Painful Champions League exit encapsulated story of Arsenal's season

Honestly, fellas, don't bother with a 2024/25 Arsenal season review. Just watch the 90 minutes in Paris and you'll have a clear idea of how the Gunners' campaign went down.

For Arsenal, this was an all-too-familiar defeat.

Despite heading into the second leg of their Champions League final 1-0 down, Declan Rice was among the players to denote a confident exterior. His words emboldened a hopeful fanbase, while Mikel Arteta boasted similar self-assurance as he spoke ahead of kick-off.

And, in truth, the players couldn't have given too much more at Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. xG hauls pointed towards an admirable Arsenal performance in a mightily tough environment, but no team has ever been venerated for their inefficiency. No manager has ever crafted a legacy of almost guiding teams to the promised land.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal remain nearly men.

Final third inefficiency proves to be Arsenal's kryptonite again

This was the fourth two-legged semi-final defeat of Arteta's tenure. While perhaps not the most painful - I remember how bleak the days were after Unai Emery's Villarreal knocked us out of the Europa League - it confirmed that Arsenal will endure their fifth trophy-less season on the bounce.

After tamely surrendering in the title race, this was the Gunners' final hope. Inter awaited in Munich, and their heroics on Tuesday night amid a bonkers semi should've galvanised this group of players ahead of the challenge which greeted them in the French capital.

Arsenal created early, and Arteta, who returned to the Tony Pulis chapter of his coaching manual, was able to unsettle PSG in the opening exchanges. Thomas Partey's long throw was the cynical trump card played by the boss, and the Ghanaian's surprise assault from the sidelines led to two outstanding Gianluigi Donnarummma saves. Before that, Rice headed just inches wide (he'd later atone with an indomitable effort to deny Bradley Barcola from doubling PSG's lead in the first half).

The opening ten minutes was Arsenal's best period of the tie, but their failure to restore parity proved fatal. Eventually, the hosts settled, and momentum seemed to shift after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the post with a divine curling effort. It was a reminder that this team could strike in an instant, no matter how well Arsenal were performing tactically; executing Arteta's demands without the ball superbly.

We got the courage and bravery we all wanted to see, but the Parisian frontier proved to be a crossing too far for a team which has doubtlessly come of age this season. They're not going away anytime soon, but their work in the transfer market will define the extent of their renaissance.

We've got the coach, and while he's yet to take us one step beyond, please remember where we were six years ago. This team is almost there, and we've got to believe that Arteta will adapt. An emphasis on security and defence has helped the Gunners evolve into a unit nobody wants to play against, but they're currently not a team feared by the majority. Game-breakers in attack are required. We need speed in transition to complement our stellar work without the ball, and a reliable sharp-shooter who'll cash in on the xG Arteta cultists love to fawn over.

It hurts right now, and God forbid those folk from down the road don't end up with a European trophy in their back pocket. 2024/25 promised so much for this Arsenal team but has ultimately underwhelmed. There is, however, a distinct idea as to how Arteta's Gunners can venture into the realm they're on the cusp of breaching. The same mistake can't be made this summer.

Stick with 'em.

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