PSG’s attacking brilliance means Mikel Arteta’s men would be wise to match them the best way they know how
Well now I am become Arsenal, destroyer of football. Mikel Arteta’s team have been repeatedly mocked in the banter-verse for playing defensively, being corner-kick merchants, the team that stifle and suffocate, with 40% of their goals coming from set-pieces.
The reaction before now has been to deny it, to reject the tag, but by the time they arrive in Budapest for Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal would be wise to embrace it.
The numbers do encourage reading this game as a clash of the best attack versus the best defence. PSG have averaged 63.4% possession in the Champions League this season, second only to Barcelona, and have scored 44 goals. In contrast, Arsenal have 52.6% possession, 10 places lower on the list than PSG, and they have scored 29 goals. On the flipside, Arsenal have let in only six goals, compared to PSG’s 22.
Luis Enrique’s side will also arrive in Budapest fresher than their opponents. They have rotated extensively throughout Ligue 1 to win their fifth title in five years, whereas Arsenal have had to battle exhaustingly for their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Out of the team who started the Champions League final for PSG last season, only Willian Pacho and Vitinha played up to half of the club’s total minutes in Ligue 1 this term. Marquinhos, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have all been heavily rested. Ousmane Dembele started only 11 league matches and played just 35% of their total minutes.
In contrast, out of Arteta’s likely first XI on Saturday, only Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz have played less than 50% of minutes in the Premier League. PSG are specifically conditioned for this stage of the season. This has always been the plan, to preserve intensity for the decisive stage in Europe, to emerge primed and ready to dazzle. If it comes to pacy, attacking football, the Parisians have the undisputed physical edge.
Next stop: Budapest ✈️ pic.twitter.com/B7HwHAGmBG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 29, 2026
So why play to PSG’s advantage when Arsenal can leverage their own strengths, showcase their brand of defensive non-football? Vincent Kompany said you can’t beat PSG by defending and it would seem like last season’s final against Inter Milan confirmed that, but Arsenal are a different beast to the tired veterans of Inter that showed up in Munich.
Stay narrow, stay compact, beef up the full-back positions, destroy everything good and beautiful and delightful about your opponents’ play. No one would care by the time the trophy has been carried back to the Emirates, a historic double in the bag. And how fitting, how Arsenal, how Arteta-like would it be, if the 2026 Champions League final ended with a header from a corner kick winning the game 1-0?
