Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by the eventual winners of the tournament, Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners faced PSG three times during the 2024/25 Champions League, winning once and losing twice when it mattered most.
Mikel Arteta’s side swept PSG aside with a 2-0 win at the Emirates; however, when the clubs met in the semi-final, it was clear from as early as the first leg that there was only one winner.
PSG beat Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate to progress to the final, winning at the Emirates and then the Parc des Princes, paving the way to winning the tournament for the first time in their history.
Luis Enrique left Mikel Arteta red-faced with Champions League final win
Though the North Londoners had chances to beat PSG in the semi-final, it wasn’t meant to be, as Luis Enrique’s squad were too well marshalled and simply too clinical on the break.
The game gave Arteta some food for thought, but not perhaps how some would’ve assumed.
Arteta shared his belief that Arsenal were better than PSG over two legs, claiming that members of the Parisians’ staff had informed the Gunners of their superiority.
As expected, the Arsenal manager’s opinion was shot down quickly, as Enrique made it clear that he disagreed with Arteta.
“I don’t agree at all. Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all,” Enrique said after the semi-final.
“I think they played in a clever way today, and they get the match to the right moment for them because they play in the way they want and love to play, but I think in the two legs we score more goals than them, and in football, that’s the most important thing.”
The final line of Enrique’s explanation was one that ultimately summed up Arsenal’s season, reminding Arteta that in football, goals win games, not dominance or desire.
It was PSG’s five goals that savaged Inter Milan in the final, and it was PSG’s three goals over two legs that destroyed Arsenal’s Champions League dream.
The ability to score goals decides everything in football, which is what Enrique signalled to Arteta after knocking the Gunners out of the tournament.
Enrique handed Arsenal the clearest transfer instruction
Goals are king, which should be a fact in football; however, Arteta is finding them harder to locate than other positives about his squad.
Arsenal recorded more expected goals than PSG over the tie, but the quality available to Enrique’s front line abolished the validity of the metric.
The Ligue 1 champions have an abundance of terrifying talent in attack, which is the opposite of Arsenal, whose lack of depth cost them silverware for the third season in a row.
Enrique got the better of the Gunners due to goalscoring prestige, leaving a semi-final parting message to Arteta to simply bring more goals to the table if they are to compete.
The Arsenal boss has been left red-faced by his compatriot to a degree, but if anything, Enrique has handed the North Londoners a clear task for the summer.
Recruitment in the final third is paramount ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with all eyes on Andrea Berta’s ability to scope out talent that’s ready and raring to go.
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