And so to the Stadium of Stone for our first Champions League game since March 7, 2017.
The weight of history hangs heavily. That evening, Bayern Munich beat us 5-1 at the Emirates in the Round of 16, having been a goal behind and outplayed until Laurent Koscielny was inexplicably sent off early in the second half, and we capitulated.
The 10-2 aggregate score in the tie was the heaviest suffered by an English club in the knockout stages of the CL or its predecessor competition, eclipsing Barcelona’s 9-2 thwacking of Wolves in the quarter-finals of the 1959-60 European Cup.
Yet, it was our seventh successive CL Round of 16 exit and third straight 5-1 defeat by the Germans in the waning Wenger years. As the Guv’nor presciently wrote in his match report, ‘There is an end-of-era feel to it all’.
Yet a new era dawns as night follows day.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe opposition
We most recently entertained our Wednesday evening visitors, PSV Eindhoven, in the Europa League group stage last season. A 1-0 to the Arsenal at home was followed by a 2-0 reverse in Eindhoven, although that would not impede our progress to the knockout rounds.
Previous encounters were in the Champions League in 2002, 2004 and 2007. The first two ties were group stage matches, navigated unbeaten with a win and a draw in both cases. However, in 2007, PSV turned us over in the first knockout round, 2-1 on aggregate. We lost the first leg in Eindhoven, 1-0, and could only draw the return at the Emirates 1-1, PSV’s Brazilian defender Alex scoring at both ends.
The Goonerverse melted down after that shock defeat, as only the Goonerverse can, or at least that part of it too young to remember some bad nights in less glamorous locales such as Peterborough, York and Wrexham.
Our visitors will be making their first appearance in the CL group stage since 2018-19, having eliminated Sturm Graz and then Glasgow Rangers in the preliminary qualifying rounds. They sit atop the Eredivisie on goal difference from Alkmaar and Twente with four wins out of four and are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions this season (eight wins and a draw), scoring 28 goals and conceding six.
Since our last encounter, they have lost some of their brightest young talents: Cody Gakpo to Liverpool, Noni Madueke to Chelsea, Ibrahim Sangare to Nottingham Forest and Xavi Simons back to PSG.
Replacing them, former PSV fan favourite Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano has returned after four seasons at Napoli. Fellow winger Noa Lange (an injury doubt for Wednesday, although he has travelled) and defender Jerdy Schouten have arrived from Bruges and Bologna, respectively. Barcelona full-back Sergiño Dest, one of three US internationals in the squad, has joined on loan, as has Southampton’s promising young German centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap, who, like Lozano, was signed as the transfer window was closing. The highly regarded Johan Bakayoko, already a full Belgian international, has established his place in the team after being promoted from the Under-21s last season.
The Bosz
New boss Peter Bosz, a former Dutch international, arrived in the summer to replace Old Horseface. Van Nistelrooy walked out in a huff a game before the end of last season, probably just ahead of getting the push. Bosz, himself, had been sacked by Lyon 10 games into last season after a run of four losses and a draw.
However, his CV includes taking Ajax to a Europa League final and stints managing Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. At the latter, he developed the innovative tactic of playing two hybrid 8/10s as an attacking double pivot. One was a teenager born an hour’s drive away and raised in Leverkusen’s academy who would become the youngest player to make 100 Bundesliga appearances. This wunderkind’s name was Kai Havertz.
Havertz was tailor-made for Bosz’s front-foot football based on possession and a high press. The tactical lineage is Dutch total football, Guardiola’s positional play and Klopp’s gegenpressing, with the first of the three genetically dominant. Bosz’s double attacking pivot — Havertz and Julian Brandt in Leverkusen’s case, for which perhaps read Havertz and Ødegaard for Arteta, eventually — was highly fluid. You might even say unpredictable, but I couldn’t possibly comment.
The Achilles heel of such an attacking approach is vulnerability to counterattack, something repeatedly exposed at Dortmund, whose defence, anchored around Sokratis Papastathopoulos, once of this parish, was neither the speediest nor most mobile. At PSV, there are great hopes for the pairing of the robust Brazilian André Ramalho and the speedy Paris-born Bella-Kotchap (shades of the Gabriel-Saliba partnership), which got its first run-out in the 4-0 league win over NEC Nijmegen at the weekend. Schouten, equally comfortable as a CB or DM, can play alongside or ahead of them.
Bosz customarily sets up PSV in an attacking 4-3-3, deployed in both qualifying round ties. If he does not fancy a one-to-one match-up with our midfield, he will switch to 4-2-3-1. PSV lined up that way in its two most recent league games, perhaps dry runs for Wednesday. Either way, veteran captain and club talisman Luuk de Jong will lead the line.
The Arsenal
Arteta will not want us to fluff our lines on our return to the CL, a competition that we are, remarkably, fourth favourite with the bookmakers to win (why only fourth, I hear you ask). However, the manager’s other consideration is that the game is sandwiched between last Sunday’s grind at Goodison and next Sunday’s home NLD, with a League Cup tie against Brentford the Wednesday after.
Nevertheless, one of the purposes of strengthening the squad during the last transfer window was to cope through rotation with the additional workload of the two-games-a-week treadmill without a significant drop in quality from our strongest XI.
I pencilled in Raya to make his debut against PSV, but Arteta’s surprise selection of the Spaniard on Sunday knocked that idea on the head. We don’t know if Ramsdale was dropped or rested, and Arteta, surprise, surprise, is being gnomic about it — and, I suspect, revelling in leading everyone in a merry dance of speculation. Based on little to no knowledge (OK, no knowledge), I will plump for Raya to retain his place (but Ramsdale back for the neighbours).
The back four/three-plus-Zinchenko should pick itself, as will the starting midfield, but I expect early substitutions with Tomiyasu, Jorginho and Havertz all getting minutes off the bench. Trossard should replace the hamstrung Martinelli. Eddie will likely be rested for Jesus, though Saka could do with it more.
Raya
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko
Rice, Ødegaard, Vierira
Saka, Jesus, Trossard
The ‘holic pound
With so many new faces, PSV will be an unknown quantity but have the quality to be a handful. They are in form, but their front-foot approach should suit us. The gentlemen of the turf have us odds-on favourites. Scant value is to be found in the score betting unless we find the net, VAR-unimpeded, four times or more. Yet it is a game we should win, albeit we may do so by only the odd goal.
Enjoy the game, ‘holics, near and far, and for those going, make it a special European night..
Cheers Ned. Unlike you, I still expect Ramsdale and certainly Havertz to start this match.
But I’m not my birthday twin.
Important to have a good win and no injury ahead of the NLD.
COYG!
Here’s to the start of a new Champions League era as you heralded Ned, and may it be more successful than our remarkably successful last one. Very appropriate that you recalled the Guv’s “end of an era” summing up of our exit in 2017. How long ago that was, but here’s to the present.
Cracking preview, Ned. This will be one very, very special game to me, I hope the boys make it one to remember for all the right reasons. COYG.
Ned, pure class ! So much detailed information and such an enjoyable read too. I feel educated but slightly worried that we are playing a relatively unknown team of “wunderkinder”, so eloquently have you analysed them.
Thanks again – superb job.
Thanks Ned, it’s a big night or early morning in some cases 😉
An excellent preview to kick us off. That night against Bayern is not
a good memory. Another thing I do remember from
our previous CL campaigns is the importance of winning the first
game, it just seems to set up the rest of the group matches in a
more relaxed way. I am sure MA will play a strong side, happy with
Ned’s myself, and hopefully a 2-0:win for The Arsenal.
By the way, without an army of monks and only my own memory to rely on, I believe that draw at the Emirates in 2007 featured Heurelho Gomes in goal for PSV who stopped shots with every cell of his anatomy and looked utterly unbeatable. A night of pure frustration.
Talking of Bayern, this was a good read about how to use our fan power with a shock (for me) right at the end.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/sep/20/bayern-fans-manchester-united-using-influence-champions-league
Another “by the way” – I read that Raya might well have gotten the nod against Everton because of his cross gathering ability – 51 successes last season vs 17 for Ramsdale – although the expected aerial bombardment never materialised. Arteta is nothing if not meticulous in his analysis – although he’s plenty more than that – and we now can make tactical choices right down to our goalkeepers. Just a thought.
Good stuff, Ned. I appreciate the research on PSV of whom I know nothing except for having had a look at one of their play-off games against Rangers in which they looked sharp in attack but vulnerable at the back. We should beat them but you know! I haven’t a clue what rabbit Mikel will pull out of the hat this time but your team will be close to his. I personally would start Ramsdale and Havertz if only for psychological reasons! 1-0 to the good guys will do me fine and as observed, a win would boost the corporate psyche for the NLD.
COYG
Trev @6, I have that same memory about that game in 2007. Was that not the game in which Senderos emerged. I do remember quelling the disappointment as I had confidently expected us to win that tie, thinking, “At least, we’ve found a new Tony Adams!” Que sera….
Bath, Philipe Senderos – the new Tony Adams. Like announcing Nora Batty as the new Marilyn Monroe ! Ask your dad, 21CG ! 😉
A characteristically good read Ned. Looking forward to hearing that song ring out under the lights tonight on what looks like a wet evening. Good summary of the progress made here by Sam Dean in the Torygraph.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/09/20/arsenal-champions-league-mikel-arteta-psv-kroenke/
Top stuff Ned, thanks.
It will be good to see us back at the top table, although I won’t be surprised if we struggle to find rhythm in the CL, and take our time adjusting to it’s rigours and schedule, especially as this impacts our league commitments. Still, this will be required of us if we want to keep up in the league against a Man City side who won’t drop many points (despite their thin squad decimated by injuries – the poor lambs)
Frankly, I’d be extremely happy with another one goal win and three home points to kick things off. Saka to score.
UTA.
Superb preview Ned covering all the bases . I like your team but would guess Ramsdale will return . Last year’s home match saw us dominate but struggle to score and I think we may find it tough going tonight but I hope for at least a one goal victory
Cheers Ned!
Thanks all, for the kind words. We are in for a tough game. PSV are flying high.
Trev@6: your memory is impeccable.
Excellent preview Ned!
Our record at Europa under Arteta is surprisingly sub-par. But I suspect a degree of uncertainty about how much to rotate players had contributed to that. With CL the thought process should become much clearer.
I agree with your team. We might see ESR or Reiss coming in early for Trossard as well. And I expect Jesus to have a highly influential game.
Come on Arsenal!
Thanks Ned for a most informative preview – good to see the monks are not slacking!
PSV are a very good side quite capable of getting a result tonight if we are below par. I’m sure, like others, Mikel will put out a very strong side tonight to get the ECL off to a winning start. We are in a good situation in which he can rotate to a certain degree and not weaken the team. Cannot second guess at the keepers selection – one of the things he is look8ng to achieve. Hoping for the win – 2-1 my uninspired guess.
COYRRR
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Trossard.
Looks like PSV will be playing 4-2-3-1. In switching out the 30s-somethings, van Aanholt and Ramalho, for two barely 20s-somethings, Teze and Boscagli, Bosz has gone for youth and mobility at the back. High-energy game in prospect. I hope we don’t miss Martinelli’s pace.
Benitez,
Teze, Boscagli, Bella-Kotchap, Dest,
Veerman, Schouten,
Bakayoko, Saibari, Lang,
De Jong
Nice settler from Saka in the first 10 minutes and we’ve been great ever since.
Many happy returns us, hahahaha.
Great result, top class finishing and a « we’re back » message of a result.
They aren’t a bad side but we were too good. Love that we can bring on a sub
of Jorginho’s quality at 4-0 up with 15 minutes to go 🙂
That was more of a romp in the rain than I had expected.
What a pleasure, too, to see two sides both wanting to play football and the one in blue not be Everton.
unless we find the net, VAR-unimpeded, four times or more.
Pre-scient, Ned.
Great and comfortable win. Now for Sunday.
Yeah, great set-up for Sunday though that will be a whole different game.
I hope you profited richly by it, Ollie.
Sunday will be a whole different game, indeed, but there was a feeling to the performance today that a lot of things came together as they hadn’t really yet, and we have finally got the season going.
What Ned said @27. The CL season is off and running to be sure. Let’s keep that momentum rolling right through Sunday. Havertz looked good. High level performances all around, as we should certainly expect.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>