Arsenal lose at home to PSG | Usyk preparing for Dubois showdown
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making the headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm Dave Reed and joining me are Riyad Al Samourai and Henry Winter. Welcome to you both. Let's start then with tonight's headline across all of the Back Pages. Arsenal beaten by Goal to Nilf by PSG at the Emirates in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. We'll start by taking a look at the headlines.

the back page of the Guardian. Advantage PSG, Dembele strike leaves Arsenal with work to do. Riyadh, what was it that Arsenal didn't quite get right on the night? I think you can probably go into a number of areas. The first one I'd start with is were they a little bit overhyped? Not overhyped, were they a little bit hyperactive is what I mean. I think Arsenal

When we're talking about this occasion, I know Arteta's made a very sort of eloquent play on it in the build-up to it, in this sort of sense of occasion. The way Arsenal started that game, they were flying into it. I thought Timber was a little bit fortunate not actually to get an early booking. Certainly the goal after three minutes, I thought there was a little bit of...

Maybe chaos is too strong a word, but I don't think Declan Rice or Mourinho are going to look back on the footage terribly fondly on the goal. Look, we shouldn't forget, obviously, PSG are an absolutely fabulous side. You go through that entire team and it's hard to pick a fault. And

You know, it's necessary in these moments. We tend to be reactive to the result. We shouldn't forget Arsenal did have chances. If Donnarumma wasn't sort of

quite so excellent tonight. Maybe you were talking about an entirely different result and Arsenal taking advantage or at least being even going into the second leg. But no, I thought watching that this evening, I thought they were a little bit energetic at the start. Should we use that as a criticism? I thought it was an occasion that probably called for a little bit more composure from

than we saw. But again, you have to contextualize it. PSG, they're so quick. What is the correct way to play them? If you sit back against players who are that talented, that fluid, that fast, that sure in the touch,

you're inviting problems for yourself. You then step out and you're playing against a team which has got speed in every single area of the pitch. I was incredibly impressed by PSG more than critical of Arsenal this evening. Yeah, well, we'll talk a little bit more about Arsenal's chances, the performance of Donnarumma shortly, but I do want to just pick up on your point there, Riyadh, with Henry around Arsenal

The build-up to this game, obviously, Mikel Arteta has made a point of really speaking to supporters, saying, make it happen. There's been a terrific campaign from the club itself targeting social media users, really asking Arsenal supporters to get behind the club. Did it end up

Getting through to the players maybe a little bit too much and building up this occasion too much Is it even possible to do that for a Champions League? Semi-final and did the crowd respond and and how did you view how the crowd reacted once the PSG goal went in? Well, the crowd were clearly very good from you know, the absolutely right the atmosphere was built up I mean, it's it's a Champions League semi-final Arsenal sort of fed up with the taunts from rival fans and

whether it's Chelsea fans or the teams in the Midlands or in the North West who've won this great competition. And the fans want to have that as well. So you look at this picture of Trossard here. I mean, shock and awe. And I think there was definitely an element of awe. But how much of a big of shock it was

You know, we know how good PSG are. We know that midfield. How good is that for Tini, John Neves and Fabian Ruiz? And that front, I mean, that front three as well. I mean, you know, they are an outstanding team. So I don't think there was so much shock in terms of the quality that PSG played. But to come back to your point, were Arsenal overhyped? I mean, look, these are elite focused teams.

who kind of inhabit a bubble in the lead-up to matches. So I don't quite know. They'll have looked at social media briefly. They'll have understood the passion arising from the fans, and quite rightly so. But I think if you've seen PSG play in the flesh, the real noise, the main noise, often comes from the PSG fans, and you could see that. I think there were a couple of pictures that you put up earlier, and you could see in the background that,

the PSG ultras who are quite a lively bunch with a sort of slightly nasty sort of tweak to some of them. Yeah, look at that, the back page of the mirror. That kind of sums it up, that passion there. The flares, you know, the total noise, the total support for the team.

So I agree, maybe there was an element of, you know, the fans playing a part. But I just think with Arsenal, I mean, you know, they didn't have an out ball. The ball kept on coming back. They haven't got a number nine up there. Mourinho was obviously having to play deeper. And there's a lot of people, there was a very good piece in the Telegraph yesterday by Sam Dean, who was just making the point that Thomas Partey, you know, who foolishly got suspended in the Real Madrid game and was ineligible for this game,

You know, they missed him so much. And you could see, as Riyad was saying, you know, they were cut through that midfield in the first sort of three, four minutes with Dembele and Kvaradonu, as they called him in Napoli, Karacsela. And they just sort of cut through them. And Kompany... Sorry, not Kompany. Partey, Thomas Partey, would have been in that position in front of the back four. So, you know, it was...

It's not a complete shot, but maybe we should be a little bit in awe of this fantastic, fluid, attractive PSG team. Yeah, absolutely. Let's talk about the players that were missing then, Riyadh, for Arsenal. We mentioned Thomas Partey there. What did you make of Declan Rice in that deeper position? And did really, when you talk about Arsenal's squad depth, when they had Ethan Nwaneri and Raheem Sterling as the only really senior attacking options on the bench, did Arsenal's squad depth really show up this evening?

I think going to Henry's point there, I think the Thomas party was absolutely key and obviously incredibly unnecessary as well.

when you review the yellow card, he got against Real Madrid. But I thought Declan Rice generally played very well after the goal. You know, it's difficult to sort of draw a line at that point in the game. You know, it was the defining moment of the match. But I think with Rice, there's a couple of things I would like, you know, he's obviously had to play, he's obviously had to take a deeper position. I think when he plays further forward, it brings Odegaard forward.

more into the game. I think they've got a proper synergy there between them. I thought Odegaard didn't really turn up tonight. I thought that cost them as much as anything. And then going to Henry's other point as well about that lack of an outball, clearly it's been a problem for them

throughout the season with the injuries, the habits, but it's one they've brought on themselves through their recruitment strategy or rather their inability to provide any cover. So I think that was the key. I think that would have been the key issue more so than anything else that they lacked on the pitch. Again, I would reiterate a couple...

You know, a couple of superb saves aside, apart, Arsenal had chances to take something from that tonight. I don't think they would look at that on review and say they've done terribly badly. They've just run into a team where you couldn't afford to make a mistake. And again, to go through that PSG team, watching again tonight, Neves, I think he is an absolutely phenomenal player. It's still a position on the pitch which somehow...

We tend to overlook a little bit. Rodgers' Ballon d'Or corrects that narrative a little bit. But he is an incredible player. Nothing got passed in tonight. I thought he was brilliant. That has to be... Henry can probably answer this better than me, but is there a better midfield shelf?

football at this point. I love watching them. When you think what they're rotating it up to and you're knocking it forward to Dembele, you've got to do it. That is a fantastic team. I'm going to disappear on one small tangent here just because it's been such a talking point of is the Premier League, does it have the strength and depth? Is it a strong division? Have Liverpool had a walkover? Aston Villa, seventh in the Premier League. They beat

this team in a leg recently. I think, you know, it's just a point I would want to make. PSG are a truly exceptional side and it's an old point but one we should never get bored of making. They lost Mbappe and Messi and got better

At this stage, I'd make them favourites to win the tournament. Well, let's bring Henry in then on a couple of those points. First, the midfield and then also the forward line. I mean, the sun goes with bellyache. He's had an unbelievable season. I wonder where Ousmane Dembele sits for you in terms of Europe's best forwards.

Oh, he's absolutely up there, probably in the top three at the moment. But he was playing almost as a... Well, he was playing as a false nine, but a very real threat. And Arsenal struggled to sort of deal with his movement, particularly without a holding midfielder

of Thomas Partey's quality. I agree. I thought Declan Rice, he was the one who was trying to sort of drive Arsenal back into the game. Odegaard, I was really disappointed with. You know, he's the captain. He really should have been driving them on. It was really down to Declan Rice. But Dembele, I mean, the pace he's got. You know, if he's flying down the right or he's flying down the inside right channel or he's moving into the middle, he's obviously got all the, you know, so much pace outside him as well to pin the full backs down.

the Arsenal full-backs back, but, you know, absolutely outstanding player. I mean, Kyrgios has actually been pretty decent and, you know, he was excellent against Mbappe in the last couple of games against Real Madrid, stepping in for Gabriel, but it was difficult for him because Dembele was coming at him from a slightly deeper position. So, looking ahead to the second leg now, I mean, look, Arsenal have created chances in the first leg. They'll know that if they get an opportunity, they might well be able to take it. But, Riyad, what's the game plan in Paris for Arsenal?

They have to be more clinical. It's as simple as that. I think, again, going to our last two answers, Odegaard needs to turn up. I think so much about this team. We could start with the centre-half partnership. I think it's probably the best

in the Premier League, but that spine of the team goes through Rice, it goes through Odegaard and Saka is absolutely pivotal. Those are the guys who are going to need to turn up, but when they're needing a goal, you're going to need better finishing from Trossard, you're going to need better finishing from Martinelli. I don't

how it's going to be any easier. It's clearly going to be harder in Paris. Those fans there, I thought Henry was borderline kind to the atmosphere that they can create in Paris. They can actually be sort of outright nasty at times. So I think it's going to be fiery. The flares are going to be going off. They're going to have to really turn up and they're behind the eight ball right now.

Yeah, I mean, Arsenal will say they've coped with Madrid pretty well. You know, they can go away to big sides and do the job. Henry, does Partey come back in for you in the second leg? And does Mourinho kind of restore himself up front as the makeshift striker?

Yeah, definitely. That makes complete sense. And they also really had a chance ruled out for offside from a set piece, a very good ball in from Declan Rice. But I think if Arsenal didn't get anything, if they are going to get back in and get to the final...

they're going to have to do it through set pieces because PSG are not a particularly tall team apart from their goalkeeper, Donnarumma. So if you can actually work the set pieces to just sort of hit that danger zone, which Donnarumma probably doesn't want to stray into, and yet Arsenal can attack. And with Nicolas Gervais, their set piece coach, you know, he'd probably love to put one over on PSG. I think, you know, they may have a chance.

But when the ball is on the deck, when PSG are flying forward, particularly at home, as Riyadh rightly says, particularly with those fans, I mean, I've walked with them a couple of times before matches and you're completely right. You're looking for an out there.

and out very quickly with some of them because they are quite nasty. So the atmosphere there will be against Arsenal. But as you say, they went to the burnabout and they weren't intimidated with it there, but then they had the scores on their side. They did indeed. What do we think then? Do you think, Riyadh, that we've seen the Champions League winners at the Emirates tonight be at either side, I suppose?

Like I said, I'd make PSG the favourites. I think the stars have a

have a line for them but I do believe Arsenal have got a little bit more of a say to go in this match and again Real Madrid can probably testify to that let's turn our attention to the times then and talk boxing for a moment because Alexander Usyk and Daniel Dubois gearing up for their undisputed heavyweight title fight this summer at Wembley Stadium and uh the trash talk has started you have to say at the press conference where Dubois trainer has called Usyk a

saying that he deceived the referee over a controversial punch. This is referring to the first fight between the pair in August 2023 when Usyk hit the canvas, but it was declared a low blow by the referee. Usyk was given time to recover, eventually went on to win the fight in the ninth round against Dubois.

But the pair go head to head again at Wembley Stadium on the 19th of July. Riyadh, do you think the story around the first fight, do you think that will dominate the build up to this second fight? Or is this all going to be put to bed pretty quickly? I think it will. I also don't think it should. I think a fight between Dubois and Usyk is strong enough personally.

prospects all on its own, all of the belts on the table. But this is boxing. This is the world of madness. This is where

you know, you don't put a cap on how many sales you want to get. So the more talking is usually the way they choose to go. Look, it was an interesting sort of scenario a couple of years ago when they did fight. I must admit, I think I've watched that punch

upwards of 30 or 40 times to try and figure out if it was a low blow. What's the position of the shorts in relation to the belly button? Okay, I'm not going to be too graphic. Forensic detail from you there, Riyadh. Forensic, I love it. Yes, but look... Don't show us on the camera, though. Don't show us on the camera.

No, quite. Look, you can get very anatomical about it and what have you. Now, I am still unsure whether or not it was a low blow. So how anyone can go and be utterly certain, as both sides have been, it was a low blow. No, it wasn't a low blow, et cetera, et cetera. What is in...

sort of indisputable, not at all disputable, is the fact that it completely changed the fight. Usyk dominated before that punch. He dominated after that punch. It could have changed the course of heavyweight history had it been ruled a legal punch. So I would understand Dubois'...

sort of objections to it. To call Usyk a cheat, as his trainer Don Charles has, that also feels sort of a wild overstep, shall we say. But, you know, look, I...

I do see the controversy in it. I do very much predict that they will talk incessantly about this punch until the fight. But, you know, we probably don't need to overlook the fact that since that fight, Usyk has twice beaten Tyson Fury. Daniel Dubois has smashed Anthony Joshua inside five rounds. So this is a fight which is compelling enough as it is without the name calling and...

without the obvious sort of spice that they're going to look to add. Yeah, and there's a long way to go until we get to July as well. So it will run and run up until fight night, I'm sure. Talking of heavyweights, though, Marcus Rashford could be a heavyweight mover in the transfer market this summer, away from Manchester United. The back page of the Eye talking about Barcelona keen on Rashford for the summer, but only at a reduced price or a cut price deal. And The Sun talking about potentially Marcus Rashford...

comfortable taking a pay cut in order to join Barcelona in the summer. Henry, I wonder, do you think that Manchester United might have to make a compromise when it comes to Marcus Rashford's fee this summer?

Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting point. I mean, they clearly want him out for reasons of PSR and for Amarin's tactics, which he clearly doesn't feel that Rashford fits into a sort of 3-4-2-1 system. I think the story is also on the back page of the mirror as well. And it's clearly in Rashford always sort of focuses a lot of attention. I mean, if you're a Barcelona fan, you'll think, well, Rashford is a fantastic player, but Rafinha has been playing so well for them.

out in that position. You just wonder, so would Rashford actually get in? I mean, I think it's encouraging that, look, he clearly wants to play. He clearly wants to be in the World Cup squad. He's spoken about that.

And, you know, Tuchel's already called him up for a couple of games, remembers how well he played for Manchester United against Tuchel's PSG team. But he needs to be delivering it. It's unfortunate that he seems to have injured his hamstring and he's not going to play for Villa for the rest of the season. So they've got to make a decision as well. I mean, I think throughout his dream move has been to Barcelona because, you know, if you're at Manchester United, even a struggling Manchester United, really, where do you go?

that is not necessarily a step down. So yeah, I'm sure he would like Barcelona. I'm sure, you know, he's on substantial money and the important thing at his age, 27 and with a world cup coming up is for him to, to play, to embed himself in a team. And also I think if you know Rashford, he, he plays best when he's got people around him, whether it's the, the family, um,

whether it's people like John McGinn, who's just so good backstage at Aston Villa, welcoming new players, whether on loan or permanent. Obviously, the whole trend. Obviously, you and I, Emery. I mean, I hope he stays at Villa, but obviously they've got Ollie Watkins there and all the sort of issues around that. But I think that, you know, when he plays, he's shown how good he can be for Aston Villa. But clearly, I mean, the one thing I think everyone accepts in all this is he's not going to play for Manchester United again. Yeah.

Yeah, and I guess, Riyadh, when we're talking about options for Rashford, if he's not going to play for Manchester United and we hear he wants to play Champions League but maybe not for a London club, his options are slimming down in this country. So you think maybe a club abroad might be able to do the deal, but given the finances that Premier League clubs and the muscle that Premier League clubs have, it feels unlikely that a club on the continent might be able to match the kind of money that is available for him in this country.

Yeah, look, obviously the pay, the sort of level of salary he's on is an absolutely massive deterrent for people out there. I mean, I think we've all seen that he's rejuvenated himself. He's proven himself to an extent at Aston Villa, but we're still talking about a very limited sample size compared to the...

compared to the sort of difficulties that preceded it. Clearly, he is a very, very fine player. He would be in the kind of form he's in now. I'd love to see him stay at Aston Villa. I think the fact that the last Deloitte sort of financial league table that came out, I think it was showing them spending something crazy towards sort of upwards of 95% of their

their turnover on wages, I can't see any feasible way that they'd be able to make it a permanent without doing some very extreme cuts elsewhere in their squad. Barcelona, for me, for Rashford's point of view, with Rafinha there, I think that's a very difficult move. I don't think he doesn't want to jump from one bench to another.

So he's in an interesting position. But I think certainly since going over from United, we've seen a little bit of the old Marcus Rashford. It's been fantastic. So I'd hope he gets that chance. Yeah.

OK, well, next for Aston Villa, it's Fulham this weekend in the Premier League. That is the early kick-off. Doesn't seem like Marcus Rashford will be fit enough, given what Unai Emery has said recently with that hamstring injury. Riyad, Henry, thanks so much for your time here on Back Pages tonight.