Ian Wright says he “cannot fathom” what Mikel Arteta did for Arsenal-PSG clash | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has made it clear he was shocked by Mikel Arteta’s apparent tactic of allowing Paris Saint-Germain to have so much of the ball early on in Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final.

The Gunners didn’t start well at all, with Ousmane Dembele scoring what proved to be the winner for PSG inside the opening four minutes.

There’s still the second leg to play for in Paris next week, but Wright has admitted he was pretty baffled by how Arteta seemed to set his team up for the first game.

Arsenal were at home and will have been expected to take the initiative in front of their home fans, but it was all PSG early on.

Ian Wright slams Arsenal’s tame start against PSG

Discussing the first leg and looking ahead to the second, Wright spoke about Arteta’s tactics on the latest episode of his Wrighty’s House podcast.

“I don’t want to be negative about the team but I’m very surprised by the start of the game,” the former Arsenal striker said.

“I wasn’t expecting that start. To be honest I was expecting PSG to back off but it was the other way around, it was the opposite.”

He added: “I would love to hear Mikel Arteta’s post-match interview because I want to hear what he says about the start.

“I cannot fathom that you have a team like PSG come to your place and your tactics are to sit off them and let them play it out from the back and ease across the halfway line.”

Can Arsenal still reach the Champions League final?

Arsenal’s starting line up ahead of the PSG game (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

It’s not going to be easy for Arsenal, but a one-goal deficit going into the second leg surely means this tie is far from over.

Writing about it in his exclusive CaughtOffside column yesterday, Arsenal writer Charles Watts gave his insight into what he was expecting for the return leg at the Parc des Princes.

“The fact is they (Arsenal) are still in that tie…” Watts said.

“They have got an incredibly difficult task ahead of them in Paris next week, but if they can go to the Bernabeu and win then they can go to the Parc de Princes and do the same.

“They will have Thomas Partey back available and that will be really important.

“His absence was huge last night. I thought Declan Rice played well in the holding role, but Arsenal did miss his energy and box crashing runs.

“So when I look at how Arsenal could turn things around next week I think Partey’s return and Rice’s move back to the left eight role could be pivotal. Mikel Merino could also then return to the striker role, which will give Arsenal a bit more of a physical presence around the penalty area.

“It’s going to be difficult now for Arsenal. There’s no doubt about that … But they do have a chance. It’s not over. But as Mikel Arteta said afterwards, to make it to the final they are going to have to do something very special in the French capital.”