Of the many ways that Paris St-Germain can undo an opponent, the long throw-in and the robust corner routine are likely towards the back of their playbook, although that was how Bournemouth broke Arsenal ahead of their Champions League semi-final second-leg epic.
Next is Paris for Arsenal, and the great PSG team of this season, who will draw you in and then pass straight through you – but first Arsenal were beaten by an attack from another decade. Andoni Iraola’s team are of a different flavour to the football played in England in years past but nonetheless, there was some gloriously basic about their two goals.
One from a long throw and another from a corner headed across goal and scuffed in at the back post with goalkeeper David Raya all over the place. Bournemouth had summoned it from nowhere as Arsenal failed to bury them in the second half. Iraola and his coaches got a sense of the vulnerability and their substitutions were effective indeed.
In the space of eight minutes, Arsenal collapsed. They had taken the lead through Declan Rice in the first half, released into an advanced midfield position and thriving. This was the strongest team that Mikel Arteta could have selected. There was a big collision late on for Martin Odegaard which had the Arsenal captain hopping around in some discomfort. This was a day that unravelled fast for Arteta.
In the closing stages, there was no shortage of advice for the Arsenal manager from some of the disgruntled supporters around him who demanded change to the team. At the end, there was some discernible booing. Arteta and Iraola are both from the great Basque city of San Sebastian and played in the same boys’ team. This day belonged to Iraola who needed it. Just Bournemouth’s second win in ten Premier League games.
(The Telegraph)
