Last season was Arsenal's way of proving they deserved to return to Europe's biggest football stage, and the 2024-25 campaign could be the year Arsenal finally make their move for the title.
After 5 years, coach Mikel Arteta has built a competitive Arsenal team. Although they have not been able to win the Premier League or Champions League, no one can deny the progress of The Gunners under the hands of Arteta.
Since returning to the Champions League last season, the recent 2-0 win over PSG was arguably the Gunners' best performance. They controlled the game and showed maturity in many aspects.
The Gunners reached the quarter-finals last season after a six-year absence and were stopped by a formidable Bayern Munich. But Arsenal are now more confident and have improved significantly. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka both impressed in the win over PSG. When leading 2-0, Arsenal actively defended, withstanding the pressure instead of trying to score more goals.
This is something Arsenal lacked last season, with many players making their debuts. There is still a long way to go, but at least Arteta's side have picked up four points from two difficult games.
"I think we showed a lot of maturity in the way we play. We left our mark in the way we want to perform in Europe against the top teams. And I really like that," Arteta said after the win over PSG.
PSG are no longer the formidable team they once were, but they still carry the weight that can threaten any opponent. But the Ligue 1 champions were completely outclassed by Arsenal.
Havertz and Leandro Trossard combined well to open the scoring for Arsenal in the 20th minute. Trossard, with his cunning, made a beautiful pass into the box for Havertz to head past goalkeeper Donnarumma.
It was a dream start for Arsenal, and it was also Arsenal's 450th goal under Arteta in 241 games in nearly five years. After conceding, PSG had a strong period of time but could not penetrate the Gunners' defence.
In the 35th minute, the second goal came for Arsenal when Saka's free kick passed through a series of players and beat Donnarumma.
Arsenal deserved to win this, as both goals came in the attacking phase. That was probably inevitable, as they are a much more advanced team than PSG at this point.
Summer signing Mikel Merino has also been handed his Arsenal debut. The Spanish midfielder joined the Emirates from Real Sociedad but was sidelined for nearly two months with injury. Merino was introduced midway through the second half of the game against PSG in place of Thomas Partey.
Merino's arrival adds depth to Arsenal's squad, helping them aim for a successful Champions League campaign.
