Alex Dents Arsenal’s Armour

Arsenal FC 1-1 PSV Eindhoven
(PSV win 2-1 on aggregate)

A late goal from PSV defender Alex knocked Arsenal FC out of the UEFA Champions League last night. Although Arsenal performed well throughout the game and took the lead through an own goal by Alex, a powerful header by the same player left Arsenal’s 2007 Champions League dream in the dust.

I thought Arsenal performed quite well throughout the game but really lacked a killer touch. Arsenal had most of the possession and restricted PSV to just one shot on goal, but Alexander Hleb and Julio Baptista both underperformed as replacements for Tomas Rosicky and Thierry Henry respectively, and Arsenal missed Gilberto Silva’s influence in the middle of the park. Subsequently, he had a poor game at the back.

Although I don’t believe Arsenal deserved to be knocked out of this tie (they were largely the dominant team over the two legs) the reality is that they are not yet the finished product and are more likely to seriously challenge for the UEFA Champions League in the next year or three.

Where to now for Arsenal? First a loss to Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final, then elimination via Blackburn in the FA Cup and now knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by PSV Eindhoven. Arsenal are going to have to pick themselves up for the rest of the season, prepare for a stronger challenge next year and thrill us with their attacking play in upcoming games.

Good luck to them!

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