The Prague Post - Arsenal fall short again as striker woes haunt Arteta

EUR -
AED 4.123274
AFN 78.845557
ALL 97.596257
AMD 436.974451
ANG 2.02326
AOA 1027.1838
ARS 1248.909706
AUD 1.7531
AWG 2.023496
AZN 1.904973
BAM 1.943087
BBD 2.264376
BDT 136.254018
BGN 1.955818
BHD 0.423127
BIF 3336.236092
BMD 1.122605
BND 1.454157
BOB 7.749403
BRL 6.380212
BSD 1.121507
BTN 95.956053
BWP 15.196322
BYN 3.669572
BYR 22003.064713
BZD 2.252672
CAD 1.563194
CDF 3227.490444
CHF 0.932728
CLF 0.027547
CLP 1057.101308
CNY 8.111217
CNH 8.133119
COP 4773.508759
CRC 569.993659
CUC 1.122605
CUP 29.749042
CVE 109.552642
CZK 24.931981
DJF 199.509615
DKK 7.460807
DOP 65.931287
DZD 148.903709
EGP 56.83201
ERN 16.83908
ETB 151.16208
FJD 2.549101
FKP 0.841184
GBP 0.846703
GEL 3.092773
GGP 0.841184
GHS 14.803347
GIP 0.841184
GMD 80.266662
GNF 9711.849423
GTQ 8.627974
GYD 234.647216
HKD 8.726595
HNL 29.134555
HRK 7.536947
HTG 146.74255
HUF 405.666347
IDR 18575.41382
ILS 4.007319
IMP 0.841184
INR 96.579927
IQD 1469.146981
IRR 47275.71699
ISK 146.668232
JEP 0.841184
JMD 177.985528
JOD 0.796263
JPY 163.578751
KES 144.950604
KGS 98.172275
KHR 4490.699555
KMF 486.662581
KPW 1010.318113
KRW 1576.244573
KWD 0.344595
KYD 0.934639
KZT 579.189026
LAK 24236.619088
LBP 100481.044293
LKR 335.54618
LRD 224.295531
LSL 20.405993
LTL 3.314762
LVL 0.679053
LYD 6.125172
MAD 10.360035
MDL 19.316535
MGA 5027.354783
MKD 61.482574
MMK 2356.987398
MNT 4012.266015
MOP 8.978061
MRU 44.453361
MUR 50.865004
MVR 17.298932
MWK 1944.784115
MXN 21.969454
MYR 4.805865
MZN 71.731512
NAD 20.405813
NGN 1805.78948
NIO 41.272
NOK 11.714016
NPR 153.525608
NZD 1.899984
OMR 0.432196
PAB 1.121517
PEN 4.09789
PGK 4.653739
PHP 62.522938
PKR 315.626615
PLN 4.253419
PYG 8958.74642
QAR 4.088018
RON 5.117621
RSD 116.46271
RUB 92.614528
RWF 1604.892896
SAR 4.210489
SBD 9.374707
SCR 16.675726
SDG 674.124197
SEK 10.912066
SGD 1.459791
SHP 0.882192
SLE 25.516701
SLL 23540.4545
SOS 640.938057
SRD 40.702289
STD 23235.664058
SVC 9.81319
SYP 14595.977591
SZL 20.394568
THB 37.136347
TJS 11.580334
TMT 3.940345
TND 3.368099
TOP 2.62925
TRY 43.368383
TTD 7.617535
TWD 33.986921
TZS 3036.647304
UAH 46.604061
UGX 4107.328987
USD 1.122605
UYU 46.843733
UZS 14477.346287
VES 102.267343
VND 29146.763809
VUV 135.432547
WST 2.974563
XAF 651.704825
XAG 0.034553
XAU 0.000339
XCD 3.033897
XDR 0.80676
XOF 651.719244
XPF 119.331742
YER 274.474652
ZAR 20.436189
ZMK 10104.793732
ZMW 29.745785
ZWL 361.478462
  • NGG

    -2.3680

    70.202

    -3.37%

  • RBGPF

    2.8600

    65.86

    +4.34%

  • SCS

    0.5450

    10.455

    +5.21%

  • GSK

    -0.2700

    36.9

    -0.73%

  • BCC

    2.7500

    89.85

    +3.06%

  • RELX

    -0.5300

    54.34

    -0.98%

  • BTI

    -0.9100

    43.54

    -2.09%

  • CMSC

    0.0400

    22.2

    +0.18%

  • RIO

    -0.9200

    59.1

    -1.56%

  • RYCEF

    0.5000

    10.67

    +4.69%

  • AZN

    -2.6250

    67.445

    -3.89%

  • JRI

    -0.0410

    12.985

    -0.32%

  • BCE

    1.2150

    22.465

    +5.41%

  • VOD

    -0.1350

    9.265

    -1.46%

  • BP

    0.4250

    28.555

    +1.49%

  • CMSD

    -0.0500

    22.36

    -0.22%

Arsenal fall short again as striker woes haunt Arteta
Arsenal fall short again as striker woes haunt Arteta / Photo: Thomas SAMSON - AFP

Arsenal fall short again as striker woes haunt Arteta

Arsenal fell short on the big stage again as their painful Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club's failure to provide him with enough attacking options.

Text size:

Arteta's side were unable to reach the Champions League for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 from last week's first leg in north London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg but couldn't convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma's superb saves inspired PSG's 3-1 aggregate victory.

Arsenal were punished for those misses when Fabian Ruiz struck in the 27th minute before Achraf Hakimi's clinical finish in the 72nd minute put PSG on course for the final against Inter Milan.

Bukayo Saka reduced the deficit with 14 minutes left, but it was too late for Arsenal to avoid the latest agonising flop of Arteta's increasingly tortured reign.

Since leaving his role as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City assistant to replace the sacked Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal after a bleak period prior to his arrival.

The Spaniard has turned Arsenal into serial title contenders and a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

But an FA Cup final victory against Chelsea in 2020 remains Arteta's only trophy.

Losing the biggest game in their recent history leaves Arsenal facing a long summer of regret over their lack of success in the last two transfer windows.

Arteta's Arsenal legacy is in danger of being tarnished by the club's curious decision not to sign a prolific striker.

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced Arteta to use Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker with mixed results during the final weeks of the season.

But even before Havertz and Jesus were sidelined, Arsenal missed the ruthless cutting edge possessed by Premier League champions Liverpool and elite European teams like PSG.

Arteta had tried to remedy that shortcoming with a move for England striker Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window.

However, Arsenal were unable to convince Aston Villa to accept their £60 million ($79 million) offer, prompting a frustrated Arteta to admit he was "disappointed" when the window closed without reinforcements.

- 'We have to be sharper' -

Arsenal gifted the Premier League title to Liverpool with 13 draws -- six more than Arne Slot's team -- as their lack of killer instinct was exposed.

And as Arsenal poured forward in waves at the start of the second leg against PSG, it was clear what a predatory forward would have added to their vibrant team.

The sight of Saka blazing over with an open goal at his mercy in the closing stages perfectly encapsulated Arsenal's attacking woes.

Arteta praised Donnarumma as "the best player on the pitch" rather than blame his forwards.

But penalty area profligacy has been a recurring problem for Arteta throughout a reign that has promised more than it has delivered.

Without a Premier League title since 2004, Arsenal finished as runners-up to Manchester City for the last two seasons after squandering sizeable leads in the title race.

This season they couldn't keep up with Liverpool's relentless form, so attention switched to the Champions League.

When holders Real Madrid were demolished 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, it seemed Arsenal might win the tournament for the first time to validate the Arteta era.

But that Achilles heel of errant finishing, combined with costly defensive mistakes, proved fatal against PSG.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice claimed they would need "big balls" and "magic moments" to beat Luis Enrique's men.

Yet as Rice trooped miserably down the tunnel after the final whistle, it was painfully clear what they really needed.

"We were not strong enough in the boxes. That's where we lost it," Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said.

"We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things but it's not enough.

"In front of goal is where games are decided and that's where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way."

A.Novak--TPP