Arsenal legend Ian Wright has questioned Mikel Arteta’s tactics following the 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week.

Speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast, the former Gunners striker pointed towards the lack of pressing in the opening minutes of the Champions League semi-final tie:

“I don’t want to be negative about the team but I’m very surprised by the start of the game. I wasn’t expecting that start. To be honest, I was expecting PSG to back off but it was the other way around, it was the opposite. We should have been pressing them but it didn’t happen. That’s the disappointing thing, without being too negative.

“I think we really missed a trick in the way we started, we didn’t take advantage of the crowd who were ready to scream and shout. I think we got away with out really because we didn’t start like I thought we would, I was very surprised by that.

“I would love to hear Mikel Arteta’s post-match interview because I want to hear what he says about the start. I cannot fathom that you have a team like PSG come to your place and your tactics are to sit off them and let them play it out from the back and ease across the halfway line.”

PSG played around Arsenal’s press

In Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz, the French champions have the most technically gifted midfield trio in world football so it is easier said than done getting the ball off them.

Wright is correct that the Gunners could have been more intense in their pressing from the outset but there is no guarantee that they would have had much more luck retrieving possession.

Partey was a massive miss

The Ghanaian international’s daft yellow card in the second leg of the quarter-final against Real Madrid proved costly. His presence versus PSG would have disrupted their rhythm.

Partey‘s power, strength and ability to intercept the ball could have stopped the away side from getting a stranglehold on the game.

With the Gunners still only 1-0 down, it is not too late for the 31-year-old to have an impact on the tie when they travel to Paris next Wednesday.

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