Declan Rice captured the temper and flagged up the hazard indicators in his last message as Arsenal gathered in a huddle earlier than they confronted the formidable problem of Paris St-Germain.
“If we do not have the ball, we die,” Rice instructed his Arsenal team-mates as they completed their warm-up earlier than the Champions League semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal usually are not fairly useless within the tie, however they’re undoubtedly struggling to remain alive as they path 1-0 going into the return in Paris – primarily as a result of they had been unable to hold out Rice’s directions within the essential opening phases that formed the sport.
The stage was set for Arsenal’s first Champions League semi-final in 16 years by an extravagant show of fireworks and pyrotechnics, all in opposition to the backdrop of an enormous banner masking the enormous stands emblazoned with the phrases ‘make it occur’.
It was PSG who made it occur – and made it occur precisely within the method Rice so clearly feared.
Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute end throughout Arsenal keeper David Raya from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s supply was the fruits of a 26-pass transfer. It was PSG in a microcosm, Rice’s warning delivered in probably the most painful method.
To stress PSG’s domination within the first exchanges, they’d a complete of 71.6% possession within the first 26 minutes, the interval of the sport through which they threw a bucket of ice chilly water over what had been a white-hot atmosphere, laying the platform for the benefit they may take again to Paris for subsequent Wednesday’s second leg.
In that very same interval, PSG had a exceptional passing accuracy of 86.5% in Arsenal’s half, and the whole ratio was 165 passes to 60.
In impact, when Arsenal lastly learn Rice’s memo, a very powerful harm had been inflicted.
Arsenal pulled it round, having 55.4% possession for the remainder of the sport, however Rice knew what was coming and PSG had been just too good to cease early on.
