Arsenal’s hierarchy needs to make quick, smart and bold decisions if they are to keep progressing, manager Mikel Arteta said on Saturday after his side lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
The defeat is the second time Arsenal have lost in the final of Europe’s premier competition, though this time they will console themselves knowing they have just won their first English domestic title in 22 years.
The London club took the lead in Budapest when Kai Havertz lashed in after just six minutes, but they were eventually pegged back by an Ousmane Dembele penalty and then suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak after extra time.
A crestfallen Arteta said his club now needed to make some “very important decisions” if they wanted to become a dominant force domestically and in Europe.
“First, I will take a few days with my family and then we will start the process to review what we’ve done,” Arteta told reporters.
“If you want to reach another level, we’re going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it demands being very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
PSG dominated possession after Arsenal shocked the reigning champions by taking the early lead.
It was only once the French side equalised in the 65th minute that Arsenal pushed on, though that left more of the sort of spaces in behind on which PSG’s dangerous attack thrives.
The centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba put in near-faultless performances as Arsenal stifled PSG. But the Brazilian was the unfortunate one to miss the final penalty and leave the French side the winners.
Arteta said he believed Arsenal could have had a penalty of their own when Noni Madueke fell under pressure in the box in extra time, but he didn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“If, if, if is not what happened,” the Spaniard said. “So we need to do better, to improve and find different margins to get the outcome.”
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and the team’s midfield engine, Declan Rice, echoed Arteta’s disappointment.
They put in a hard shift. PSG had 72% of possession compared with Arsenal’s 28% and made roughly four times as many attacks and completed passes.
“It’s small margins that will decide a game like this and when it’s penalties even more so,” Odegaard said. “That’s the reality of football, and we have to deal with that.”
The defining image of Arsenal‘s defeat was Gabriel standing with his head in his hands as he was consoled by Paris St-Germain captain and Brazil teammate Marquinhos.
It was a cruel end to the defender’s first European final. His penalty, blasted over the crossbar, proved decisive.
It was the first penalty Gabriel had taken for Arsenal, with manager Mikel Arteta revealing the defender had “prepared and trained for this moment”.
“He wanted to take it,” Arteta said. “Normally the penalty takers would be Bukayo [Saka], Martin [Odegaard] and Kai [Havertz]. But we knew if the game went to extra-time and penalties, different players would have to step forward.”
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