Arsenal have no other commitments, the determination that led them to victory in the Championship will now accompany them to this final, which moreover is the only thing they need to focus on at the moment.
It will be an epic battle, Arsenal were one of the favourites right at the start of the season, but in the end PSG gained more confidence.
Arsenal and PSG are not under pressure in their own league. PSG are Ligue 1 champions and Arsenal are Premier League champions. And now the only target of both clubs is to secure the Champions League title.
I agree with you. Arsenal's performance in the first round was amazing. But their performance in the knockout round was a bit slow. I have not seen Arsenal dominate and win any match. On the other hand, PSG's performance in the first round was weak. But PSG played very well in the knockout round matches. Especially they defeated teams like Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea.
PSG was similar last season. They had a poor start even having to advance through the play offs, but by the round of 16, their performance had improved and they secured their first Champions League title. This season has had a similar journey having to advance through the play-offs and through the knockout stages facing tough opponents to reach the final. Meanwhile, Arsenal got off to a good start, but in the knockout stages they played cautiously making it difficult for them to score. Interestingly, Arsenal are undefeated so far proving their solid defense.
So, the final will be an exciting match, especially with both teams having the same goal of winning their respective domestic leagues. It's interesting to watch, especially if PSG manages to secure back-to-back trophies or Arsenal wins their first Champions League trophy.
What's gnawing on my mind is the referee. Daniel Siebert. German. Very strict whistle, cards fly early and everything.
Why is that important? Arsenal's game is centered around tactical fouls in midfield. Rice grabs someone, breaks up the counter, takes the free kick and everyone resets. It's cynical and brilliant. However, if Siebert begins to fill up for that sort of crap early (and he will, as he has in the past) then Rice finds himself sitting on a yellow halfway through. For the rest of the match, he may not be able to touch anybody.
In the meantime, Dembele and Kvaratskhelia are the type of players that attract fouls simply by running at players. PSG receives free kicks in dangerous zones pretty much for free.
There's the other side of it though. Arsenal's corners. They are doing something that is truly new at corners this season. Rice's delivery, Gabriel and Saliba's attack on the near post, the near post screens set up. It is effective nearly all of the time.
PSG's defence in the event of chaos in their box? Not great. Really not great actually.
So in my mind, it goes like this: Arsenal pick a corner up, Arteta gets everything under control. Then the question is: can PSG do it when the clock is ticking and the best defense in Europe is in place? Or PSG score first and everything goes downhill from there. That's where Enrique's team is best suited, and Arsenal have little to no experience dealing with them.
No matter which way, I can't wait! This one is not like the others.
