Paris Saint-Germain is now the perennial French champion, the Ligue 1 race rendered a procession by the unrivaled wealth at the club’s disposal. But a place among the very best in Europe has proved elusive so far. At this point, their sights are higher than the French league.  Arsenal have failed to move beyond the round of 16 for past six seasons. Wenger would be hoping that this would be their year after their summer spending.

Yet on Tuesday night in Paris neither side looked like potential European champions. Of course it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, but both sides displayed significant and familiar weaknesses that suggest things will have to turn around pretty quickly to significantly enhance chances in the group.

PSG: Dismal Finishing

Though PSG lined up in a nominal 4-3-3, it wasn’t a typical 4-3-3. The two wingers, Di María and Matuidi, have been used to playing through the middle in recent campaigns. They kept wandering infield from out wide. Their movement, combined with the industrious running of Rabiot, and the excellent passing of Verratti, completely overwhelmed Arsenal’s defense. With midfielders Coquelin and Cazorla swamped, Arsenal’s center backs were far too easily drawn out of position.

PSG supporters will be delighted by Aurier’s performance against Arsenal. He was in typically imperious form, constantly stretching the play with his tireless running and delivering an excellent cross for Cavani’s goal. His pace and strength often caused problems for Nacho Monreal.

Marco Verratti was pulling the strings for PSG and the power and sharpness of Adrien Rabiot and Gregorz Krychowiak around him made it impossible for Arsenal to take control. Having created a string of clear-cut chances throughout the match, PSG will be extremely frustrated to only come away with a point. Cavani, who scored in the first minute had about four more opportunities to score and often found himself thwarted by Ospina.

Arsenal: Good Result After Shocking Start

The professorial Wenger kept first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech, new midfield enforcer Granit Xhaka and target man Olivier Giroud out of the starting line-up. For his hardest game of the group stage, he filled out a diluted lineup.

The Gunners got off to a disastrous start, conceding on PSG’s first move after Angel Di Maria found Serge Aurier down the right flank. The defender, who was a constant threat with his precise crosses and pace, crossed the ball in the box for the unmarked Cavani. The Uruguayan had planted his header emphatically into the corner. Arsenal spent almost all of their group stage opener against Paris Saint-Germain on the back foot. Gradually Arsenal did begin to have a greater share of possession, but rarely did they manage to cause a serious scare for the hosts’ impressively organised defense.

Arsène Wenger opted to take the bold decision of starting Sánchez center forward for this match, leaving Giroud on the bench. However, the experiment didn’t work . The Chilean was often isolated and was unable to compete for possession against PSG’s impressive centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva. Sanchez didn’t get a shot off in the first half and lost possession 21 times, more than any other Arsenal player.

The second half offered initial promise for Arsenal, but they were once again under persistent PSG pressure. Arsenal began the second half with a better tempo and kept possession better but it was again, PSG that created the better scoring opportunity.

Wenger eventually brought Giroud on and Arsenal instantly looked better as he took up his natural position up top, simultaneously freeing up Alexis Sanchez to drop off into his preferred role. Mesut Özil conjured a clever pass to find Iwobi 12 minutes from time, the French were undone. The youngster’s shot was pushed away by Areola but only as far as Alexis Sánchez, who smashed it home.

Arsenal’s defense could not withstand the quick counter-attacking style of PSG, leaving Ospina in far too many awkward situations. However, the Colombian goalkeeper impressed with his string of saves. He was arguably the best player for Arsenal over 90 minutes. He kept the Parisians out of the goal and, without him, this match could have been three, even four to one.

Missed Chances And Late Red Cards

Twice before the interval Cavani had two gilt-edged chances to seal a brace: he shot wide after rounding Ospina in the first instance, and failed to bring a Marco Verratti pass under control when clean through in the second. It was almost one-way traffic for the home-side. Arsenal gradually gained a foothold in the match and used the wings well, but 23-year-old PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, making his Champions League debut, remained untested in the first half.

Then, in stoppage time, a bizarre incident saw the referee show harsh red cards to both Verratti and Olivier Giroud after what seemed a fairly innocuous exchange. Both players appeared perplexed. Both will be absent for their team’s next fixture.

In the end, Arsenal left Paris with a point against the French champions in what is the hardest fixture of Group A. For Wenger, it was hardly vindication for his pre-match claims that this is his most mature Arsenal squad yet, but there was still that sense of wonder at the results.

After two disappointing outings in the French league, PSG produced its most complete performance of the season. But despite solid defending and inspired attacking moves, the four-time defending French champions were made to pay for their profligacy.

Picture Courtesy: Theet.com, The Gaurdian