority. We lacked zip in attack, understandable really as Bukayo Saka was back in defence as much as he was anywhere else on the pitch. As great as our defending was, and it was, it left us with very little in attack. The corner incident at the end of the first half was odd as no sooner has Bukayo Saka put the ball down, the referee blew for halftime.
I felt something changed in the way the game was officiated after that. The booking of Cristhian Mosquera for an alleged time wasting on a throw in was ridiculous in my opinion. PSG players were dropping to the ground left right and centre with the referee falling for their theatrics time after time but when our own players were fouled, it was usually the linesman who identified it. PSG were awarded a penalty which Dembele converted but up the other end, when Noni Madueke was fouled in the box, nothing given. VAR checked it but there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant sending the referee to have another look. Unlike the one on Ebe Eze a few weeks ago which was overturned despite no evidence of a clear and obvious error. I’m not for one minute suggesting we lost the game because of it as we would have still needed to score from nine yards but my money would have been on Viktor Gyokeres burying the penalty had it been given. Maybe the referee thought he was evening things up after not awarding PSG a penalty for the Bukayo Saka handball…As if eh…
I think that’s what hurts me more, the fact that once again we are left wondering what might have been had the officials done their job better.
Arsenal prevented PSG from scoring in open play for 120 minutes, something I don’t believe happens to them much, if at all. Penalty shootouts are a lottery and the French club had the winning ticket in their pocket. Unlike a few of their players who are probably still trying to climb out of some of our players pockets.
Defensively, I thought we were excellent, something we’re used to seeing really but a special mention goes to Myles Lewis-Skelly who has not only played in midfield for a handful of games, played like he’d been doing it for years. Cristhian Mosquera had one his best performances since arriving last summer. The rest, well, they played in a way we are accustomed to seeing.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaking in his post-match press conference after the Champions League final:
What I said to the players and the staff is that if I told them ‘thank you’ a million times, that wouldn’t be enough. And it’s not because we won the Premier League, it’s not because we played the League Cup final and it’s not because we played the Champions League final in the manner we have done. It’s because of the joy and the moments that we have lived together every single day and that’s above anything else.
Still, let’s not forget what Mikel Arteta, his staff and players have achieved this season. Premier League Champions and Champions League Finalists, beaten on penalties by who many believe is the best club in football worldwide. Everyone should be proud of that.
Next season, we’ll come back even stronger because I am pretty sure that is exactly what Mikel Arteta will be thinking. He Andrea Berta and the rest of the transfer team will already be working hard on that, hopefully with a bit of creativity to our play in their mind. The transfer window officially opens on the 15th June.
Mikel Arteta and his plans over the next few days:
First of all, I will take a few days with my family and then we will all start the process to review what we’ve done. We’ll start to make some very important decisions, we want to reach another level. We’re going to have to show that ambition because they are more than capable of doing it but it’s going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.
Early and quality signings incoming then.. Oh, and a parade later.
Guys, thank you for another season of your support here on Highbury House, the first which has seen us lift the Premier League trophy. Here’s to many more..
Good morning Rico.
Despite the doom and gloom felt last night, the Sun has risen this morning and Arsenal march on towards new opportunities in the coming season.
One question remains unanswered, is Saka fully fit? His performance levels have fallen off a cliff ever since he signed his new enhanced contracts coincidence? Well maybe.
On a lighter note, thank you Rico for another season of excellent posts, my mornings would not be the same without them. I’m sure all Housers appreciate the hard work you put in.
Morning Cicero, thank you for your kind words.
I feel similar to you this morning. I truly believe this is just the start of a successful period. But we do need to find better options in attack imo. Great goal by Havertz but the rest of his game I thought was average. I worry for the fitness of our players with a World Cup just weeks away, Saka and Rice especially and our two big guys at the back. Gyokeres just didn’t get into the game.
David Ornstein reckons Arsenal are set for another big summer of spending, as much if not more than last summer. A left winger, right back and a midfielder.
It’s a daily routine to look at the posts and read the comments that have come in over the night .
As you surf around the various sites you read many extremes but this is the one level headed daily dose where it is not lead by the proprietors personal views
,
For that alone I thank Rico and Kev especially but also everyone else that contributes.
As this close season progresses there is the sideshow of the world cup spread across the America’s and my one hope from it is that the powers that be they discover that over commercialism of the tournament is not the way and I hope that behind the scenes FiFa lose bucket fulls of money.
From an Arsenal position I hope that our players are underused because when you look at their play it is obvious that they are running on empty Saka especially, he really needs a summer of rest , not another 900 minutes of football in burning heat.
Last night I wonder just how much our substitutions affected our penalty shoot out , Odegaard , Saka and Havertz all went off before the last minutes and all have been regular penalty takers in the past . But Arteta did those replacements to try and win it in regular time .
As Kev often says , we still march on .
Morning Champions, morning Rico.
My son just got onto the train from Luton airport to Kings Cross, then he’s going home. I reckon yesterday’s defeat will knock a few thousand off of the parade today. No doubt the Police will be happy about that but given what I’ve been told the Police and Islington Council have gone all North Korea over the event today, so they can keep that.
We may not have a star on our shirts but we have a crown on our heads. Champions of England. Europe can wait.
Thanks Rico. I’ve enjoyed the ride with ya’all this season.
Great post Rico, yes just as in 2006 I feel we were shortchanged again by the officials, Barcelona and PSG are obviously far more sexy holders of the Champions League than little old Arsenal and let’s not forget that UEFA really doesn’t want all three of its trophies in the hands of Premier League!
Arsenal have spent this season competing with two state-owned, sports-washed behemoths in financial terms and we slayed one and took the other to the wire. Rico you make such great points about Arsenal restricting PSG to nothing until Mosquera lost his composure and dived in, maybe Arteta should have subbed him off after his contrived caution for time wasting by a referee who looked to me as if he’d been ‘got at’ at the half-time break.
If a referee isn’t going to give you a free kick when you’re being manhandled (Havertz) then you really need to realise that earlier and just try to stay on your feet. I don’t trust UEFA and I don’t trust Ceferin, both are in the hands and influence of wealthy backers.
Arsenal are always going to be at a disadvantage when playing the ‘usual suspects’ and we need to be near perfect. I was hoping that the fresh legs of Gyokeres, Madueke and Martinelli would see us dominate the latter stages of the game and extra-time but all three failed to have the necessary effect whilst Eze failed on the biggest stage in the world.
Arteta and Berta have a major summer coming up – and I know we always tend to say that in May – but after winning the league and coming up just short in the Champions League the next couple months will see us either push on and take over from City or watch as another team slips into the vacancy and usurps our position just as United did in the 1990’s after we broke Liverpool.
Rico, thanks for all your hard work this season, sorry I didn’t contribute in those final two or three games, but circumstances you know! At least Highbury House has its first League Title to enjoy with the confidence of many more to come and so does our new stadium. We March On.
Thank you Potter, and I share your views re the rest. Football is trying to physically destroy players in order to make money. It’s wrong.
Morning Kev and thank you. I’ve enjoyed your posts, so I thank you too, more to come next season I hope.
Imo, Mosquera didn’t put a foot wrong but the booking changed his approach I’m sure as he was desperate not to get sent off. Interestingly though, on that particular occasion, I don’t think he had as much help as he had which I think is why Kvaratskhelia could get into the box. He knew Mosquera was there any knew he could get a penalty imo.
Remember what Simone said after their game against PSG? Last night we witnessed it for ourselves.
I felt litke were just a little unlucky, its PK btw, not lucky enough…. Gameplay we defended well, Even Mosq. kept Kvr7 quiet until his booking ( that’s when Arteta should have introduced Timber)… Al be its it was an outstanding season, A top LW, CAM, backup RB – and we’re good to defend our title, and we should be more expansive in our play, yes built on a solid defense, progressive attacks into channels, but closer to opponents goals we should be able to create sparks in attack, that’s why Arteta should focus on quick footed wingers… Summerville would do, or a big money move for Doku, Williams, Rodrigo
Morning all,
Defensively terrific,Mosquera and Gabriel especially. Lewis- Skelly was amazing,Rice too,the true player of the season.
Someone said to me earlier that Mosquera was the 3rd choice Right back,you could argue about that,makes his performance more remarkable though. He was so unlucky ewith the penalty,not even a 50/50,I’d say 70/30 in the defenders favour most days.
It wasn’t the penalty incidents for me,if both were the other way around you wouldn’t be surprised. For me the Ref was a joke,favoured Paris every time in normal play.
I never felt confident with the penalties,after Gyokeres,Havertz and Saka are probably our best penalty takers,both off the pitch.
To me some attacking or attacking midfield signings would be good,defence is OK. Well better than OK !
Champions!!!
When did the rule change about allowing time to take penalties, free kicks and corners in added on time? I’m not saying we would have scored but at least we should have been given the chance.
Limey, I thought the ref changed after halftime, makes me wonder what went on in those 15 minutes.
Dean, had he done that, Timber might not have lasted through extra time.
If buts and maybes , looking back on last night we drew 1-1 with the team touted as the best in the world..
Our job now is to improve the supply line to our forwards , whoever they may turn out to be because we have to be more expansive . I said this morning to another Arsenal supporter that we scored too early as trying to defend for so long against an attacking team was too much