Luis Enrique took a big risk by leaving Ousmane Dembélé out of his squad for PSG’s most important match of the season against Arsenal. This decision backfired badly on Tuesday night.
Dembélé was fit and performing well, but the PSG coach decided to leave out the French forward due to concerns about his commitment, believing he could manage without him against one of the top teams in Europe.
“If someone does not comply with the requirements from the team, it means that they are not ready,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said before the match.
To cover the absence of the talented forward—who had already scored four goals and provided three assists in the French league this season—Luis Enrique chose to play Désiré Doué and Lee Kang-in alongside Bradley Barcola up front.
Against an in-form Arsenal defense, PSG’s attackers were mostly absent at the Emirates Stadium, where the excited PSG fans made more noise than their team. PSG lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the league phase of the newly revamped Champions League.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal appeared to be a much stronger team and outplayed the French champions, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring in the first half for the home side.
Despite PSG’s difficulties, Luis Enrique attempted to change his lineup, making his first substitutions in the 64th minute when Randal Kolo Muani and Fabian Ruiz came onto the field. PSG improved after that but it was too late to change the outcome.
“It’s easy to say after the match that one player has to play, and that another should have not,” Luis Enrique said.
With PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma seemingly at fault for both goals, the coach took responsibility for the painful defeat.
“I’m responsible for the defeat,” Luis Enrique said. “Their defenders always anticipated what our forwards were doing, and our forwards never managed to anticipate their defenders.”
This was Arsenal’s first victory in the competition after they drew their opener against Atalanta last month. For PSG, which had been unbeaten in all competitions and started with a win against Girona, this marked their first loss.
Recruited from Rennes for 50 million euros ($55 million) during the summer as part of PSG’s rebuilding after Kylian Mbappé, the talented Doué was chosen over the more experienced Kolo Muani, even though he had just returned from an injury.
He made a name for himself this summer at the Paris Olympics, scoring a goal and providing an assist as France won a silver medal. However, he didn’t seem ready in north London, while Lee had a tough time and was closely marked, struggling to find space.
Arteta, who admires Luis Enrique, kept the same team that won 4-2 against Leicester in the Premier League over the weekend, and this choice worked well.
Both PSG and Arsenal are looking for their first Champions League title. Arsenal controlled the game, set the pace, won most battles, and scored within the first 20 minutes.
“The Champions League brings different demands, really different to the Premier League, but I think we dealt with it really well,” Arteta said.
In attack, Arsenal’s pair of Leandro Trossard and Havertz was very effective, while PSG’s center-backs struggled to keep up with their quick movements. Trossard delivered the cross that led to the first goal when Havertz got to the ball quicker than Donnarumma and headed it in.
“It’s a big step for me,” Havertz said after scoring his third goal in a week. “Back in the day I wasn’t a player who liked the duels but now I just love it. If we win against teams like this it gives us a big boost.”
A rare highlight for PSG came from right-back Achraf Hakimi, who created some issues for Arsenal with his speed, but Riccardo Calafiori managed to contain him well.
PSG almost equalized when a shot from Nuno Mendes hit the post, but Arsenal increased their lead in the 35th minute when Saka curled a low free kick that surprised the entire PSG defense and found the back of the net.
Shortly after halftime, Arsenal executed a beautiful play with fast passing, and Gabriel Martinelli tested Donnarumma, but this time the PSG goalie made the save.
PSG’s best chance in the second half came when Joao Neves had a shot that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya deflected onto the woodwork.
“Mikel Arteta has been managing Arsenal for the fifth year, I have been with my team for one year and two months,” Luis Enrique said. “I have a clear idea where I want to be, but I don’t know how long it will take.”
