Arsenal pay the price for Arteta's choice

Poor finishing cost Arsenal.

On the morning of May 8, Arsenal lost to Paris Saint-Germain with a total score of 1-3 after two matches, thereby saying goodbye to their dream of winning the European championship.

Former player Martin Keown believes that manager Mikel Arteta's refusal to sign a quality striker in the mid-season transfer window cost Arsenal.

"As far as I know, the choice not to buy a striker was Arteta's," Keown told CBS . "Aston Villa offered Arsenal Ollie Watkins in January, but the manager ultimately didn't accept it."

Arsenal travelled to Paris with the aim of winning to advance to the Champions League final. However, that dream was shattered when the "Gunners" missed many good chances in the second leg of the semi-final.

By the end of the second half, when the score was 2-1 in favor of PSG (3-1 on aggregate), Bukayo Saka's unbelievable miss when facing an empty goal almost ended Arsenal's chance of a comeback.

Arsenal created plenty of chances, with 19 shots in total. But poor finishing cost them dearly. Shots from Rice and Mikel Merino were a shame. Because if a real striker had been given those chances, Arsenal could have scored.

"Look at Rice's header and Merino's late finish," Keown said. "Both of those shots came from positions where a good striker would score. How can Arsenal continue to rely on their midfielders to score goals?"

The lack of a true centre-forward has hurt Arsenal all season. The Gunners finished the 2024/25 campaign without winning any trophies. Mikel Arteta continues to face pressure after spending more than half a decade as manager at the Emirates without winning any major trophies, except for one FA Cup triumph.

Source: https://znews.vn/arsenal-tra-gia-vi-lua-chon-cua-arteta-post1551718.html