Second Again Olé Olé!

Before I start: I am finishing typing this at lunchtime on Wednesday, and tonight, as I'm sure you are aware, is the night of the massive joke of a Europa League final between the two most disappointing teams in the Premier League. One of them has to win, I'm afraid, as whilst UEFA ought to be cancelling the match out of sheer embarrassment their own rules prevent them from doing so. To think that as a result of this match one of these two teams will qualify for next year's Champions League...

As an Arsenal fan, I can only hope for a thumping win for Manchester United; which is curious, because I have nothing but disdain for that club. But not as much as for their opponents. As reminding Tottenham fans about their single trophy this century is one of my reasons for living, I must hope that I can still do that in the morning. Follow follow follow!...

Anyway... that's second place wrapped up again for another year (barring a mathematical miracle, anyway). At this stage of the season it's nice - I guess - to have something to play for; although I'd prefer it to be more significant. But Sunday's win over Newcastle was tense, difficult and sometimes quite painful to watch.

There'll be plenty of time over the summer to think/talk about what we can expect before the 2025/26 season kicks off, but I thought I'd run through here some of Sunday's talking points - not just from the match itself, but also from what we heard from various club representatives in the immediate aftermath.

No surprises in the starting XI, with White deputising for the stricken Timber (now requiring an operation on his ankle; yet another injury to add to the list). Elsewhere, with Merino suspended, the team picked itself. And it was good to see Havertz back on the bench at last.

The first half was, frankly, not a pretty sight from an Arsenal viewpoint. Newcastle tore into the home side and had it not been for an on-fire David Raya Arsenal could have been three goals down in the first 15 minutes! From where I was sitting, it was clear that the opposition had set out to exploit spaces in the Arsenal midfield which - with Odegaard and particularly Rice pushing high up, and MLS otherwise engaged in full-time defending - was occupied solely by Thomas Partey. They were often able to pull even Partey out of position, leaving themselves acres of space to exploit. And exploit they did; constantly running through the middle areas of the pitch and creating havoc and some very decent chances for themselves.

Raya may have been on top shot-saving form, but his kicking left a lot to be desired. With easy out balls negated due to the nature of the Newcastle press, he tried to force a number of passes into midfield and on at least two occasions had them cut out; thereby exposing himself to great danger. At times the Arsenal midfield looked like it did in the 'peak' Emery era - completely devoid of red shirts. Barnes in particular appeared to have been awarded the Freedom of Islington for the afternoon. It was clear that something had to change, and I for one was imploring Rice to drop back and help out.

For Arsenal, there was some sporadic danger exhibited by Starboy, but in the main it was Leandro Trossard who almost single-handedly took the fight to the opposition. He was the home side's outstanding player of the half.

Half time; and it somehow remained 0-0. Newcastle had had a scarcely credible 20 shots by that point, which is pretty unprecedented. But in an interesting statistical anomaly they didn't have a single shot on target after the half-way point of the first half.

We were disappointed to see that Saliba had been withdrawn - clearly injured in some way - at half time. And we'll have to assume that as it's his hamstring that's his season done also. Based on what we'd seen in the first half, the loss of Big Bill looked like being decisive. But Calafiori came on in his place, Kivior shifted to right centre back and also took a good deal of responsibility on his shoulders, and Arsenal were rarely threatened thereafter until close to the end of the match. 

As in the previous game at Anfield, Arsenal emerged a completely different side to the first half. I can only assume that Arteta had to remind them of what they had to play for, and perhaps there was something of a question of a) professional pride and b) laying down a marker for next season. Whatever it was, the second period was chalk to the first half's cheese as the Arsenal we've been more used to watching made a reappearance, and took the game to the opposition.

The pressure was soon rewarded as a high press led to Gordon (modern football's answer to Drogba and Van Nistelrooy; have you noticed the number of time he throws himself to the floor, looking to buy free kicks? But I digress...) coughing the ball up 25 yards from his own goal. Odegaard rolled the ball into the path of Rice (with his right foot by the way), and Dec finished the move with a trademark whipped effort into the far corner of the net, giving Pope no chance. A difficult technique, and a sumptuous finish.

Arsenal continued to exploit Newcastle's left hand side, with the defensively flimsy Gordon and the ponderous Burn constantly exposed by Saka and White. Arsenal rarely looked in much danger from then on. Additionally, Califiori found the time to raid into enemy territory from left centre back as well as doing his defensive duties diligently, and Newcastle ran out of ideas and steam as the home side did to them what they love to do to us; which is take a lead and then waste time. And then a bit more... It was hysterical to see Howe and his perma-tanned pr*ck of a sidekick Tindall whingeing to the referee about time-wasting. Shoe. Other. Foot...

A few little moments gave us a frisson of excitement here and there. Havertz got 15 minutes. Tierney quite rightly got a few minutes in front of an appreciative home crowd towards the end on his final Emirates Stadium appearance. As did Jorginho. 

And I'll pick out two additional small moments for you; both involving the man - to give him his full title - known as Big Dan Burn At The Back. Firstly, we all looked on in awe as MLS won an aerial battle with the 6'7" colossus. 

And then we saw Havertz, who'd been buzzing around Burn since he got onto the field, fouled by the defender - who then threw the ball at the grounded German. Referee Hooper - not far behind the likes of Oliver and Taylor in my mind on the Over-rated Official Chart - failed to even admonish BDBATB; let alone take out his card to him. Although he still found time to book Arteta for kicking the ball inaccurately back into play. Thus demonstrating the full level of PGMOL anti-Arsenal bias (Arteta banned from the touchline for Sunday as a result).

As we moved into the seventh minute of 5 minutes of injury time (Raya also having been booked for what is fair to say was some blatant time-wasting), Newcastle won a corner, and I turned to those around me and said: 'Here we go. Penalty to Newcastle incoming.'. As it happens, Raya caught the ball, and there was a little fracas - handbags out - which led to a further two minutes of delay whilst the VAR searched desperately for a reason to award a spot kick. But there was none, the final whistle blew, and second place was secured. Just look at this photo of MLS enjoying himself in the middle of the rumpus, by the way. What a character!

Just a simple victory at Southampton to follow, I'm sure, to end the season. A bit of an anti-climax in the end, but whilst Arsenal have taken a step back in the Premier League, there has definitely been a progression in the Champions League. Bearing in mind everything that has gone against the team this season, it could have been worse. As Arteta said: 'Any other team; I've seen it. With one injury to finish 8th, 16th, 17th' - we know to whom he refers... I'll cover this post-season, but with all the injuries and setbacks second place ain't that bad.

I had a bit of good-natured banter with a Newcastle fan on the way out of the ground. With him and his mates chanting: 'Second again olé olé', and 'F*ck all again olé olé', I pointed out that it was a bit much from a team that had just won its first trophy in 70 years. He saw the irony, of course. And I know that it's banter, but all those supporters we've heard try to bait us with 'Second again'... well, most would kill for second place!

The talk post-game from Arteta, Odegaard and Rice was of disappointment, and of 'going again' next season. I for one haven't lost faith - I think that on the whole Arsenal have been particularly unfortunate this season, and we've seen squads who've suffered far less misfortune slip far further down the table - and with the required strengthening they'll be up there yet again next season. Improvement isn't linear - there will always be ups and downs - and I'll leave you with this: the last time that Arsenal finished runners-up in the Premier League three times in a row (1999, 2000, 2001) they went on to win The Double the following season!

So C. O. Y. G!!!

Mental Health Week

I've known some difficult times as an Arsenal supporter. My first cup final was the League Cup loss to Swindon (I was almost 8 - yes, I am indeed getting old!). I was there when Arsenal lost to Luton in another final of the same competition. Shock defeat to Birmingham a dozen years ago brought up that particular League Cup treble. I was in Cardiff when the referee and Michael Owen combined to rob Arsenal in 2001. I was in Paris in 2006 for the heartbreaking Champions League Final loss to Barcelona. I've sat through Roger Osborne's late FA Cup Final winner for Ipswich, Trevor Brooking's headed winner in another FA Cup Final, Nayim's freak goal in a Cup Winners Cup Final, humiliating 6-1 and 8-2 losses at Old Trafford, and embarrassing 6-0 defeat at Chelsea in Wenger's 1000th game. And all that's just off the top of my head...

But I don't think that I've ever been so down about Arsenal as I had been this past week. Perhaps it's 'recency bias', or all the accompanying social media exposure; or even the ludicrous Europa League Final situation - but these past few games have hit me hard. I've felt unable to read a single report on either the Bournemouth or (particularly) PSG defeat, nor listen to any of my favourite Arsenal podcasts. It's all been so depressing. And I was bereft at half-time of the Liverpool game. What on earth, I sat thinking, has happened to my boys for them to lose all sense of pride and self-respect? They're not Tottenham or Manchester United, after all. I mean; wasn't it motivation enough to have to stand there and give Liverpool a Guard of Honour?

So let's take a look at the full week through my personal lens:

Bournemouth at home. OK, so we had bigger fish to fry a few days afterwards, but there was a clear lack of intensity amongst the players. You don't have to be too many per cent off the mark on the work rate side to allow the class gap to close, and Arsenal were 5-10% off it. The away side looked continually dangerous on the break, and the dam finally broke with Iraola's intelligent substitutions (I'd add at this point, by the way, that I wouldn't be saying no to the summer arrival of Semenyo, of whom there have been rumours of interest. Although he may be a secondary target for Arsenal, he looks like a very decent player indeed!). Arsenal had looked to ease their way through the match, but it's very rare that one can get away with that in the Premier League, and there was continual danger; as there always is with a single goal lead. I myself was never comfortable watching it live. And those two second half goals also meant that the pack were closing in on Arsenal's second place...

But all that went on the back burner when it came to Wednesday. The biggest game in Arsenal's history for 19 years, and clearly a stiff task. Yet Arsenal were rampant in the first 10 minutes. Rice's header just wide, and then two saves by Donnarumma - the second, from Odegaard's shot, quite remarkable - failed to go in, and my excitement and ebullience soon faded as the game became more even and it looked like Arsenal had missed the opportunity to take advantage of their earlier dominance. You have to make it pay when you're on top.

And so it proved. A poor header from Partey following a corner, a deflected shot from the edge of the box, and it was 1-0. Once more I was cursing Arsenal's misfortune, as a very low percentage attempt took a deflection and found its way into the net. There was misery in my living room, as the first goal was always going to be crucial.

By the way, let's talk about ridiculous penatly awards. At least Vitinha did the right thing and missed it...

As time ticked on and started to run out, I could at least feel a sense of pride that Arsenal were competing with such a fine side as PSG. But a second goal - again following defensive errors - put the kybosh on matters. Hakimi's fine effort inevitably found a corner of Raya's net, and gloom settled once more on my sofa.

But then... hope as Saka finished off a fine move to give us something to cling to. And what did you feel in those moments when Starboy had a chance to level it up on the night moments later? That split-second as the ball was heading for Starboy remains ingrained on my brain. But over the bar the ball went; and that really was that. If that had gone in, who knows what may have transpired with such a momentum shift, but the game played out to an inevitable conclusion, and whilst the players were inconsolable afterwards, I was merely numb.

Before I go into all those thoughts that have been keeping me awake at night, I'll cover the Liverpool game too. Because part of that was a microcosm of Arsenal's season.

Yes, Arsenal were once more off the pace in the first half; perhaps an understandable hangover from Wednesday. Unacceptable nonetheless. And I don't often get angry or raise my voice whilst watching on television, but I was effing and blinding at the concession of those two first half goals. Poor, poor defending - and my wife came in to see what all the fuss was about. I was deflated and angry. As, of course, was Mikel Arteta.

Three big points to be made about this game:

Firstly, the fightback. Whatever was said at half time certainly did the trick. Along with the tactical move to switch Trossard with Martinelli (I'll cover that below; it's really got me thinking). I'm sure that Liverpool relaxed at 2-0, but Arsenal showed the fighting spirit that we really ought to expect. My pride in the players was restored. No quibbles with the late sending-off of Merino, by the way - he had to go.

However, there was inevitable refereeing controversy in this game too. Not one, but two incidents of assaults on Arsenal players that should surely have resulted in more action than Anthony Taylor (he whose whistle had robbed Arsenal of a very late winner in the first game between the two sides) felt the need to take. VAR quite rightly chalked off Liverpool's late 'winner' - but was I the only one who felt that Konate grabbing MLS's face deserved more punishment than the award of a free kick?

As for the early incident between Robertson and Saka; well... The defender had both hands around Starboy's throat, and threw him to the floor - literally in front of the linesman. Nothing given. The sort of assault that gets players sin-binned in rugby matches; yet neither linesman, referee nor VAR saw anything in it. The pompous Dermot Gallagher on Sky TV's Ref Watch said: 'Foul;' that's all'. 

Good to know what players are allowed to get away with these days - I shall certainly file that away. And Saka is not the only Arsenal player to have been choke-slammed this season for no punishment, by the way. Serious foul play is something players can perform with impunity, apparently, but technical infringements lead to cards (Rice, Trossard dismissals earlier this season being cases in point). FFS, PGMOL - get your priorities in order! 

Finally on the Liverpool game, I cannot let pass the treatment meted out to Trent Alexander-Arnold by his own supporters. Yes, he could/should have handled his departure from the club better - especially as a Liverpudlian himself. But he's a young man, and perhaps not self-conscious or media savvy enough to deal with difficult questions in interviews with the required delicacy. 

But this is a player of exceptional talent, who has given his all for his home town club - and won every trophy he could on the way. Without him, the likelihood is that the club wouldn't have won those trophies. So for his home 'supporters' to boo him onto the pitch, on a day when they were supposed to be celebrating a title, was for me a bridge too far. 

Yes, Liverpool supporters have gone through some horrendous tragedies; but that does not excuse such entitlement and classlessness. Remember the death threats to Steven Gerrard and his family when he expressed a desire to leave? He was 'forced' to spend his entire career at Liverpool. Get over yourselves, Liverpool fans. This self-entitled behaviour mirrors that. The height of ambition for any footballer is to play for Real Madrid. Who are you to treat a club legend in such a fashion? Anyway, enough of that.

And so I've found myself thinking continually about how Arsenal have got to this point. Another trophyless season; which these players frankly do not deserve.  And it's easy to point to bad luck, but all teams have that (maybe not Liverpool; not this year anyway). It's also easy to point to all those incidents over the course of the Premier League season that have undermined Arsenal's points tally. Incompetent officiating - and there's been plenty of it. And all those injuries. But...

It's clear that the squad has been short of numbers. For years now, in fact. And that has meant players being over-played for match after match after match; probably for three years now. Whilst key players avoided injury in the main in the previous two seasons, all those stresses and strains have hit during this one. I don't need to list the names and amount of time they've had out - you all know.

But what we've known all this time is that the squad has been short or both quality and quantity in reserve. And that has left holes. You just have to look at Liverpool's squad, for example, to get a sense of where the opposition are in comparison. Arsenal are literally outnumbered in that respect. And, remember, the likes of Nwaneri and MLS have burst onto the scene almost out of the blue this season. 

And it's not just lack of numbers that have let Arsenal down. To expect to compete at the very top level with Havertz and Jesus as one's first choices at centre forward is delusional, I'm afraid, and this area has been neglected for maybe three years now. It's not that they aren't very good players. But they simply don't have the qualities one needs for that role at the highest level.

Two points on this: firstly, one just has to witness the exasperation on the face of Bukayo Saka , match after match, when his brilliant wing play and incisive crossing fails to be matched by those in central positions. The wrong runs being made. Or nobody there at all. 

And secondly - and this was clear to see against Liverpool - the choice of shape up front. Merino has done a remarkable job standing in for the injured players, but a centre forward he is not. So Arteta has rotated Trossard in and out of the 'false 9'. Yet desperation at 0-2 at Anfield led to something he'd been loath to look at, and showed what he'd been missing. He switched the Belgian and Martinelli, and Arsenal had a whole different threat about them. Trossard is a fully effective left winger, whereas I'd argue that Martinelli is not. Why Arteta has not tried Martinelli at centre forward at all is something I cannot fathom, because it was in that role that he broke into the team in the first place... and the goal he scored at Anfield was a carbon copy of one he scored in a European game 5 years ago!

All this squad frailty went through my head last Wednesday evening as the last rites played out. And again after the Liverpool game finished. Excuses? Maybe? But pretty damn factual. And finally Arteta has come clean about it (and, by the way, I believe that it wasn't for the want of trying last summer - and I've heard rumours that the real reason for Edu's abrupt departure is that he messed up no less than two deals in that window).

So expect departures and - especially - arrivals. Those leaving for certain will be Neto, Tierney, Jorginho and Sterling; also possibly Zinchenko, Kivior, Partey and even Trossard. The club can clearly not rely on either Tomiyasu (remember him?) or Jesus for the foreseeable future either. The likes of Lokonga and Tavares - forgotten and out on loan - will surely also depart. 

And coming in? Well, if Arsenal have been short of numbers then it's a question not just of quality in certain areas, but of quantity also. They must raise the ceiling, but also raise the floor.

It's not right or fair to pick a Best XI - because that's what a squad needs to be for - but for the really big games I'd be hoping to see this line-up next season:

Raya

Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly

Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard

Saka, ???, ???

And White, Calafiori, Partey (perhaps), Merino, Havertz, Trossard and Martinelli on the bench. Not forgetting Nwaneri or even Max Dowman! And that's a proper bench, with proper depth.

Make no mistake - this next year is going to be make or break for this regime. For the Manager, but also a big test for Andrea Berta. With a squad made up of players approaching their prime - so many are 23-26 years old and some considerably younger - it's surely time for some Win Now purchases. I suspect that we may see quite a bit of Josh Kroenke in the news over the summer, too, as he'll have to sanction anything up to £200m of new players.

The squad is not far away. We all know that. But this summer they must - like a Panini sticker book - complete the set. Whether that's with the likes of Gyokeres and Nico Williams, or with alternatives, is up to them. But an upgrade on some starters is required, as well as sufficient depth for Arteta to be happy to rotate. 

We're merely fans, but I for one am ridiculously invested in all this. I really like this group of players - remember how unlikeable many elements of the squad were a mere half a dozen years ago? I want to see them succeed; for themselves and also for the well-being of those of us who love the club so much.

I cannot, before I go - and for the sake of my own mental health - leave without commenting on the forthcoming Europa League Final. A match to be played between the two most disappointing and embarrassing clubs in the Premier League, who have found themselves blundering to Bilbao mainly as a result of UEFA's rule changes with regards to the Champions League. I'll be watching with morbid fascination, in the hope that neither side wins, or that the trophy self-combusts.

I've had supporters of both clubs trying to convince me that if their team wins, then they'd have had a better season that Arsenal's. And I tell you this; I wouldn't swap Arsenal's season, with all it's disappointments, with either of those two clubs. Between them, they have loss 37 league matches out of 72, and it'll probably be 41 out of 76 by next weekend. Champions League? They are literally having a laugh!

Much as I dislike Manchester United, I will be supporting them. Because I never want to see Tottenham win a throw in, let alone a trophy! Fingers crossed for that. But I honestly believe that UEFA should simply cancel the Final out of sheer embarrassment. To think that one of those sides will be in next year's Champions League is frankly laughable.

Meantime, there are two games to go. In order to stay in control of the race for second place, Arsenal must at least draw with in-form Newcastle on Sunday. That's suddenly a much bigger game for Arsenal that we expected or hoped it would be.  After that we finish with the formality of a win at Southampton. So COYG!

Down. But Certainly Not Out.

Ok - it's now the Friday after the Tuesday before. Three days since the match, and two full re-watches later. It's about time I got something out to you. So hopefully this review (and preview) will be worth it...

When you get to the rarified atmosphere of a Champions League semi-final, you should expect the quality of opponent to be pretty high. And that was certainly the case with PSG. They're on another level from anything I've seen at Emirates Stadium for quite some time; possibly superior to peak Manchester City from 4 or 5 years ago. I mean... I knew they were good - but did any of us think that they were that good? And the fact that this Arsenal side, shorn of the injured Gabriel, Califiori, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Havertz and Jesus as well as (crucially) the suspended Partey, and up against a fully healthy PSG, are still in the tie is of great credit to both coaching staff and players.

Just before I get into the game, I'll give my thoughts on team selection. And also on the much-awaited pre-game 'party'. Team selection - precisely as anticipated; the question was how much the loss of Partey might unbalance the side, with Rice dropping into a holding midfield role and Merino in turn forced to play left 8. As for the pre-game tifo display etc... well, what an embarrassment!

Whilst I appreciate that Arsenal have every right to refuse suggestions from RedAction and the Ashburton Army (the Henry tifo for the Real Madrid game was superb, I'm sure you'd agree), I - along with thousands of others - was majorly disappointed with a mere gigantic cannon on a red background. Not large enough, not interesting or inventive enough; and not even hanging properly!  A real lack of imagination shown there, Arsenal - must do better. I was somewhere underneath the #MakeItHappen banner, by the way... The atmosphere pre-game, however, was superb. The Angel ('North London Forever') - spine-tingling. My pulse rate already at 110bpm. 

And then the game kicked off; very soon giving me flashbacks to May 2009 - the evening when Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United destroyed Arsenal's dreams in the first 10 minutes of the home side's most recent appearance at this stage.

For the first 20 minutes, PSG pretty much blew Arsenal away. They were a goal up as early as the fourth minute, following a prolonged period of possession (no less than 26 passes) that dragged Arsenal - crucially including Declan Rice - out of position. Rice had been lured forward, and was bypassed by a 30-yard pass into midfield as Dembélé dropped into the centre circle to receive the ball. Untracked by either Saliba or Kivior, he quickly found Kvaratskhelia on the left wing. With Timber caught infield and unable to engage, he made a tidy pass with the outside of the boot, and the unmarked Dembélé was on the edge of the Arsenal box to sweep the ball home off the far post. A devastating start, and one that put a power cut on the atmosphere; except down in the corner where the PSG Ultras were dancing and letting off flares.

What was noticeable in the minutes that following was that Arsenal couldn't get near the ball for more than very short periods of hurried possession, and it was clear that Rice was going to need to impose himself on the game very quickly for Arsenal not to suffer further. Ahead of Rice, the press wasn't getting to PSG, and they looked really comfortable. Everything felt off kilter. Indeed, PSG were toying with Arsenal, breaking between the lines and dropping into space with impunity. Kvaratskhelia was giving the ever-reliable Timber the most torrid of evenings. But, for all their possession, they were interestingly not actually creating that much.

I can't go much further into this without a mention of the referee, who decided to lay an early and - in the context of the enormity of this match - un-necessarily low marker down by booking Trossard for a fairly minor push on Hakimi, who had been looking to break free following a rare Arsenal corner. A very minor infringement, one would have said, and he compounded that decision with a series of dubious decisions throughout the rest of the game (but showing inconsistency by not getting the card out for worse offences). He certainly appeared to be more lenient on PSG throughout; allowing them to get away with much more than Arsenal. I variously described him as officious and sanctimonious as the game wore on; and some of the other 'descriptive' language around me would burn your screen off!

Nonetheless, Timber perhaps got away with one in a challenge on his Georgian opponent inside the penalty area. Maybe not quite enough for a penalty, but right on that line. 

I know that there is less tolerance for physicality in Europe than in England, but some of the decisions bordered on the petty side. On top of this, he was far more lax with PSG on where they took throw ins and free kicks from; thus adding to the sense of injustice. And this was last year's Champions League Final referee; coincidentally (I'm sure) a countryman of the UEFA President...

Meanwhile, in the first quarter of the game PSG continued to deal comfortably with Arsenal's press, and at the same time hurried the home side into errors. It was clear that Arteta was going to have to come up with some sort of tactical shift. 

Now, whatever he did appeared to start to work around the 20th minute. The way Arsenal were pressing was subtly altered, cutting down on some of the passes into midfield. Saliba also started following Dembélé out in order to harass him. Thus allowing Rice to get into more damaging areas. And Arsenal started to make some territorial headway. When PSG looked to break on them, one piece of strong play from MLS ignited and energised the crowd. 

That, plus a really good save from Raya from a Doué shot that forced him to change direction late, were key moments in the psychological battle. Things were perhaps looking up, with the play looking more even, but Arsenal were yet to threaten Donnarumma's goal in any meaningful way with half an hour gone.

By the end of the half, however, they had very much managed to do so. Bukayo Saka, finally able to influence the game in some way, wriggled past three defenders and had a low shot comfortably saved. He then wandered over to the other side of the field, again used his strength and quick feet to beat three men, and crossed to the far post where Martinelli (perhaps fractionally offside) was inches away from levelling up the tie. 

Saka then got himself booked for kicking the ball away following a linesman's call of a foul by him on Mendes that simply wasn't. 

Frustrating again; but hope was starting to spring. And especially when a driving run by MLS and a perfect release sent Martinelli in on goal as we hit the 45-minute mark. The Brazilian tried the old Henry-esque finish, which Donnarumma read. He could probably have started the ball out a little wider, but I wish he'd have gone near post instead; which the keeper would not have anticipated. Kudos to MLS, however - his contributions were lifting his team-mates and supporters alike. And the crowd booed the referee off the field at half-time.

Arsenal had been in the ascendancy at the whistle, and it could be argued that the break came at the wrong time. They appeared to have drawn level immediately, however, as they were awarded an free kick almost from the kick-off for a stray Neves arm into the face of Merino. From the subsequent free kick, Merino headed home, and we were up on our feet. 

From where I sit, the Spaniard looked a yard onside when he nodded home. But from the television angles that I've now seen, he did look offside (Kvaratskhelia's elbow looking the only hope of salvation); not quite able to get back on from the trademark Arsenal 'jump back' move. Bearing in mind that UEFA use semi-automatic offsides, the three-minute delay that followed was inexcusable. With match-going fans clueless as to what was happening, this was an infuriating passage of 'play'.

Difficult to discern a change in the pattern of play early on in the half, but it soon became clear that a) Arsenal were looking to go longer with their passing and b) Rice had moved further forward and was happier to carry the ball further. The second a brave move, with the centre-halves being entrusted with preventing the PSG midfield from benefitting from pockets of space. And the game was much more even.

In the 55th minute, we saw a trademark Declan Rice run. He strode through the midfield and released Trossard on the left with a perfectly weighted pass. The Belgian did (almost) everything right, and forced Donnarumma into an excellent save low to his left. If anything, Trossard perhaps scuffed the shot slightly, but he couldn't have done much more. Credit to the keeper, who got his 6'5" frame down to the turf, and stretched out his arm, very quickly indeed. If Trossard lifts that shot a couple of feet, however, it's in the net. Like the Martinelli effort at the end of the first half, it was fine margins.

The bravery in Arsenal's play was clear at this point. Kivior hardly put a foot wrong. Merino dropped in intelligently to cover Rice. Rice himself continued to drive at the French midfield at every opportunity. MLS dealt with an attempted Cruyff turn from Doué with disdain. Saliba could be seen constantly tracking Dembélé into the centre of the field. It was so much better.

However, as time passed and we approached the 80th minute, it was apparent that Arsenal were either running out of ideas, or perhaps even settling for a narrow defeat; conceding a second goal may well have been terminal. It was also worth considering that whilst Enrique had the luxury of being able to call on the likes of Barcola and Goncalo Ramos, Arsenal's injury woes left Arteta with very little in the way of game-changers. The fact that his first change was White for Timber told a story, and it was only very late on that Nwaneri replaced the disappointing Odegaard. 

And a word on our skipper. He's clearly nowhere near his best; and we don't know why. We're not seeing the incisive running and passing that we've become used to, and in this game he began to drop deeper and deeper in an attempt to influence the play. He's off his normal high standards, as his stats from the game showed. Passing - well below acceptable levels. Dribbles - one completed all night. Duels won - zero. But he gets no respite as the only alternative in his position is the teenager. But it cannot be said that he's not trying. He runs hard, leads the press, waves other players into where he needs them. He needs that spark back, but it may take a summer off for him to get there. 

Would you risk trying something different in a game such as the one next week? Nwaneri from the start? Trossard at left wing and Martinelli down the middle? Zinchenko into midfield? Start Saka at right 8? It all feels far-fetched to me. And I'm not even going to mention Raheem Sterling...

In the last 10 minutes, Arsenal could well have conceded that decisive second goal. Joao Neves blasted one opportunity over the bar.  Barcola shot just wide following a clever one-two. Ramos's shot hit the bar. Worrying times as the home team's second half efforts took their toll.

But it ended 0-1, and whilst it wasn't what we wanted hope springs eternal. The sight on the television of Califiori, Havertz and Partey standing in the tunnel near the end gave a hint of what might have been, and next week will be different. Of course, going to the Parc Des Princes will not be easy, but I sense that Arteta knows what to do from here. Importantly, with Partey back it will mean that a) Rice can move forward, b) Merino can go back up top as a tall target man, c) Trossard will add depth to the bench and d) they've seen what they need to counter now, and they'll have Partey to help counter the threats. It ain't over until it's over.

I've heard a lot of nonsense spoken about the 'lack of atmosphere' in the ground. But I'm not buying it. That's really quite harsh. It was superb pre-game. But the early concession burst the balloon good and proper. You'd expect the away support to make the noise they did - it's the same everywhere you go - and Arsenal didn't really do enough to consistently get the crowd up. When they did, the crowd responded. But otherwise it was as you'd expect, in my view. Talk of 'tourists', and the fans not backing the team are wide of the mark. 

Just a quick mention of the other semi-final. If you didn't watch it, you missed an absolute treat! It ended 3-3, but could have been 6-6. Barcelona are devastating going forward, and in Raphinha and particularly the mercurial Lamine Yamal have two scintillating wingers. And Inter surprised me; willing to counter attack throughout, and completely unlike any Italian side I've seen before. Whoever reaches the final from that side will be very dangerous - but they have plenty of apparent weaknesses too.

And now from the sublime to the ridiculous. Spurs against the Norwegian champions. Manchester United in Bilbao. And Chelsea facing the might of Djurgaarden. Yes, all three look favourites to reach their respective finals; but how jealous must their supporters be of Champions League-chasing Arsenal!

On a personal note, I intend to start a petition to UEFA requesting that they cancel the Europa League final - or at least withdraw the trophy. To think that Spurs or United could finish 17th, yet still be in next year's Champions League, makes an absolute mockery of the seeding/coefficient system.

In the meantime, it's Bournemouth at home before the trip to Paris next week. A game not to be taken too lightly, as Arsenal need 7 points from the last 12 to guarantee second place - and still have to face Liverpool and Newcastle. Expect rotation, of course - but there can't be much with so many out injured.

COYG!