Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 4 days ago

any thought of full match? Mention us on X

Category

🥇
Sports
Transcript
00:01Wenger, Henry, Vieira, France has played a big part in Arsenal's past.
00:06Tonight, Arsenal's current generation are hoping to write the next memorable chapter
00:10in the club's history here in the French capital.
00:13But after a first-leg defeat to PSG in London, there is work to do in Paris
00:17if the Gunners are to meet Inter in Munich.
00:25The Emirates' atmosphere electric, a match that could hardly matter more.
00:30Kabat-Skelia, it's a good pullback! And a goal! What a start for PSG!
00:35It's Ousmane Dembele!
00:37Them scoring so early, the finishing is unbelievable.
00:40They came to do a brilliant save.
00:42I think we show the kind of team we are.
00:45It's Martinelli! Couldn't take the chance.
00:48You cannot dominate this team in 95 minutes. Impossible. Forget about it.
00:52Floated in by Rice. An equalizing goal!
00:55It's not gonna count. It's offside.
00:57I saw two very good teams where the margins are so small.
01:00Just out! Oh, brilliant stop Donnarumma!
01:03That's the work of goalkeepers, no? Save the team.
01:07Forward here to Gonzalo Ramos.
01:09He's hit the bar! Arsenal are beaten on the night.
01:13Still a long way to go.
01:14There is one match left and it's going to be tough.
01:17We have to go to Paris and win the game.
01:21Down but certainly not out.
01:23Mikel Arteta arrives at PSG, the club where he began his senior career.
01:27Believing that his Arsenal can turn this tie around.
01:31Defeat at the weekend created frustration, rage and anger.
01:35Emotions that Arteta has said his team will use tonight.
01:38He makes one change to the team that started the first leg.
01:42Thomas Partey comes back into midfield.
01:44Trossard drops to the bench with Mikel Moreno reverting to that centre forward role.
01:48Hoping to add to the eight goals he already has this season.
01:51PSG already champions once again in France.
01:55They could afford to make ten changes at the weekend when they lost to Strasbourg.
01:58But, unsurprisingly, they look much stronger tonight.
02:01Ten of the starters from the Emirates start again with top scorer Ousmane Dembele only fit enough for the bench.
02:07Bradley Barcola, he comes in to start ahead of him.
02:10Well, what a setting tonight and what an occasion.
02:14Arsenal coming here to play PSG and really hoping they can turn over a deficit and reach the final in the Champions League.
02:21Two legends of Arsenal alongside me, Jack Wilshere, Martin Keown and a man that's won the Champions League twice in Owen Hargreaves.
02:27And now, who else could we add to this to make this an even more stellar line-up?
02:31Mikel Arteta, what timing.
02:33The Arsenal manager coming to speak to us with a big smile on his face.
02:37Hello, how are you? Nice to see you.
02:39Hello.
02:40Wow, Mikel, wherever you like.
02:42Yeah, probably between the two Arsenal players, actually, if you like.
02:44That feels a bit bright, doesn't it?
02:46Mikel, first of all, I mean, wow, an occasion in itself just to be here.
02:51For you and for your club, this must be just one of the biggest nights of your history.
02:56Yeah, it is for a long time, but it's not just where we want to be.
03:00We want to make the final.
03:01We are very close.
03:03We learn a few things about that game and the level of the two teams and the margins that are so small.
03:08So we have a big conviction that we're going to do it tonight.
03:11Yeah, I'm going to touch on that as well, Mikel.
03:14When you think about how far this club and your journey with the club has come, it makes me emotional, actually, when I'm standing here and seeing all the staff around.
03:23What a job.
03:24Can you talk a little bit about that, how much energy you took to put us here?
03:28Well, you've been part of that.
03:30Yeah.
03:31You've been very close to us as well.
03:32So here's what this club deserves to be.
03:35I think we are still nowhere near where we have to be.
03:37There's so much to do, so much to win, so much consistency to show.
03:41But hopefully we are in the right trajectory.
03:44Mikel, the last game you talked about those seven players that were out injured and you looked across.
03:49But tonight you must be really pleased that you can bring Partey back into that midfield.
03:53So you can function in the way that you want to.
03:56Declan Rice surely will be pressing really high from the beginning.
03:59Like he used to do.
04:00Yeah.
04:01I think, well, he would have more freedom, that's for sure.
04:03It's a partnership that we developed for now a few years.
04:06They're both very comfortable in those positions.
04:08It allows Martin as well a lot of kind of movement and spaces.
04:11So it's great.
04:12We're going to need a lot of players.
04:14It's going to be a really intense match with both teams.
04:16Really high intensity teams.
04:17And we're going to have to change the game at some point.
04:20And we need those fresh legs.
04:21I think it's really interesting you say that.
04:23Like, obviously, from my experience playing in these games, I think winning second balls
04:27allows you to grow into the game.
04:28I think PSG will play a lot.
04:29And I think with your midfield, if you win a lot of second balls with Partey and Declan,
04:34I think you can get control of the game like you did in the second half, I thought, in London.
04:37Yeah, because they were quite direct, to be fair.
04:40We expect them to play much more, but they didn't really watch against our high press.
04:44They started to be more direct.
04:45And that's what you get when you turn the game in one direction or the other.
04:49As you said, that big opportunity, you win it.
04:51You are open, so hopefully we can do it better.
04:53Mikel, that noise behind us, that was the goalkeepers coming out.
04:56Your goalkeepers just to practice and warm up.
04:58You know this place better than most.
05:00What have you told your team about handling the atmosphere here?
05:02Yeah, I mean, but we face big atmosphere every time in the Premier League.
05:06It's a special game, it's an emotional game.
05:08This club has been trying to reach the final and winning it for a long, long time right now.
05:14So hopefully we can play in our favour.
05:17Mikel, good luck.
05:18One game away from a Champions League final.
05:20Thank you so much.
05:21Thank you so much.
05:22Mikel Arteta going to rejoin his team ahead of this, which is just a huge night.
05:27Jack, I love that you say you're emotional.
05:29Everybody knows that you just bleed Arsenal through and through.
05:32Your time with Mikel is quite special too.
05:34You got to see him work and exactly what makes him tick.
05:37Why is he such a good coach?
05:39Yeah, I've got a really, really big soft spot for Mikel because I played with him, number one.
05:43And, you know, a lot of the players who played with him said they saw he's going to be a coach
05:47and I was exactly the same.
05:48But then he invited me back when I was really, really struggling to find the club.
05:52And as he said, I was part of it and he made me feel part of it.
05:55So honestly, what he's done for this club, I'm so happy for him, so happy for all the staff.
05:59Of course, we want to win tonight and we can win tonight, but we have to take a step back as well
06:04and think that we're here, we're in the semi-final of the Champions League and we've come a long way.
06:08It is. Arsenal have come a long way and the occasion tonight is something special that Arsenal fans will feel.
06:13They've been missing this in their history, a chance to go again in the Champions League, Martin.
06:17Yeah, we went six years without making it into the Champions League.
06:21The club was in a little bit of free fall after the Wenger years.
06:24Lots of changes behind the scenes, maybe not for the better.
06:28You look at some of the personnel that Arteta has to clear out.
06:32It's been a hell of a lot of change.
06:34Of course, now you're in the semi-final, the league table, the Premier League dropping a little bit.
06:39So everything now really going into this basket tonight.
06:42And it's a wonderful opportunity for the players.
06:45Listening to Declan Rice yesterday in the press conference,
06:47he's totally convinced me that the players believe they can go and do something special here tonight.
06:51Well, Jack, you actually spoke to a few before kickoff a few moments ago.
06:55What were they saying? What was their mood like?
06:57They were really delighted to see you and the coach.
06:59Yeah, they're happy. We were actually chatting about a little bit around Norwich.
07:02But they seem really relaxed, really up for it.
07:05I think actually it's, I know Jorginho's back in the squad today and he's a player that I think,
07:09if the game goes the way we want, could really help us at the end,
07:12maybe get some control in it and keep the ball.
07:14But no, they seem really relaxed and really up for it.
07:17Excellent. Well, obviously Paris in itself is a glamorous place to come
07:20and Becky Ives has been on the lookout inside the stadium here at the Parc de France.
07:23She's found herself somewhere pretty special to watch.
07:28Paris is well known for its love of football and all things glitz and glamour.
07:32And in here is where the two worlds collide.
07:34This is La Galleria, where Parisian high society gather on match dates.
07:38In complete contrast to the iconic concrete structure of this building,
07:42built in the 1970s, but for tens of thousands of euros,
07:45you can watch any match you like all season.
07:48Now, we made use of it yesterday.
07:50We sat down with Declan Rice ahead of this game.
08:03It was the early goal shocked us a little bit, if I'm being honest.
08:05Three minutes in, obviously, to a semi-final, the place was rocking
08:07and then bang, goal.
08:09We obviously had to recoup a little bit and it probably took us 20 minutes to settle.
08:12But once we did find our feet and we started to create chances,
08:15we had full belief that we could go and win the game
08:17and obviously their keeper made some amazing saves.
08:19But we know what we can do and how we can hurt them.
08:21And it's a game of football and 90 minutes away from creating history.
08:25The evolution of you guys in this competition, you seem to have got stronger and stronger as it's got on.
08:31We feel like it's a game that we play together and we win.
08:35We take more confidence in us, in the team, and we feel more strong.
08:40So that we have to use also at home with our fans and our stadium.
08:45So that is a strong point for us also.
08:47It's like you've made it your mission to knock out every Premier League team in this competition.
09:01Has it helped though, playing previous English teams?
09:05We just focus on us. It doesn't matter against who we play.
09:09We want to win, we want to go forward.
09:12Of course, we've been playing before in England teams.
09:15We know how they are and we have to continue like we do.
09:19Mentality-wise, how do you get yourself through this?
09:22I think we've all been here and played in so many big matches.
09:24Like, there's no added pressure, you know.
09:26It's just a game of football.
09:27It's just another semi-final, you know.
09:29It's just another game. I'm not going to put too much emphasis on it.
09:31Because if you do, you start thinking other things.
09:33And I know on the big occasions, we can rise as a team.
09:37What is going to be the difference to get this over the line?
09:41Who wants it more, to be honest with you?
09:42I think if we are the best versions of ourselves,
09:44I'm pretty sure that knowing me and my teammates,
09:46that we can come out on top in any game.
09:48We need to be ready, we need to go out there and give it everything.
09:50But these type of games sometimes are not about footballing abilities.
09:53It's about how much you want it inside.
09:55And hopefully we can find that extra edge.
09:58Arsenal need to be perfect tonight.
10:01This PSG side are dynamic, disciplined.
10:04They are dangerous, but a positive note for Arsenal fans.
10:06Four times in the last 11 years, PSG have won a first leg
10:10and still been eliminated.
10:12Can Arsenal make it a fifth tonight?
10:14These gunners travelling from North London, well, they certainly hope so.
10:18I think we play better away from home than we do at home.
10:21Too much pressure at home.
10:23Everyone moments when, you know, it doesn't go right.
10:25But I think they get a bit of leeway when we're away from home.
10:28So I think we'll do better tonight.
10:30I'm very confident tonight. I think we can get the win tonight.
10:33Decent amount of availability in the team tonight.
10:37So I think, yeah, we can get the job then.
10:39I think we'll turn it around.
10:40We've got the big players back, you know.
10:41Partey's going to be back in the team.
10:43Marino up top.
10:44I think we missed his physicality last week, you know.
10:46Putting them two together, I think we've got enough to beat them.
10:48This is everything to us.
10:49I mean, for the last...
10:50It's everything we've been building on for the last five years.
10:52And, you know, it's 20 years pretty much since the last time
10:55we were in a position like this in the Champions League.
10:58This is everything to us.
10:59So everything we've been building towards,
11:01everything we've been believing in for the last five years.
11:03This is massive.
11:04I think we're going to get a 3-1 win.
11:07The atmosphere will be fabulous.
11:10And bring on Munich.
11:12We need a 2-0 win tonight.
11:14It's very important.
11:16After our season, we ain't got nothing else to play for.
11:18So they might as well leave it all on the pitch.
11:28My name's Alex Brooker.
11:29I'm a TV presenter, Arsenal fan.
11:31These moments that we've had the last few years have been unbelievable.
11:37That is absolutely brilliant.
11:40They are in dreamland here.
11:42It's addictive.
11:43I want moments like those rice free kicks.
11:46They've been incredible.
11:48Just got to Paris on the way to meet the rest of our mates.
11:52I'm not feeling particularly confident,
11:54so I'm concentrating on the social aspects.
11:58Just have a beer and enjoy it.
12:00Enjoy it as much as we can.
12:02Cheers, Jack.
12:03My boys, how are you feeling?
12:04Cheers, Jack.
12:05Cheers.
12:06The first 20 minutes are key.
12:07I think if we set our stall out early doors and we ride the early storm,
12:11I think we can do it.
12:12We can't come away after these 90 minutes saying,
12:14100%.
12:15Another semi-final, European semi-final,
12:17and we've just not even turned up.
12:18We haven't scored in the last six, have we, semi-final.
12:21Six?
12:22Six, yeah.
12:23What's that? We haven't scored?
12:24We haven't scored in the last six, I believe.
12:25I mean, I was pessimistic before.
12:26I now just feel like we should stay here.
12:28The Kiyosaka lifts it over the goalkeeper and scores.
12:33Arsenal heading to the semi-finals of the Champions League
12:37and cue the galerium among the Arsenal fans.
12:40The thing is, when you get a goal and quiet them and quiet their fans,
12:43then, you know, that's going to dictate how they play.
12:46You know, we can start growing into the game.
12:48Just go and do it.
12:49Are you ready to look after me if we win?
12:53I always look after you.
12:54Is your new leg heavier?
12:58If your new leg's heavier, no, we're getting a bolt.
13:02I must hope we do it.
13:03Cheers, boys.
13:05Here's to a good social anyway.
13:07Hopefully more than just a drink in Paris tonight
13:12for those Arsenal fans.
13:13Hopefully something to celebrate.
13:14You can see more of Alex Brooker on the latest No Filter
13:17available on TNT Sports' YouTube channel from tomorrow.
13:20The Arsenal fans in attendance last week at the Emirates
13:23came in for a little bit of stick with that early Dembele goal
13:26seeming to subdue the atmosphere.
13:28Tonight, those in Paris are already making plenty of noise
13:31and they'll need to as well because the PSG fans have been brilliant
13:34here all season.
13:36And we've sent Reshman over there just next to the Ultras
13:39to tell us a little bit about the atmosphere and have a listen.
13:42Reshman, I can hear it already.
13:44Laura, I can't hear myself think.
13:46Neither can either of us.
13:47I'm with Ali and Jules here.
13:49Do you know what?
13:50Jules, you've been coming here since you were a kid.
13:52I've been coming here for a few years.
13:53Ali has been here as well.
13:55The atmosphere has always been amazing here.
13:57But I get this feeling, Jules, that there's something special here
14:00this season.
14:01It's louder than I ever remember it.
14:04There's more belief than I've ever heard.
14:06Yeah, and I think they love the team more than ever maybe
14:09or certainly more than a very long time.
14:11They can relate to the team.
14:13They can relate to the players.
14:14I think they like the way the team is playing.
14:16They like the manager.
14:17They like the mentality, the spirit.
14:19For a long time, they had superstars on the pitch,
14:21but maybe didn't really like some attitude, some egos,
14:24some of the stories that were coming out of the dressing room.
14:27It feels different now.
14:28It feels a strong unity really between those ultras,
14:30especially on this side and the team on the pitch.
14:33It's funny.
14:34I was saying to the rest of Julian beforehand,
14:35it's amazing.
14:36I played here against the national team,
14:39against the French national team back in the 90,
14:41I think in 1990 it was,
14:43and it was a very good atmosphere.
14:45But the last two or three times I've been here
14:48and PSG have been involved,
14:50it's off the scale, mate.
14:52It is off the scale.
14:53I was talking to Manny Petit this morning
14:56and he was of the opinion
14:58it's just a different feeling about the club.
15:01There's a different feeling about the players,
15:04the supporters, the fans.
15:06It's just a different vibe.
15:07Yeah, you're right.
15:08It was not always like this
15:09because in the 90s there were times
15:11where it was a bit scary.
15:12The ultras were behind the two goals.
15:14There was a bit of a tension
15:16between even the two sets of fans.
15:18Is that right?
15:20This one here, Otoid,
15:21the other one, Boulogne over there.
15:22We've had big issues outside of the stadium,
15:23people dying, all of that.
15:24But it's really been pacified in the last 15 years.
15:27And you're right, the last four, five years really,
15:29since COVID, they have stepped up massively.
15:33Can I say, Reshman, he said something really interesting
15:36to me today as well, Manny.
15:39He reckoned there was a different feeling
15:41towards this team from the other people in France
15:45than there has been to PSG teams in the past.
15:48Is that the case and why?
15:49And it's a bit the same in the UK.
15:51We've talked about it before.
15:52People like this team.
15:53They like watching.
15:54It's entertaining.
15:55He plays the right way.
15:56The fans are great.
15:57Some of the players are very likable.
15:59You like Dewey because of the step overs and the skates.
16:01Absolutely.
16:02You like Barcola.
16:03You like Dembele.
16:04You like Varaskelia.
16:05And it's the same here.
16:06For a long time, it was Paris against the rest of the country
16:08because it's the capital.
16:09But more and more, you see PSG shirts popping up everywhere
16:12in France, even in the south.
16:13Even in Marseille now, you see PSG shirts.
16:16In Marseille.
16:17Wow.
16:18So it shows you how much they've really made people like them.
16:21Do you know what?
16:22I feel like Luis Enrique has played a really big part in this
16:25because, yes, he's not got rid of those big superstars,
16:28but that culture of the superstars has gone.
16:30Now it is really, as you say, there's something different.
16:33There's a connection between the fans and the team.
16:35But I feel like Luis Enrique played a massive part in galvanizing this crowd.
16:40Yeah, you're right.
16:41And I think the energy that he gives you on the touchline,
16:44it kind of transmits in a way to the stands, to the players, all of that.
16:48And again, he's not perfect, but I think he's the right guy to guide the team
16:53and to guide the stadium, to guide the club in the right direction.
16:57That's exactly what he's done.
16:58He's absolutely done it.
16:59Let's see what he can do on the pitch with his players tonight.
17:03I mean, what's interesting is this stadium isn't even as big as some of the huge European stadiums.
17:07What, 48,000 people, and yet it feels like double that.
17:11So it's a big job for Arsenal to contend with.
17:13Let's find out how they get on, Laura.
17:15Yeah, Reschman, a big job for Arsenal.
17:17And also you look at players like, for example, Myles Lewis-Skelly having a breakout season for Arsenal
17:22and now coming here in the Champions League in a semi-final
17:25and having to contend with a very hostile crowd and a hostile environment like this.
17:30And you just get the sense he's ready to handle it.
17:33Jack, I know that you know him very well because you've watched him in the under-18s.
17:37Could you see straight away how special he could be?
17:40Yeah, yeah, for sure.
17:42His talent was always there.
17:44But what stands out for me, Laura, with him is his mentality.
17:48And like you said, like, each challenge, in my opinion, he grows.
17:51And he's grown as the season's gone on.
17:53His performances have got a lot better.
17:55He's maturing.
17:56And I always think as well when you can really tell with a young player,
17:59when you can see their decision-making as well.
18:01Like, in all this pressure and all their moments, like, can they still make the right decision?
18:05And he does it over and over.
18:06He's versatile, Owen, as well. Are you a big fan of him?
18:09I love him.
18:10Laura, I was watching him come out of here looking at the pitch.
18:12And he looked like he was in the park with his mates.
18:14He was on the phone.
18:15He was so relaxed.
18:16I remember back to myself how focused I was, how much energy it took to stay locked in.
18:21But he's just, look at him.
18:23He's just smiling.
18:24He's on the phone to his mates.
18:25And, you know, that's his greatest attribute because he's relaxed.
18:28But when he gets on the pitch, like Jack said, he rises to every occasion.
18:32Obviously, he's played in centre mid as a kid.
18:33But he looks a brilliant fullback and can go into midfield when Mikel needs him.
18:37But Jack's right.
18:38He just, every time an occasion steps up, he strikes.
18:42And I love that about him.
18:43And it feels a bit like the Champions League has been his playground so far this season, Martin.
18:47When you watch him and the trust that Mikel Arteta has in him, what do you see when he plays?
18:52What impresses you?
18:53Well, his anticipation, his strength, the way that he protects the ball.
18:57For someone so young, you know, we're now the last four teams in the Champions League.
19:01And he's tearing it up against some of the best players.
19:03I mean, brilliant the way that he wins that ball there.
19:06He comes out and he just settles down.
19:08He's looking the radars out.
19:10Can he execute?
19:11Yes, he can.
19:12This one here is really aggressive.
19:13And Hakimi, he just says, look, you know, I'm just going, this is mine.
19:16He just bullies him off it and then just makes ground.
19:19And he bursts through that midfield.
19:22That's a real strength.
19:23Again, he gets his body there.
19:24He knows he takes the foul.
19:26So clever in everything that he does.
19:29And he links.
19:30He wants to probe.
19:31He wants to go after teams.
19:32You know, look, look, nutmeg there.
19:34A real talent, Jack, isn't he?
19:36Yeah, I think as well, like Owen said, he's a midfielder.
19:39And it's a lot different, especially when you're defending as a fullback.
19:42Like, you see him there rolling through midfield.
19:44He's done that years and years in the academy.
19:46And to learn how to play fullback and to defend against some of the top winners in the world
19:51and to say, right, I'm going to take you on and we're going to have it today is absolute credit, Jim.
19:55And he's a credit to the academy the way he is as a person as well.
19:58He was asked about where his confidence comes from and how he feels about tonight.
20:01And he was talking about the way that he visualizes things.
20:04He can visualize.
20:05He manifests.
20:06He journals every day.
20:07And it's different.
20:08You don't normally hear footballers talking like that, do you, Owen?
20:10No.
20:11Not at that age.
20:12But credit to the coaches at Arsenal.
20:14They probably have helped him develop that.
20:16Obviously, he's pretty chilled and he's pretty relaxed.
20:18But the fact that he's already doing that at a young age shows why he's so good in these big games.
20:22And I think as a young lad, I mean, I love that shot.
20:25He's just so chill.
20:26But the point is, he'll relish this.
20:28This is what you dream of as a young lad.
20:29He does this a lot.
20:30Come out here in the semifinal.
20:31The youngest ever to start a semifinal for an English player.
20:33He likes to do this before games.
20:35He likes to come out and to say, makes it his home.
20:38This is my territory.
20:39This is where I belong.
20:41Him and Weneri do this a lot.
20:43They come on the pitch and they're really confident players.
20:45And they're carrying that academy.
20:47His progression this season has been phenomenal.
20:50Did you ever journal, Martin?
20:51The journal.
20:52Did you ever journal?
20:53No, but never journal.
20:55Your team are too busy, weren't they, too, at other things in your day?
20:58Too busy winning things.
21:00I'll come back.
21:01Here are the Arsenal players then coming out in the tunnel.
21:04I imagine getting a bit of a raw reception from this ground here at the Parc de France.
21:09We'll hear that in just a second.
21:10And if this Arsenal side are looking for any inspiration tonight,
21:13they don't need to look very far because Arsenal women,
21:15they lost 2-1 in their first leg semifinal at home.
21:18They then came to France and inflicted a 4-1 hammering on Lyon
21:22and reached their first ever Champions League final.
21:25Amazing.
21:26Back-to-back winners Barcelona await.
21:28And you can watch that with us on TNT Sports on the 24th of May.
21:32Good luck, girls.
21:33And then, the week after, we'll be in Munich for the men's final.
21:37But will it be the Gunners, or PSG, who line up against Inter?
21:41We're going to continue our build-up next.
21:48Which an Arsenal received just a few moments ago here in Paris.
21:51Just as expected.
21:53Mikel Arteta also back at the ground.
21:55He spent 18 months as a player.
21:57And freshman and Jules were there with a man who was part of that very PSG squad,
22:01who on his day was so good, they named him twice.
22:04I know.
22:06Who would have thought he was that good, wasn't he?
22:08I know, Jules is, I mean, as a boyhood PSG fan,
22:11you would have loved seeing JJ out there, right?
22:13Oh, my God.
22:14He was one of my heroes here.
22:15I mean, it is a great club.
22:18You see, it is a massive club that deserves at least to have that experience.
22:23And the thing is, and Jules, you all know this,
22:25just from watching this side week in, week out, so exciting.
22:29You're known for your dribbling skills.
22:31For all of us in England, remember you for that.
22:33You've got quite a few very exciting players
22:35who do your job really well in this side.
22:38Well, yes, I think they have a lot of talented players,
22:42good dribbles, but we've seen that football has changed a bit.
22:46Players doesn't have that liberty, you know,
22:49that freedom to express themselves.
22:51And this is what I'm missing.
22:53You know, sometimes players have to take that responsibility
22:57to express themselves, especially when it's for the interest of the team.
23:01Yeah.
23:02Jules, no Dembele in the starting 11.
23:04How much will that affect this side?
23:06Because he's been absolutely key.
23:08His goal scoring this year alone has been unbelievable.
23:11Yeah, it's a big blow.
23:13There's no doubt.
23:14It's clearly a decision from Luis Enrique not to risk anything
23:16because he's not fully fit.
23:18He picked up that injury in the first leg.
23:20It would have been a really big risk, I think, to start him tonight
23:23because he can't play 90 minutes, he can't play 120 minutes
23:26if he goes to extra time.
23:28Whereas you can bring him on after an hour,
23:29you can bring him on for extra time if there is extra time.
23:31So you can manage Dembele a bit different than if you were starting here
23:35in this team, but without him it's not the same.
23:37It's not the same for the pressing, the counter-pressing in front of goals.
23:39You said 33 goals, 12 assists in all competitions this season.
23:42We're not sure if Dewey plays at number 9, Barcola or Kvarskelia.
23:45There can be a lot of fluidity in that front three,
23:47but it's certainly a weaker side without Dembele starting.
23:50Yeah, and do you know what?
23:51Even with or without him, are you going to the final?
23:55That's the question, JJ.
23:56Well, yes.
23:57Yes.
23:58And there you go.
23:59And that's it.
24:02Yes, of course.
24:03I mean, my heart is for the club, you know.
24:06I think it's long overdue, you know, for them to win the Champions League.
24:10And I can only wish them all the best.
24:13Wish them all the best.
24:14We wish everyone all the best.
24:15Let's see which way it goes.
24:17And do you know what?
24:18It's a huge task for both managers today, isn't it?
24:21So, it's such exciting players on both sides of the divide.
24:24Let's hear from both of them.
24:26They were speaking to Becky Ives before the game.
24:28When you think about the competition, the fact that we never won it,
24:33the possibility that to be one win away of being in the final,
24:37brings a different emotion to your body.
24:40When you play those kind of matches at that level,
24:45you feel, you smell clearly the happiness
24:50and they are looking forward to playing that match
24:52and it's so easy to train that week.
24:55It was a really, really even match.
25:02It was defined by a moment.
25:04Inside four minutes at the Emirates.
25:08We had hours.
25:11It's about capitalizing those moments and making it alone.
25:15Lewis Skelling on his plate and a lovely ball.
25:18It's Martinelli!
25:20I felt the same feeling that I had before the match,
25:24that they are a great team and it was so tight.
25:27It could go any side, but I think we compete very well.
25:31Gonzalo Ramos, who's got support arriving, he's hit the bar.
25:35We are excited, full of energy.
25:38I mean, one win away of being in the Champions League final.
25:41Still a long way to go as he will know well.
25:44This is far from over.
25:46Now it's the second leg.
25:48Match at home, which means we can feel the spirit of our supporters
25:54and we are happy.
25:56We are trying to win the second match again.
26:00It's going to be difficult, of course.
26:02We learned from the past game.
26:04It was not a result that we wanted to take,
26:06but as well it brings so much clarity about what we need to be in the final.
26:14We've made our way out onto the pitch.
26:16I just noticed Jack Wilshere just standing there and taking it all in.
26:19It's special here, isn't it?
26:20It's amazing. What a night.
26:22Declan Rice, we've got to focus on him because largely,
26:24he's been the difference in a lot of games this season,
26:26but especially the two legs against Real Madrid, Martin.
26:29Yeah, he's man of the match in both of those games.
26:32This is by far the most productive season we've seen from eight goals,
26:36ten assists and he's really developing now into a top player.
26:40You know, you looked at him and people gave a little bit of criticism at the start.
26:44Was he a centre-half playing in midfield?
26:47But I think now he's playing with such confidence
26:49and every facet of his game is just developing
26:52and his physicality in that midfield is really important tonight.
26:56We're just taking a look at him here.
26:58These driving runs.
27:01You know, this now gives him that extra freedom to get forward,
27:05playing more as an eight tonight, playing in the six in that first day.
27:07I think that's really important to the way that he plays,
27:11particularly you.
27:12I mean, you've played in that similar position, Owen,
27:15and you know the importance of having legs in that area.
27:18Yeah, and I think, obviously, with Declan's pressing,
27:20I think it could be essential today.
27:21Obviously, Partey will sit and it gives Declan a little bit of licence
27:24to go get in and around the box.
27:26I can't believe, we all know Declan's a great player,
27:29that the evolution of him over those two games against Real Madrid was remarkable.
27:33And Declan's only going to get better.
27:34That's why today he's the one, Jack.
27:36Yeah, this one here, that's so important.
27:38He'll love this occasion now, a semi-final.
27:40He's played in big games, but they need him tonight, don't they?
27:43Especially as well, when you play with a false knight in Mourinho,
27:46he's going to want to come to the ball, come and show to the ball.
27:48And that encourages PSG to be aggressive, add pressure.
27:52And if you can have someone with Dex legs who runs behind and he's adding quality.
27:55You said he's developed. He had that, Martin of West Ham.
27:58I played with him at 18, 19 years old.
28:00Left foot, right foot, he can dribble, he can run.
28:02You almost have to question the academy when somebody...
28:05I mean, the goals he scores against Real Madrid, the free kicks were remarkable.
28:08It's almost like he's saying, is that me?
28:10Is that really me? And it's all under the bonnet.
28:13And the manager is teasing it out.
28:15I think the manager deserves great credit here for the way this young man's playing.
28:18When you were with him at West Ham, Jack, did you ever say to him,
28:21did you ever get in his ear and say, you'd be perfect at Arsenal?
28:23Not when I was at West Ham, but when the rumours were coming out
28:28that he was going to sign for Arsenal, of course I spoke to him.
28:30To be honest with you, I didn't need to do much.
28:32Mikel was so good and he just convinced him and what a decision for him.
28:37He's going to go on and get better and better because he's still really young as well
28:40and it seems like he's been around for ages.
28:42He's got so much ability.
28:44The team they play against tonight without Dembele will obviously potentially be slightly easier.
28:49You could say Owen in terms of Barcoli starting instead of him.
28:52It's still going to be difficult for them.
28:54And one player that perhaps doesn't get too much focus is Vettinia
28:57and how key he is for that team.
28:59Yeah, I mean, he's a special player.
29:00He gets the most touches, plays the most passes.
29:02He reminds me a bit of Luka Modric.
29:04And I don't think he can make a bigger compliment to midfield player than that.
29:07On the ball, you can play in the ball at any point and he can take it in anywhere.
29:11And also in terms of pressing.
29:13And I just think him, Neves and Ruiz is a really beautiful pairing.
29:16But in terms of touches, everything runs through Vettinia because he's such a good ball player, Jack.
29:21Yeah, I think in the first leg, when he dropped between, he was dropping, finding spaces.
29:25And when he can turn and have time on the ball, that's when the rotation starts.
29:28If we can control him, put pressure on him and stop him dictating, that'll be a big part of the game today.
29:33Incredible to think that he played as a 10 when he was at Wolves just a couple of years ago.
29:37And the way that he's been adapted into this midfield, he sits quite deep.
29:41And he, you know, I don't think he's a naturally defensive midfield player.
29:45So that's an area, as good as he is on the ball, Arsenal really need to try and get in behind him.
29:50Dembele obviously will be a huge miss.
29:52Barcola though has influence on the game and coming off the bench previously as well.
29:56He is dangerous. What will Arsenal make of that?
29:58Yeah, I think they have to see it as a positive.
30:00I think Dembele, I thought he was outstanding in the first leg.
30:04I thought he found the spaces and he really turned the game forward and hurt us.
30:08So don't get me wrong, Barcola can still do the same sort of things,
30:11but I don't think he has as much quality as Dembele.
30:13So we can use that as a positive in my opinion.
30:16Dembele's statistics since January are quite astounding.
30:1925 goals he's scored since January.
30:22So, you know, for him to be on the bench is a massive plus for Arsenal tonight.
30:27I mean, Barcola after Dembele, he gets the most goals for this side.
30:30But Dua is so quick, it's actually quite frightening.
30:33And Kvartella is a brilliant footballer as well.
30:35So the front three is still brilliant.
30:37Actually, I think if anything, out of possession, they'll be a little bit better
30:40because Dembele doesn't press as much.
30:42So it could be interesting, but I'm sure we'll see players come from the bench.
30:45Like we did at Barcelona-Inter yesterday.
30:47I'm sure we'll see the same today.
30:49Right, well, special game in store.
30:51The second leg of this Champions League semi-final between PSG and Arsenal.
30:55Arsenal, the goal down at the moment.
30:57They've got work to do tonight.
30:59But, wow, anything can happen.
31:00And as Mikel Arteta said, they have got the belief.
31:03We'll continue our build-up next.
31:05We'll be stronger.
31:06We can dominate the drills and try and make it into that game and set pieces a big part of that.
31:14Well, the part of us is pretty much ready now.
31:16It is absolutely stacked in there.
31:18I can't even see an MTC and we're very excited to get this one started.
31:21Not long now.
31:22Last night we saw Inter win an absolutely epic against Barcelona.
31:26They secured their place in Munich.
31:28Tonight they're going to be joined by either Arsenal or PSG.
31:31Two clubs yet to lift European football's biggest prize.
31:34It really is all to play for, guys.
31:36Don't go anywhere because kick-off is coming next.
31:39Which Ragnar來自制 metre?
31:40Plastic and Canada.
31:41That's what they are all to do with.
31:42Positive players.
31:43Thank you for joining us.
31:44Yes, I'll be standing next...
31:46On the left, we have to be on the left.
31:47But the next steps we saw in the left.
31:48A place to play with a promise and behind us.
31:50I'm done with this with this.
31:51I am done with this.
31:53I'm done with the idea.
31:54We have to dig into that.
31:58I am.
31:59I love you.
32:00I love you.
32:02And I've done everything for you.
32:03Let me know.
32:04I'm done with this.
32:05I love you.
32:06I love you.

Recommended