'clock Ticking On Arteta To Prove He Can Be A Winner'

Mikel Arteta boldly announced Arsenal were successful Paris to make history – but it was a caller history of falling short that haunted them arsenic their Champions League run ended successful failure.

Arsenal delivered a good performance, but were yet incapable to flooded Paris St-Germain, who person taken a wrecking shot to nan Premier League's elite successful this tourney and now look Inter Milan successful Munich successful nan final.

Arteta and his players were devastated arsenic Parc des Princes exploded successful pyrotechnics and deafening celebrations astatine nan conclusion of PSG's 2-1 triumph successful this semi-final 2nd leg.

Arsenal had gone nan aforesaid measurement arsenic Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa erstwhile they faced Luis Enrique's exciting, emerging PSG broadside earlier successful nan tournament.

And, beneath nan surface, lies a very uncomfortable truth for Arteta and Arsenal.

Arsenal are now 5 years without a trophy, erstwhile Arteta led them to nan FA Cup successful 2020. For each nan talk of process and progress, this is nan only rate that matters for elite clubs, truthful clip is ticking connected Arteta to make his squad winners again.

He is, for now, successful complaint of a astir team. For each Arsenal's excellence successful nan City Of Light, this acheronian was nan sadistic reality.

No-one would earnestly propose for 1 infinitesimal Arteta's occupation is nether threat, but he is decidedly nether unit to nutrient tangible success, which will ratchet up adjacent season. Eventually location tin beryllium nary excuses, aliases messages astir moving forward. Arsenal request to win.

There is nan ground for a top-class broadside pinch outstanding players specified arsenic Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, on pinch nan youthful brilliance of Myles Lewis-Skelly – but top-class sides triumph trophies and, successful that context, Arsenal person fallen short for 5 years.

Arsenal and Arteta's hopes of history are now reduced to making judge they decorativeness successful nan Premier League's apical 5 to guarantee they are backmost successful nan Champions League adjacent season.

It was a nighttime of missed opportunities successful a two-legged necktie shaped by nan first 20 minutes some astatine Emirates Stadium and present successful Paris.

PSG went for Arsenal distant from location and scored a decisive extremity from Ousmane Dembele. The Gunners gave Luis Enrique's broadside a sensation of their ain medicine successful Paris but could not score.

The elephantine fig of PSG's Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was Arsenal's nemesis again, conscionable arsenic he was astatine Emirates Stadium, producing 2 outstanding saves early on, first from Gabriel Martinelli's close-range shot, past a world-class extremity debased to his near from Odegaard.

PSG were chasing history of their own, arsenic indicated by nan elephantine tifo unfurled during nan spectacular ray and sound show earlier kick-off on nan Virage Auteuil, wherever their Ultras gather,. It read: "55 years of representation down you to constitute history."

Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi either broadside of half-time group nan level for victory, punishing Arsenal for nan blunt instrumentality that is their attack. Saka yet hit Donnarumma but it was each very small very late.

PSG tin now pursuit that history successful nan style of their first Champions League triumph, while Arsenal are near to ponder a 4th successive nonaccomplishment successful a semi-final and a play that will beryllium looked backmost connected arsenic an anti-climax.

For Arsenal, it is simply a lawsuit of what mightiness person been and different play erstwhile Arteta's squad person been incapable to span nan elusive spread betwixt also-rans and winners.

This was their 201st lucifer successful nan Champions League, nan astir of immoderate broadside who person grounded to assistance nan trophy. And it was different semi-final conclusion to group alongside those successful nan 2020-21 Europa League, 2021-22 EFL Cup, 2024-25 EFL Cup, and this exit here. It is their longest-ever tally of exits astatine this stage.

Close but not adjacent enough. Again.

Arsenal and England midfield man Declan Rice said: "We're each hopeless for it. That's why we play football. We want to triumph trophies. We want to beryllium astatine nan pinnacle, winning stuff.

"For immoderate reason, it hasn't been meant to be. We've been really adjacent and it's not bully enough.

"Arsenal merit to beryllium pushing for trophies and winning things but there's not a batch much we tin beryllium doing. A batch of superstars person suffered defeats to travel retired connected top. It hurts, you spot nan boys, nan manager. We wanted to beryllium successful Munich but this doesn't specify america and we'll beryllium back."

The task for Arteta now is to besides beryllium he is simply a victor aft a Premier League title pursuit that ne'er sewage disconnected nan crushed and nan committedness of nan Champions League, including a superb triumph complete holder Real Madrid successful nan quarter-final, coming to nothing.

In his pre-match news conference, Arteta bizarrely said: "Winning trophies is astir being successful nan correct infinitesimal successful nan correct place. Liverpool person won nan title pinch little points than we person successful nan past 2 seasons. With nan points of nan past 2 seasons, we person 2 Premier Leagues."

It was a flawed statement that conveniently ignored nan truth Arsenal person been successful nan aforesaid spot astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic Arne Slot's recently crowned champions this play and did not deliver.

Arteta's maths besides grounded to return into relationship Liverpool could yet surpass nan 89 points Arsenal achieved past season, and tally of 84 successful 2022-23.

This whitethorn look a harsh appraisal fixed nan value of Arsenal's capacity successful Paris, but nary magnitude of "what ifs" tin disguise nan truth that they are erstwhile again empty-handed.

Arteta talked of "fine margins" and will curse Donnarumma's brilliance complete 2 legs, but this is what matters astatine this rarified level.

Arsenal were besides architects of their ain downfall, pinch Thomas Partey's mediocre headed clearance only uncovering an unmarked Ruiz for PSG's first, past nan aforesaid subordinate losing possession for Hakimi's second, which efficaciously vanished them off.

Arsenal's superior strategical nonaccomplishment successful not signing a striker past summertime was besides a facet successful their elimination. And this is not post-event contented – it was a thorny taxable then.

Mikel Merino, pressed into work distant from his accustomed midfield role, was tireless. But he only offered a focal point, not a superior threat.

How Arsenal cried retired for a reliable marksman who mightiness person made much superior of their early domination, erstwhile they gave Luis Enrique's broadside a sensation of their ain medicine by pinning them backmost pinch fierce salvo of attacks.

As erstwhile Arsenal and England defender Matthew Upson put it connected BBC Radio 5 Live: "When PSG break away, you ever consciousness they are going to put nan shot successful nan backmost of nan net. Arsenal don't person that level."

Arteta and Arsenal must find that striker aft nan negligence of past summertime different they will hold longer for nan history they crave to make.