Arsenal fans watched on and pondered what could’ve been during the Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan.
The Gunners had seemed set to feature in the final in Munich, with Mikel Arteta’s side playing at their very top gear throughout the Champions League.
Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid fuelled the belief that they could finally end the wait for a European trophy, but they were met with an unstoppable force.
PSG knocked the Gunners out of the competition, with a squad full of young, talented and hungry players built to cause plenty of problems.
In the end, the French giants went all the way, demolishing Inter Milan in the final, and leaving Arsenal alone at the top with an unwanted Champions League record.
Arsenal hold a Champions League trophy drought record
PSG simply demolished their way to the Champions League trophy, as a Desire Doue brace was backed up with goals from Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu.
It ends the long wait for the French giants to land the top European prize, which had stood at 167 games without winning the European Cup or Champions League.
With PSG managing that, Arsenal now stand quite some distance clear in terms of their own trophy drought at the top of European football.
Arsenal have now gone 211 games without winning the European Cup or Champions League, making it the longest of any team in Europe.
- Arsenal – 211 games
- Dynamo Kyiv – 186 games
- Atletico Madrid – 176 games
- Anderlecht – 165 games
It’s a record that many will want to put to an end, with PSG perhaps providing the blueprint for how Arteta could end the wait.
PSG’s attacking style must be the blueprint for Arsenal’s own Champions League success
If there’s one thing that PSG have proven over the season, it’s that things can be won with an exciting, young and attacking team.
While Arsenal certainly have a relatively young team that has the capacity to be exciting and attacking, they simply haven’t been for most of the season.
Instead, the Gunners have often been stifled by their opposition, unable to create the problems they need to cause chaos.
Even when winning, Arsenal have found themselves in games for too long, often seeing out a one-goal victory rather than landing that second or third goal to end the match.
Whether it’s for the Premier League or the Champions League, Arteta has to find that exciting spark and avoid being too defensive.
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