Arsenal started the rematch with PSG with a 1-2 loss to Bournemouth in round 35 of the Premier League. This result did not cause The Gunners to lose 2nd place in the rankings but left many doubts about their form before the extremely important match in the middle of next week in France.
The defeat of Bournemouth marked the fourth match in the last 5 matches in the Premier League, "Gunners" could not win. They are the worst form of the top 5 and are at risk of not keeping the runner -up when the season lowered. However, when the domestic league only means keeping the Champions League ticket, the second or 5th ranking does not matter, all the remaining quintessence must be put into the match against PSG.
Sharing after the loss to Bournemouth, captain Mikel Arteta did not seem too pessimistic. On the contrary, this young coach also showed a confident demeanor, determined to create a turning point next week in Paris against PSG.
" Of course we want to create a positive atmosphere after this match to look forward to the match on Wednesday night. A good result will help this a lot, but not.
What Arsenal need now is to create a lot of anger, anger, disappointment and discomfort in people. So let's get it together and take it to Paris, have a great performance there, win and go straight to the final."
Against Bournemouth, one of the things the Gunners need to improve is their ability to withstand set pieces. The North London team is still known as the " corner King" this season, but they are also the victims of many set pieces.
Of all Arsenal's goals conceded since the start of the season in the EPL, 48.5% have come from dead ball situations. This is the highest percentage of any team in the top flight of English football.
"Recently, we have conceded a lot of goals, which directly led to a lot of loss of points. This is the responsibility of everyone, not just anyone.
That is not to deny Bournemouth's efforts. Today, they played very well. Arsenal are trying to improve to be able to do better but this is really difficult" - Mikel Arteta shared.
The Premier League campaign is considered a defeat for Arsenal after Liverpool won the championship 4 rounds early. If they lose in the Champions League, The Gunners will have another season left empty-handed. In the past 5 years in charge, Mikel Arteta has only brought home 1 FA Cup. This figure is too modest compared to the investment level of the owners.
This season, Man City is considered the worst version since the beginning of Pep Guardiola's era. However, The Citizens are still capable of winning the runner-up position from The Gunners. If they fail in the Champions League and cannot keep 2nd place in the Premier League, this is a worse season than expected for Arsenal.
"We have been talking to each other for many days about how bad this season has been for Man City. If Arsenal don't finish second and don't win a title, it will be a really bad season for them" - Jamie Redknapp of Sky Sports shared.
