Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal face their biggest test to date as they welcome Paris St-Germain to the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League semi final first leg tomorrow night.
The Gunners will be full of confidence following their historic quarter final tie with Real Madrid that saw Arteta’s side completely dominate the European giants in both legs, with an astounding 5-1 aggregate scoreline.
There has been a stark contrast between Arsenal’s form in Europe to that of the Premier League with three draws and one win in the last four matches but for a game like this, form goes out the window as the player’s step up to the occasion.
Arsenal have already played and beaten PSG in the Champions League this season with the Gunners cruising to a comfortable 2-0 victory on Matchday 2. However, the PSG side they will face tomorrow will be a far greater challenge.
The newly crowned French champions won the title with six games to spare but come into the semi final off the back of a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Nice, a loss that will hurt Luis Enrique’s side as they lost their invincible status with just four games of the season to go.
The Parisian’s survived a late scare in the Champions quarter final as they beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate but displayed an incredibly strong attacking performance in both legs but showed their susceptibility in defence that Arsenal could exploit.
Due to Crystal Palace’s involvement in the FA Cup semi finals, Arteta’s side have had close to a full week's rest to prepare for the biggest game the Emirates Stadium has ever seen and will need to reach the levels shown in the previous round to be in with a chance of making it to the final in Munich.
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Battle of the full backs
Both Arsenal and PSG journeys to the semi finals have demonstrated the influence and importance that has been on display in the fullback positions.
The pairing of Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly is incredibly complimentary with the young defenders showcasing similar robust, versatile and composed characteristics both on and off the ball.
Both players ooze confidence on the ball and are crucial to Arteta’s methodical style of build up play but it is the defensive aspect of their game that will be tested the most against the dangerous attacking threat that PSG pose in Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
The confidence levels of Timber and Lewis-Skelly will by sky high after the last round as they both looked calm and assured throughout, despite facing up against the likes of Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
It is a slightly different tale for arguably the best full pack pairing in the world of Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, who offer a relentless attacking threat throughout, whilst having the speed and ability to track back defensively.
The duo have an astonishing 13 goal involvements between them in the Champions League this season and both produced standout performances against Liverpool and Aston Villa on their way to the semi finals.
The wingers of both sides are relied on heavily in terms of creating chances and the fate of the tie will depend on which full back pairing can reach the high level of performance they have showcased this season.
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Mikel Merino’s Striker fairytale continues
If you were to go back a year and ask an Arsenal fan if they would be confident going into a Champions League semi final against the French Champions with Mikel Merino as the starting striker, you would have been laughed out of North London.
However, the Spanish midfielder put in a magnificent performance in both legs against Madrid and has been performing at a consistently high level in the number nine position since Kai Havertz's injury and Arsenal fans will be over the moon that he has recovered from injury in time for tomorrow’s game.
The 28 year old was a pivotal part of the historic victory in Spain, providing both assists to go with his pinpoint finish in the first leg and is a constant nuisance upfront for opposition defenders.
But it was his overall play that caught the eye as he effectively used his stature and robust midfield tendencies to ensure that Arsenal’s build up play was fluid and that the high pressing style of play that Arteta has implemented is done so efficiently. The Spaniard was everywhere, winning every header and latching onto any loose touch from a Madrid defender.
With Luis Enrique’s attacking style of play, there will be plenty of opportunities for Arsenal to counter attack and Merino will play a crucial role as the focal point of the attack and will need to use his strength and technical ability to hold up play and bring the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli into the game.
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Jakub Kiwior’s flawless performances
When Gabriel Magalhães limped off the pitch against Fulham in early April, Arsenal fans feared the worst for their Champions League ties with Real Madrid, but Jakub Kiwior has proved his doubters wrong, including the Arsenal fanbase, with his assured performances alongside William Saliba.
The Polish international can count himself somewhat unfortunate with the limited minutes he has played across his Arsenal career, due to the reliability of Arsenal’s first choice backline.
However, Kiwior has been asked to play various different positions throughout his select performances and has always shown signs of promise as a very solid defender.
If Kiwior was hoping for an easy return to the side, then facing Mbappe and co was quite the opposite but the 25 year old passed with flying colours as he played a pivotal role in shutting the Real Madrid attack down throughout the ties and looked composed and confident in doing so.
It will be a different sort of test for the defender against PSG however as it is highly likely that there will not be an outright centre forward for Kiwior to mark, as Enrique typically opts for three interchanging wingers who are constantly making runs in behind the opposition defence.
Whilst Kiwior has showcased his ability to slot in next to the ever present Saliba and provide defensive stability, the biggest game of the Arsenal squad’s career awaits and it will be crucial to stay composed early on to not give PSG’s forwards any sign of weakness.
