Valiant Arsenal fall short in Paris
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The only way to score is, of course, to play with a hand-break-off. Hello, I'm Ian Stone and this is Hand-Break-Off, the Arsenal podcast brought to you by The Athletic. Well, the Arsenal lost 2-1 to PSG at the Parc des Princes last night to go out of the Champions League 3-1 on aggregate to reflect Arsenal.

on the result and look ahead to our game against Liverpool at the weekend. I'm joined by Adrian Clark and James McNicholas. Morning. Morning, Ian. Good morning. Morning. Yeah, I hesitate to say good morning, but there you go. Hey, James, you watched the game at the Emirates last night, didn't you? Did you enjoy that experience? I mean, aside from the game itself. Yeah, it was quite good, actually. They opened up a load of the bars on club level. They had a few big screens, brass band. You got a free drink with your ticket. So they made a thing of it and it was a good atmosphere, actually.

Certainly right up until the very end anyway, at which point obviously...

It's had a bit sour for the obvious reasons. Well, quite. There was a mate of mine texted me and said, there's a rumour that you're coming to the Emirates. And I thought, well, one, who's coming up? I mean, this was about quarter past seven last night. I was pacing about in my lounge. I didn't sit down, to be honest, for most of the game. Apparently, there were some people who left the inter game early the other day as well. And then they couldn't get back in when inter equalised. Do you know what? Good.

Good is what I say. We've talked about this before, Adrian. You ever left early from an event and then regretted it? Not in a football sense because I'm normally working. I think if I have to leave early when I'm working, that might reflect badly. Adrian, post-game thoughts. Where's he gone? Yeah, that wouldn't work really. The one thing that comes to mind, I did go to a gig. Back in my single days, I went to a gig. I think it was Court. It was Kaiser Chiefs or something like that. And I left early.

I was on a date and, you know, early days on that particular sort of relationship. And yeah, we decided to call it quits long before I predict a riot. I was kind of on a promise, I guess. I guess that's the best way to put it. It was like, let's just get out of here, shall we? All right. Okay. Well, you know, fair enough. Really? I mean, there's no... I would have liked to have seen them sing that song, you know, or a few of their big ones that they'd saved to the end, but I never made it. God.

Got to be honest, I have a number of questions, none of which are suitable for the podcast. So, James, ever left early? You don't leave early, do you? I try not to. I mean, this one that I sort of, that stands out, I was watching in a pub and it was the 2014 FA Cup final. And I had a show at Brighton Fringe Festival that I was performing in that afternoon.

And I knew I was going to have to leave at halftime, whatever happened. I actually ended up leaving, I think, about five minutes before halftime. So it was still 2-0 down. We were at that point in time to remind me, who did we beat? Hull. Hull, that's it. Yeah. Hull City. I was long gone. And then I remember just before I went on stage, someone texted me saying, you know, Cazorla scored a free kick before halftime. I was like, okay, we've got a chance. And then I came off stage to discover that we'd won. So...

In a way, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe I was the problem. I was going to say, maybe slope away earlier on next time, next time we're in a Champions League semi-final. Yeah, I just don't leave early from games. I mean, work is obviously an issue, of course. I did, no, I actually, I take that back. I went to see Man City Wigan in the cup final when Wigan somehow scored in very...

Humid conditions, I remember. And Wigan scored and I left straight away because I had to be at the comedy store about 25 minutes later. And somehow I ran down towards Wembley Park and somehow made it. People needed entertaining, all right? I mean, I make no apologies. PSG 2, Arsenal 1. I sent Robbie, our producer, a message after the game. I said...

We didn't do enough over two legs. We didn't have enough off the bench. We had some missed chances and made mistakes at both their goals. We needed to score first. The lack of a striker really evident. And Donnarumma, the difference between the two sides. And I was going to add, did I mention the striker? Is that a pod over? Is that it down? Did I miss anything, Adrian? I mean, I thought that we didn't do enough over two legs was a bit harsh when I read it back. But what do you think about that? I'm torn over it. I'm conflicted because...

I actually felt that we played very, very well in the game, in the second leg. I mean, in the first leg, we weren't anywhere near our best. There were clear flaws in the team, but we still created good chances and we didn't take them. In this game, I liked so much of what we did in this game, the positive intent, the boldness. We had to play this way.

It's not the way to beat PSG, really, by being as risky as we were. But we had to because of the game state. And a fast start was absolutely imperative. And boy, did we make a fast start. It couldn't have been any sharper. We couldn't have been more confident. No. And we were very, very unlucky not to score.

And then, just like in the first leg, a terrible time to concede a goal. First leg, atmosphere's up, bang, they score, pin in the balloon. This one, after that fast start, the plan would have been, all right, we've thrown everything at it, let's regroup, settle in, get our breath back and we'll go again. But we stay in the game. And then, of course, they score just at that point.

which leaves us with absolutely no choice but to carry on flying at them. And that was always going to come with risk, especially against a team as good as PSG. So the timing of the goals was poor. But I think overall, we played well. But all your points are valid, of course, and we'll get through them, I'm sure. James, was that not that first 27 minutes just a microcosm of the season, really? We start...

I mean, it's not always the way it goes, but the way that we started, we really went for them. We missed chances.

And then I was going to say the first time, but the second time they went up the other end because they did also hit the post as well. And that's for Skellier, some player. But, you know, we're completely on top. And then against the run of play, they go and score down the other end. Yeah, I mean, the start was superb. And I think we had to score really in that period. When you have a period of dominance like that with the chances that you create,

I think you've got to capitalise and we didn't. I really enjoyed the start, don't get me wrong, and I thought it was excellent from Arsenal. But I did think maybe they didn't have to chase quite as hard as they did at times. You know, it was still only one goal. They only needed to score one goal on the night to potentially go through. And I did think that as much as I liked the sort of dynamism and physicality, intensity, the pressing...

One thing you always worry about with PSG is giving them room on the break. And it suited them in a way to be able to sit deep and hit us on the counter-attack in those situations. But yeah, when I think about the game this morning, you know, I know Saka obviously had a great chance late on. There are other moments, brilliant saves from Donnarumma clawing away that Saka curled effort towards the top corner.

But it's those chances in that first 20 minutes or so, and maybe even first 10, 15 minutes, you know, Declan Rice's header, the ball that drops to Gabriel Martinelli in the box that is too close to Donnarumma, the superb save he produces to deny Martin Odegaard. I just, I have the feeling that a goal there might have turned the whole tie on its head.

Yeah. I tell you what, before we carry on, let's hear the thoughts of Amy Lawrence this morning, who was out in Paris for the match last night. Good morning, handbreakers. It's Amy here. I'm sorry I'm not around to be on the pod, but about to head for the Eurostar to come home, reflecting a little bit with some sadness, but also quite a lot of positive feelings, strangely, about this Champions League adventure. I think...

When you're in this kind of elite, high caliber, best of the best sort of situations, and I think this last four in Europe is comprised for excellent teams. You do need things to go a little bit for you. You need the wind at your back. So you need just that little stroke of good fortune where things fall a centimeter one way or the other.

or a door slides this way rather than that way. I think Arsenal broadly had that against Real Madrid in the last round, and you need that when you're up against maybe an idea or a team or a situation where you know it's going to be a bit tough, you know that what you're up against is outstanding in certain ways and will be a big test and challenge.

And after the first leg, it definitely felt to me like Arsenal didn't have those little bits of good fortune they needed during the game. And it also felt a little bit like looking at the last four teams that because of all the circumstances that have afflicted Arsenal this season, maybe unsurprisingly, they are a little bit undercooked compared to the levels being shown by Arsenal.

Paris Saint-Germain at times and Inter and Barca whose semi-final was clearly electrifying. That being said, Arsenal still did so much that they can take heart from in competing, in making sure that it was seriously fine margins and in ensuring that the man of the match probably over both ties.

was maybe Gigi John Aruma, which is an indicator that there wasn't a chasm or a gulf and that it was these fine margins and these details and these little bits of luck that, you know, they can be hugely decisive in these epic battles. I think that we all know what Arsenal need to do next. I think everybody accepts, and probably in the cold light of day when the club look back, if you're going into a game like this against Arsenal,

the best team in Europe, certainly one of them, who were almost full strength. Yes, Dembele didn't have the fitness required to start this game, but he did finish it and he made a big impression on the first act in London. It needed everything to go for Arsenal if you're going to play a semi-final with a converted midfield player.

with forward players who haven't been at their best form this season through injury or whatever circumstances have meant that it's been hard over playing or the things that have made it not flow. The momentum hasn't quite been there. It needed, you know, the deflections to all the things that hit the posts to fall for them a bit more than they did.

I think it'd be really hard to sit here and think, poor, poor Arsenal. You know, they're cursed. They should have gone through. Because we all know that Paris Saint-Germain are a really elevated team. They're probably the best they've ever been. Something has clicked for them under Luis Enrique. And with the support he mentioned in the press conference last night of how thankful he was that he feels he can do his job with everything he needs because he supplied that.

Let's remember that, yes, Arsenal didn't spend in January, but Mikel Arteta asked for reinforcements up front. He knew that that was needed. It didn't come. He understood the restrictions maybe or the gambles. Do we do it now or do we wait for exactly what we want? You know, are the players available? There was a bigger debate for the kind of end of season roundups, but...

Paris Saint-Germain merit their place in the final, as do Inter Milan. If you're one of those people who thinks you're a failure because you're not winning,

I'm not having that about Arsenal or Barcelona, who were vanquished in the semi-finals. Four great teams. You needed things for you to get through. And that's what happened for Paris Saint-Germain and Inter and not what happened for Arsenal and Barcelona, despite their best efforts. I will look back very fondly with, for most of this Champions League campaign, obviously Madrid was a highlight that will live long, long, long in the memory. But the away games in PSV scoring seven, at Sporting scoring five,

Going right back to the first game at Atalanta and David Raya's miracle double save was a great moment in a season where a lot of players have excelled. Declan Rice has grown into this tournament and his free kicks and that seizing the moment energy that he brought and intelligence, you know, marks him out as something as special as everyone thinks he is. But he can show that in the highest stages.

Miles Lewis Skelly's evolution over the course of this campaign against some unbelievably good players. Not his easiest night last night, but that's okay. He's been a wonder. Also, the friends and people I've met along the way, just quick shout out to, promised I'd say hello to some lovely listeners who came and we had a chat in the pub the night before the game from the North West Gooners and the North Wales Gooners. I hope you managed to have a great time

despite the result not being what everyone wants. I'm going to sign out now because I've got to leave. But Paris, I love this place. I've had some brutal moments here watching Arsenal going back to 1995 in the Parc de France, that very venue, 2006 in the Stade de France in the final of the Champions League. I do feel there's more to come from this team, though. I think with those...

Events in Paris, it felt more end of era-y. I don't feel that this time. I think this team will strengthen, will be fuelled.

And we'll improve and we'll come again. Enjoy the rest of the season, guys. See you. Yes, that was Amy in Paris. James, I mean, when she talks about the fact that we know what we have to do next and this game giving a good indication of what we have to do next, I mean, she's right, isn't she? I think so. I mean, Arsenal didn't really play particularly badly across these two legs, I don't think. I think, I mean, Miklátek was very...

wasn't he, about his team's performance. I think there was probably a bit of emotion in that. You know, I think it was actually two quite evenly matched teams and PSG had some difference makers, you know, some match winners. In the second leg, their goalkeeper certainly has to be classed in that category. But I do think when you look at their squad overall,

The degree of European experience, the degree of experience at the highest, highest level of Champions League, the depth they have in certain areas. When you factor in the injuries for us, I think we're probably not quite there yet. And I maintain that if we had got to a Champions League final or indeed won it, we would have been ahead of schedule, really. I think this is only our second year back in the competition. So I think, you know, it's frustrating, it's disappointing, but it's also...

understandable you know the margins at this level are so fine look at Barcelona look at the season they've had and they're out at this stage there's no shame in that whatsoever so yeah we need to improve as we do every summer as we do every season because I think it's not just about the Champions League I think the Premier League is shaping up to be very interesting next year you know if Liverpool can kick on if City can kick on it's going to be very competitive and I'm sure those conversations were happening even before last night's game

And Adrian, I'm sure you'd agree with that analysis. She also mentioned the fact that France is not particularly a happy hunting ground for us. I've seen two finals in France, both of which we lost. Painful. Painful. Even if I think about it. Yeah. Yeah, it's tough. I was at the Cup when it was Cup 1. That was disappointing. I actually played in the squad for the next game. We turned up at Stamford Bridge, I remember. Yeah.

David Seaman getting absolute power. About a thousand Chelsea fans got there early just to welcome him. Did they? As the coach pulled in to Stamford Bridge, all these fans going, whoa, like this, falling backwards into sort of an imaginary empty net and...

Yes, I was bunkied, got hammered, to be fair. It was quite funny. Yeah, and obviously that was before they bought their titles. But anyway... Oh, as in Chelsea, yeah, you're right. Yeah. So, yeah, no, Paris not a happy hunting ground. Yeah, them. But look, it was fine margins, you know. I think PSG are a really good team. And, like, I think they're a better team than Inter Milan. I think, actually...

ourselves and PSG are two of the most rounded sides in the Champions League this season. This is the highest level of football you can get, in my opinion. It's higher than the World Cup. The Champions League, the back end of the Champions League is as high level football as there is in the world. And we created enough chances to score six goals. You know, certainly across the two legs. I'd say certainly three or four in the game at the Parc des Princes. And

So we can take heart and encouragement from that. There's not that much wrong with the team. The manager has built something very, very impressive. But we're not quite perfect yet. We're not quite there. And I think we all know what we need. I think a tie like this crystallizes our shortcomings,

Certainly in attack, that made the difference over the two legs. At centre forward, for sure. Maybe at left wing, where I think we fell a little bit short in terms of the end product.

at the heart of the midfield, the base of the midfield. And of course, obviously, you know, centre-back, you know, we've got our main man missing really, haven't we? So, but I think central midfield, left wing and striker, I think we all agree that that is where we need to strengthen. And for me, in this match and over the two legs, that's where we fell short. I think the rest of the team is in a very good place. Come see us, though. Come see us, though. Come see us, though.

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James, when Donnarumma saved that one from Saka in the second half, that was the moment when you went, it's not happening tonight, isn't it?

Yeah. And the way where I thought it might happen is actually when Donnarumma was down receiving treatment. Oh, yeah. I think that was a bit of gamesmanship from him because they were on the ropes at that time. They were. You bought a few precious minutes for them to kind of get their heads together. But every Arsenal fan around me was hoping it was a legitimate injury and that he might get off the pitch. Because, yeah, the save from Saka...

The one that he tips away from the top corner is brilliant. The one from Odegaard, I think, is an outstanding save as well. Yeah, it was a really brilliant save. And he made two in the first leg as well, didn't he? Yeah. I mean, let's be fair. Yeah, no, he's massive and he used that whole frame and it was obvious he was going to have a big game. That being said...

A couple of crosses where a centre forward, and this is absolutely no slight on Mikel Moreno because, my God, he's done a great job in there. But, Adrian, you know the ones as well. We all watched them. Saka put those balls in and there's no one making a run across the front of that defender. That's what strikers do. Exactly. And we're way short in that department. We've all said it. You know, every Arsenal supporter has said it.

since, I don't know, the last two or three years. And unfortunately, it kind of hasn't properly been addressed yet. And we have to address it this summer. We have to get a killer inside the box. Didn't we say this last year? No, we say it all the time, I think. But this year it has to happen. There can be no...

you know, it has to be the utmost priority. I actually think we probably need two strikers. You know, Havertz is very, very good when he's fit and available, but even he's not what you'd call a killer penalty box guy. I think we need a couple, one that has to be elite top end. So, and look, I genuinely think if one of them had been in our starting 11 across the semifinals, it would have at least gone to penalties. We'd have been that much closer. So,

So it made the difference. And I think Arteta's post-match quotes sort of spoke volumes about what he thought about that as well. James, do you agree? I mean, because I've argued on this podcast that that Liverpool team from a few years ago where they had Mane on one side and Salah on the other and Firmino in the middle. Firmino is not what you call a killer striker, but the two on the wing were so good that they made up for Firmino's lack of goals, even though he did get a fair few that season.

Do you not think that if Kai Havertz is the guy that Mikel Arteta wants, that he's more likely to buy someone on the left wing to replace Gabriel Martinelli? Maybe. I mean, yeah, what you'd say is Firmino wasn't prolific, but Mane and Salah really were. Yes. And to a degree that...

I'm not even sure Bakayosaka quite matches, certainly in Salah's productivity in terms of goals output. Certainly on the left wing, we're some way short of what Mane offered. So I'd like to see both actually. I mean, you've said a wide man. No, both. Adrian said two centre-forwards. I think a centre-forward and a wide forward is what we need really. And maybe, you know, they don't necessarily have to start every single game, but we just need that variety, depth, quality. You know, PSG...

They lost Dembele from their front three and I don't think you could really tell, frankly. They still carried a lot of threat. They carried a lot of threat and we just haven't got the numbers in that part of the pitch. So, and it's the part of the pitch that matters most. You know, I knew exactly what Mikel Arteta would say. He'd talk about efficiency in boxes. Yes. And that is what he said and

You know, PSG, if you look at the course of the tie over two legs, probably scored their goals from chances you wouldn't really necessarily expect them to take. And we missed, I don't know, half a dozen chances that you would expect a team of our quality to take. And yes, the goalkeepers are a factor in that. But, you know, we have to take some ownership of that too. And more killers...

I think would take this team to another level. Okay. I mean, obviously we'll do the inquest on the season at some point because, to be honest, we've got a massive game at the weekend and we do have to get something from the last three games. A few mistakes in there. I mean, I guess you'd expect that, Adrian, at this level, really. I mean, these...

And we have to keep saying it. We're up against an extremely good team who may well be European champions in a few weeks. And we pushed them pretty close. I don't think we deserved to lose last night, even if over two legs they were maybe marginally a better team. But we did make some mistakes. You know, William Saliba gave the ball away. Kivior was left flat-footed and they, you know...

great saving tackle from Declan Rice later in the game. Miles Lewis Skelly, let's not forget he's only 18 years old and when he does that stuff in the middle of the pitch you think, oh my God. And most of the time he comes out with it and I love his confidence. We're not going to cut out mistakes, are we?

We're a young team. Don't forget PSG were a younger team than us. Yes, they got the experience of Donnarumma and Hakimi and Marquinhos, but the rest of that team are pretty young. The average age was 24. I think as a combined average, the

The two sides was the youngest combined average in a Champions League semi-final since 1995 when Ajax, the great Ajax team came through against Bayern Munich. So, you know, these were two exciting young teams that might well meet again in the latter stage of this competition next year, the year after. I actually thought that this morning. I thought they could play in the final. Yeah, exactly. In terms of mistakes, yeah. Because of the way we had to play, the game state,

We had to risk it a little bit. We had to put more men forward than we really wanted to. But we did get joy winning it high. But what it meant was that every time there was a loose pass, they were at us. And that isn't the way you want to play PSG. But we kind of had to, in my opinion. Did you like us playing that way though, Adrian? I enjoyed it. Because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. As much as I could enjoy the game. I really like to watch them play like that. And I think...

Listen, this is called handbrake off this podcast. I think there have been occasions when we played a bit of handbrake on, right? And I much prefer what I saw last night. Yeah, and look, PSG have got some amazing players that can punish you. It's not the way. If it was a final, we wouldn't have played that way.

But chasing the tie, we had to. That's where I'm at. But yeah, mistakes will happen. Could we have been a bit more careful with the ball? Maybe. Certainly in certain examples. If you look at the two key goals, the big ones really, the first leg...

You've got Declan Rice who's been brilliant, gets drawn towards Kvarch-Gellier, leaves Dembele, scores. It's a great finish. It's just a decision, but that's the fine line. And in this game, the key goal really was the second, wasn't it? Where Thomas Partey dawdles, you know, just thinks he's got more time. Thinks he's got more time than he's got on the edge of the box. And at this level, you just haven't. And they punish us. That in a nutshell is why we're out, you know?

As well as the mischances, it's those two little moments where we didn't make a good decision. And they're two experienced players, two really top players. You know, that's what you're working with. That's why having a killer in front of goal gets you out of jail. It affords you more mistakes because you've got someone who can salvage things. And unfortunately, that's where we fell short this year. It's where we fell short last year against Bayern Munich. We look lightweight up front. So it has to be addressed.

James, what do you think about the adventurous way that we played? I mean, Adrian's right, of course, that we were not playing this way if we take a one-goal lead into this game or even if it's 0-0.

I want to see Arsenal unleashed in this way. I mean, obviously the two fullbacks are both stepping into the middle of the pitch to give us an overload in terms of numbers, but it does leave us a bit vulnerable to the break. And there were a couple of heart and mouth moments when you thought, oh my God, we're going to get caught out here. But I really enjoyed watching them play. And I think they get a little bit more slack from people out there, from the fans, if they played this way more often. Yeah, it was a little bit of a different face of Arsenal. I think even if you look at sort of the

The amount of crosses Arsenal put into the box, the way we were utilising the long throw. Clearly they'd identified areas they could get at PSG and there was this very specific game plan for this match. But I agree, it was really dynamic and entertaining and we played at a faster tempo. You know, kind of reminded me of

sort of 10-20 years ago when Premier League teams would take that sort of intensity into Champions League games and sometimes teams would struggle to live with it PSG who'd look so composed in that first leg I mean it was almost a flip of that first half hour where they could not get on the ball I think I remember looking at the clock and it was about 14-15 minutes before they could even put about five passes together yeah Arsenal were just absolutely all over them and

It was a really, really dominant spell. Luis Enrique said that they suffered the most in this match for all season. And I believe him. James, you touched on it as well, by the way. Do you agree with Mikel Arteta's comments? I mean, he asked the PSG bench and they said we were much better than them. I mean, there was a bit of emotion in all that. But that is certainly an analysis you can take from the game, isn't it? That we were sort of all over them for the first half an hour.

We were in that first half hour. I think we certainly were even with them for the majority of the first leg. It's really fine margins. That's the mad thing about analysing these big games is that, you know, effectively it's kind of the end of our chances of silverware. It's almost the end of our season. And so there's a temptation to reach all these grand conclusions, but actually...

It's just such fine margins. I mean, a shot going the other side of the post could have been the difference to the whole tie, really. And I think there's a lot to be encouraged by for Arteta and his staff. And I do think when he watches it back...

He might give a bit more credit to PSG than he did in his post-game, but I do think he'll retain a lot of that belief that this is a side that can compete for major honours in Europe. They have so many of the attributes required. They have the structure, the physicality. I think they have the mental side as well. I know that that gets questioned outside the club, but I don't really question the application or the desire or the motivation of this group at all.

I just think it's that sort of sprinkling of stardust, that little bit of extra quality in the final third that is the missing ingredient at this point in time. Adrian, you want to say something there? I just think online last night, there's a lot of doom and gloom. And I understand that because we're out and the season's over. People are fed up and they're looking to be critical. And I totally understand that. But I just think

I would just urge people to just think about what they're seeing. Think about what they're seeing at the moment. And at what level they're seeing it, by the way. Exactly that. I cast my mind back to early Arteta days where we would play a Liverpool or a City and we wouldn't even get the chance to play a PSG or a Real Madrid. We were nowhere near it. We'd play a Liverpool or a City and we'd have five at the back and 11 men behind the ball. We'd have 30% possession and probably three or four shots in the game and hope for the best.

Look where we are now, taking the fight to probably the best team in the world at the moment and largely outplaying them and creating quality chances and being within a whisker of reaching the Champions League final. There is not a lot wrong with this team. It just needs supplementing with quality.

key players in key parts of the pitch tactically in terms of the fluidity of the team the attitude the quality we are at the highest level now and we shouldn't forget that all right

I mean, do you not agree? No, no, I entirely agree. But I'm also aware that there are people listening going, you said this last season. And not you, Adrian, I'm saying as a group. And we have been saying it a while. And it doesn't always follow that teams who get close then take the final step. There have been a number of great teams who haven't taken the final step. I mean, I'm certainly of a mind...

and you know this, to give it another season and go, yeah, go on then, buy a couple of players and then let's see what we do. But we have been waiting a while now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next season's a biggie, a huge one for this team. And I do remember saying that last year as well. James, anything to add to what Adrian said there? Yeah, I mean, I think that some of the emotion that pours out after a game like that is understandable. When you're in the league and you're in the race for the league,

you kind of lose it slowly. Do you know what I mean? It's death by a thousand cuts, but you go out of a cup, it's one big blow, isn't it? And I think most Arsenal fans that I spoke to had certainly persuaded themselves that there was a real chance in this second leg, despite the deficit, that it was close enough that it could be overhauled. So I think there's a lot of disappointment around. And the players believe it as well, didn't they? 100%. I mean, in the first five minutes of the game,

All I could think was... They've turned up. Yeah. They are absolutely bought in. I mean, Declan Rice said it in the pre-match press conference. He

He was like, you know, we think we can do this. And whatever motivational tactics Arteta had employed had absolutely worked. I mean, every single one of those players was convinced this is happening. And you could see that in the performance. And that leads to them being devastated at the final whistle. Crying, tears in the dressing room. Arteta spoke about players being in tears. In terms of sort of the project and the manager and all that stuff, nothing really changes for me. I think he's doing a really good job. I think you can make the case that

He's done a particularly good job this season, given some of the limitations and the setbacks that he's suffered in terms of getting this far in the Champions League. I know the Premier League performance has tailed off a bit. If I have any concern, it only relates to the players. You need to hope that the players retain that conviction that they will win things at Arsenal because we have players in that group who,

I'm thinking of people like Bakayosaka, William Saliba, Declan Rice, who absolutely need and deserve to win the biggest prizes in their career. The only thing that ever sort of gives me pause for thought is like, what's the clock on that? Do you know what I mean? Like at what point do they have to look at that and think, can I still do it here? But I don't think there's any reason really this season for them to look around and think it's not achievable at Arsenal. And my only concern is,

with Michel Arteta who I rate massively as we all do is turning things around in matches when it's not going our way that is definitely an area that he can develop and improve on can he sometimes find see the picture and make a change that changes the course of a match I think sometimes when we're one year down we haven't been able to do that maybe often enough everything else about what he's doing I think is fantastic so yeah we just got to hope next year

this team can deliver. And more long throws, I think we all agree. Love those long throws. As many long throws. We nicked that off Bournemouth, didn't we? We saw that and we thought, we'll have a go at that.

I honestly thought there was going to be a towel somewhere down the side of the Parc de France. I was genuinely thinking, Tony Ploulis is sitting here right now going, God, finally, finally they've listened. They've seen the light. And to be fair, the first two we almost scored from. When Thomas Partey is trotting over there in the 93rd minute, I thought, maybe change it up a bit because that's taken half a minute for you to get over there at this point. Um,

And also, the other thing I want to mention was Ethan Waneri. He's got more goals than most of the Arsenal squad this year. I'm surprised he didn't get on, Adrian. I know that things were flowing pretty smoothly, but just, he is a game changer and that's what we're talking about. Yeah, no, look, he'll get his chances. Yeah, I think he just went slightly off the boil and Mikel Arteta maybe just sensed that. He sees him in training. I think maybe the slight 5% drop in his...

levels has just seen him sort of consigned to more of a bit part role at the end of this season but he'll be back and I think he'll probably be competing quite fiercely with Martin Erdegaard over the next 12 months and I would like to see that I would really like to see that I want them to push each other especially if Ethan keeps scoring because it means that Martin has to deliver he has to keep scoring otherwise he has to score or make goals for fun otherwise he'll lose his spot so yeah it's a big year for Martin Erdegaard because he's got competition

now one great shot one time when he should have shot and pretty much the entire Arsenal universe yelling shoot at him when he didn't and he laid it off um we'll have plenty more time to talk about what's missing and what we need to do for next season in a short while but before that we've still got three league games to go and the first one is coming up on Sunday a difficult assignment away at Anfield and we'll talk about that after the break this is hand break off

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Ian Stone, James McNicholas and Adrian Clarke here on the Athletics Arsenal podcast. Handbrake off. Liverpool away at Anfield Sunday at 4.30. James, we had high hopes for this game earlier in the season. We were talking about...

you know, squeezed in between just after a Champions League semi-final and we go on a high and we take the title off them with 15 points behind them at the moment. It's a long way. But we need points from this game. We need to take it to them. And I have faith in these boys, to be honest. But how are you feeling about Sunday? Have you not really thought about it yet? Yeah, I'm just sort of coming around to it, really. I think I've been a bit guilty of focusing on the Champions League, understandably. We've got three games left, haven't we? And I think...

Certainly on paper, two of them looked quite tough. Anfield away, host Newcastle, who've got it all to play for as well. And a relaxed Southampton. Well, yeah, who knows? Yeah, maybe they'll turn the corner finally against us. I hope not. I think it is a big game, Liverpool. I just think it's sort of important just for the mood of the supporters, really. I do think that if Arsenal sort of really continue this sort of diminuendo they've been suffering a bit in the Premier League,

It might make for quite a gloomy finish to the season. So I hope they can produce something. But you've got to remember, this is the Liverpool side that they've already won the league. As much as we might look at our league performances and say, has the focus been absolutely right? Have we been at the right level? They were beat handsomely by Chelsea the other day, weren't they? And perhaps they have taken their eye off Liverpool.

the boil a little bit too. So hopefully that works for us and we can get something there. Yeah. In terms of the supporters, Adrian, that James just mentioned there, there's a nice shot of the supporters all singing We Love You Arsenal at the end of the game last night. And I hope they take that. The away fans are amazing and they travel in such large numbers and so regularly. But I hope all the fans have that sort of sense.

you know, try and help the players a little bit because it's a difficult moment when you go out and have a big competition. This is an important game. I know people saying season over, but it's not. I mean, it really isn't. We have got three important games to play for the end of the season.

Definitely, yeah. No, the players will be feeling crushed this morning and, you know, but they've got to pick themselves up. But the supporters can help with that clearly and just give them lots of love and lots of support at Anfield, which I'm sure they will. I'd love to be going. I'd love to be going on Sunday just to tell them how much I love them. I think it's a good opportunity, isn't it, to... Look, Liverpool will try harder than they did at Chelsea. I mean, they were a virtue of non-tries in that game. That was pretty embarrassing. They just couldn't be bothered. They'll be bothered here.

Which is Sod's law. But wouldn't it be nice to turn them over at Anfield and just to remind them, you know, they're not the only team in town that we, you know, we're not finished, that we'll be back stronger next year. I would go strong with the team as long as, you know, everyone's feeling fine. I'd go with the strongest possible team.

and try to win the game, work really hard. I would actually kind of try and play like we did against PSG. Oh, yeah. Rock them onto their heels because they want to win at a canter. They want to like, they don't really want to overexert themselves. Let's just cruise to a comfy win. Let's just not allow that to happen. Let's get in their faces and,

push them back and make it a horrible 90 minutes for Liverpool and you know it's a win-win for us if we get a positive result doing that so yeah I'm kind of looking forward to it

Are you? I mean, I can't say, looking forward to it is not, I'm still trying to brush off. I'm looking forward to the prospect of that happening, but obviously that might not happen, in which case. Yeah. I'm just trying to brush off that feeling. I mean, I did wake up sad this morning. I have to be honest with you. And I'm sure the players feel absolutely devastated at,

to which a lot of people would say, good, they should be feeling devastated. And that's a good feeling because take that pain and use it in a positive way. I've got a mate, Russell Cain. Do you know him, James? Mm-hmm.

Russell, what he does is he gets a bad review and he takes the worst two words in that review and he calls his next show that, right? And I really like the idea of taking something negative and turning it into a positive. And that's what these boys have to do. Yeah, fingers crossed. And in terms of the team, yeah, I agree with Adrian. Put the strongest team we've got. It's not like we've got a huge amount of options. So...

Rest in the summer. As if to reiterate the point, right? I mean, to be honest, we're doing podcasts through the summer and I think most of the podcasts each week, we go, signed anyone yet? Have we got anyone yet? Who are you up to? Who's come through the door? But anyway, and we can discuss at a later date what we need. Just for the record, my son said a left-sided attacker, a main striker, a central attacking midfield player to give some competition to Martin Erdegaard and a holding midfield player as well. It's whether we can afford...

and get all of those, you know, some combination of that. Shall we have a song before we go? James, what have you got? I went for a sort of French-themed song. It's like a 1960s French pop icon called Claude Francois, and he's got a song called So Near and Yet So Far. So near and yet so far

Yeah, yeah. We get the idea. Very arty. Very arty, James. Very arty. Are you into that kind of thing? I bet he is, isn't he? Yeah, no, Adrian, I'm assuming you haven't gone from a French 60s pop singer. No, no chance. It's a bit route one, but I'm going to go with Cher, If I Could Turn Back Time.

Doesn't need explaining, but I think if we could turn back time and bring in the players that this team absolutely needed, then I think we'd be in the Champions League finalists. It is pretty much as simple as that. I'd also like to turn back time to that first half against PSG as well. So hopefully that makes sense. No, it does make sense. Although I do have a picture of Mikel Arteta sitting astride a massive gun on a battleship. But you know what? I'll try and get rid of that for me, Ed. I've gone for her.

Johnny Cash. I hurt myself today.

To see if I still feel It's pretty grim either way, but that's where I'm at at the moment. That's it for this edition of Hand Break Off. Thanks to Amy out in Paris. Thanks to Adrian and James. And thanks to Robbie, our producer. And thank you for listening as well, by the way, because I know it was painful. But you know what?

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