Gary Lineker gives his verdict on Mikel Arteta’s tactical approach in the Champions League final

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Mikel Arteta’s decision to set Arsenal up defensively against PSG has divided opinion since the Champions League final in Budapest.

Arsenal finished the final with just 25% possession, the lowest by any side in a Champions League final on record. They managed only seven shots, with just one on target.

It was a performance geared towards defensive resilience and the hope that one moment of quality could prove decisive.

And for most of the game, after Kai Havertz’s stunning early finish, it looked like it might work.

The approach drew criticism from some quarters, with accusations of ‘anti-football’ and parking the bus.

Now that you’ve all had time to reflect, why did Arsenal lose the Champions League final?

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Gary Lineker has now weighed in, and he is firmly in the manager’s corner.

Speaking on Hawksbee and Jacobs Daily, Lineker explained he understood exactly why Arteta went the way he did.

“I think it was the right way against PSG because I think if they had gone toe to toe, I don’t think they’ve got the players to compete,” Lineker said.

“I think PSG man for man around the pitch, certainly in attacking positions — take the two front threes — I don’t think you can really compare.

“So I think in that sense, that was the option for Mikel Arteta against PSG. I think the better side won.”

Gary Lineker wants to see more adventurous football from Arsenal next season

Lineker’s endorsement of Arteta’s tactical approach comes with a caveat, however.

Having finally won the Premier League title and shed the weight of years of near-misses, he hopes Arteta will feel liberated to play more expansively going forward.

“I think generally, I’d like to see now — maybe they’ve got that off their back, they finally won the league title — that he’ll be a bit more adventurous with his football. But I think that’s also down to players as well.”

That last point is crucial. Arteta himself acknowledged after the final that PSG’s individual quality in attack is on a different level.

Paul Merson has since argued that signing an ‘electric’ centre forward with pace is the key to Arsenal becoming genuine Champions League contenders next season.

The tactics were right for the players available. To play differently next time, Arsenal need those elite difference makers at the top end of the pitch.