UEFA Europa League Recap: PSV Beat Lackluster Arsenal
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EINDHOVEN — Arsenal players and fans alike will wanna forget last Thursday night as they follow up their first draw of the season against Southampton with their second loss against PSV Eindhoven in all competitions. They suffered a 2-0 loss due to goals from Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong.
The Gunners traveled to the Netherlands after an infuriating draw against Southampton to play their fifth Europa League match. Before they arrived, the Gunners had won all four of their previous Europa League matches. They looked to seal their spot in the competition’s knockout stages, which are set to begin after the World Cup. All the Gunners needed was a draw or a win to see themselves through.
Former Manchester United player Ruud van Nistelrooy, the team’s current coach, deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. Benitez took up the goalkeeper position, with Philipp Max and Mien taking up the full-back spots, with Branthwaite and Ramalho Silva playing between them. Gutierrez and Sangare held the defensive half of the midfield. At the same time, Veerman was free to play in a creative role, with Cody Gakpo, who is actually on the Gunners’ radar for a winter transfer, played out left, with El Ghazi out right, and former Barcelona wonderkid Xavi Simons playing up top.
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Mikel Arteta opted for a 4-3-3 line-up, with Ramsdale getting his European debut. Kieran Tierney returned to the left-back position, with Tomiyasu playing right back. William Saliba and Rob Holding took up the center-back roles. Sambi Lokonga, Granit Xhaka, and Martin Odegaard played in the middle of the pack, and Martinelli and Fabio Vieria played on the wings, with Eddie Nketiah having the responsibility as the striker.
Arsenal kept the game in the PSV half, giving the defense work to do through the first 45 minutes. Chances from Martinelli and Nketiah go to waste as none of them find the back of the net. The Arsenal defense would struggle as Xavi Simons weaved through them to score a Messi-esque goal in the 42nd minute. Thankfully for the Gunners, the goal would be ruled offside.
The second half saw the introduction of Luuk de Jong in place of El Ghazi, and PSV would turn up the attack. Arsenal tried to get comfortable, but the Dutch side made sure to remind the Gunners where they were. Luuk de Jong would set up the first goal, teeing it up for Veerman, who would make the breakthrough in the 55th minute.
Things went from good to great for PSV and bad to worse for Arsenal in the 63rd minute. Cody Gakpo would swing in a corner into the head of de Jong, whose header would hit its target after Ramsdale would come out to fist the ball away. However, his efforts were futile as de Jong would see the ball in.
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Cody Gakpo nearly made it 3-0 in the 65th minute for his side, but his goal would be ruled offside. PSV would continue to pepper Ramsdale’s goal, but the English keeper would hold firm.
Arsenal nearly had the chance to cut the deficit in half in the 77th minute after a smart Xhaka pass found Nketiah, who was mere feet from the goal. His effort would, unfortunately, meet Benitez in goal, who saved the ball, only for it to be cleared by Braithwaite in a last-ditch effort. It would be one of the Gunners’ last chances before Nistelrooy’s men claimed a significant victory in their race for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
All in all, this was another poor performance from the Gunners. Nothing went to plan, and they could’ve easily lost by more. PSV, on the other hand, couldn’t have asked for a better game. Bar the disallowed goals from Simons and Gakpo, the Dutch side was stellar on the night, and they made sure to get the job done after losing to the English side in London just a week prior. This was a massive opportunity for Arteta’s men to finish the job, and it escaped them. He was keen on wrapping up the group stage to let his key players rest.
Now, the Gunners need to pull it together to get a draw or a win in the last game against FC Zurich. Fatigue and lack of depth are beginning to catch up with Arsenal, and they can’t wait for the returns of Emile Smith Rowe and Oleksander Zinchenko. Arteta will also be hoping to spend a bit of money this January on new recruitments, which will be key if he wants to truly pursue the title this season.
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