Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain fans are gearing up for the biggest game of the season – the Champions League final.
Mikel Arteta’s side are high on confidence after winning the Premier League, so much so that Kai Havertz has declared that the Gunners will beat PSG in Budapest on Saturday.
Luis Enrique will surely say the opposite, especially considering that his side are the defending champions and are viewed by many as the best team in the world.
However, the PSG boss is not taking Arsenal lightly.
🙏 Which Arsenal player would you most like to see score the winning goal in the UCL final?
Luis Enrique hails Arsenal’s off-the-ball prowess
Arsenal are one of the most complete sides in the world.
The Gunners can be dominant on the ball, push the opposition into their own third and suffocate them for large parts of the game.
However, even when they don’t have the ball, Arteta has built a side capable of withstanding pressure, keeping the opposition attack at bay and doing everything to regain possession.
That is what has impressed many people, including French journalist Julien Laurens, who hailed that side of Arsenal’s game while interviewing Enrique.
“What kind of problems can Arsenal pose to you? I think they are the best team in the world without the ball,” Laurens asked the PSG boss on TNT Sports.
Enrique replied: “Yeah, clearly. Their stats are amazing.
“Everybody knows that they are very strong without the ball, but they score a lot of goals, set-pieces and the things that they dominate.
“That’s a very nice combination for a team. That’s why they don’t lose any match in the Champions League.
“We are trying to overcome them in the final and try to play the best way we can.”
This is our Arsenal XI for the Champions League final vs PSG. What changes would you make?
Arsenal’s off-the-ball play vs PSG has to be elite if they want to win the Champions League
Arsenal vs PSG has so many fascinating individual battles, but there are a few collective challenges as well.
When the French champions have the ball, they will go all-out attack, especially through the wide areas with players like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
When that happens, Arsenal need to be organised, their shape has to be spot on, and they should do what’s required to close off any free space.
If they do that for large parts of the game, they will get chances of their own at the other end of the pitch to win the game.
It will be interesting to see how the game will pan out, but we’re sure both clubs will have plenty of chances to score.
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