Positives & negatives from Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to PSG

Positive #1: Still dangerous Saka

Arsenal only carried scant threat against the pass masters from the French capital, but what forward intent the hosts did muster mostly came from Saka. The sense of expectation was heightened whenever the Gunners' main man got on the ball.

Saka had Arsenal believing because he taught PSG a lesson so many teams have had to learn the hard way. Namely, how dispossessing Saka is a lot tougher than it looks.

It's common to see Arsenal's No. 7 travelling with the ball and believe he's about to see it knicked off his toe. Yet, that seldom happens because Saka is stronger than he looks and has a knowledge of how to use his body many top wingers go entire careers without acquiring.

An unstoppable run through traffic on the left of the box in the first half gave Saka room to hoist a cross over Donnarumma (no small feat). Sadly, Martinelli couldn't get enough of a touch to prod the ball into an open net.

There wasn't much to encourage Arsenal for so long on the night, but Saka still managed to provide ample hope ahead of the second leg. Hope that will only be kept alive by a more consistent press at the Parc des Princes.

Negative #2: Problematic press

Arsenal reached the last four of Europe's premier club competition by being bigger, faster, stronger and more energetic than decorated rivals from the continent. The surge from the red half of north London had been powered by a marauding press that strangely deserted the Gunners in this first leg.

The press became problematic because it was applied in an erratic way. Arsenal pressed high and stepped onto the PSG backline, but Luis Enrique's defenders often proved adept at playing around runners.

When they did, the problems intensified for the home side. That was because Arsenal gave too much room to PSG's midfield trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz.

The latter was exceptional, industrial and artful all at once, frankly teaching Gunners skipper Odegaard an object lesson in how to dominate a match of this magnitude. As good as Ruiz and co. were, they had too much time thanks to an Arsenal engine department missing the muscle of Thomas Partey.

Merino was a less-than-adequate fill-in for the rugged, but vital work Partey did during the 5-1 dismantling of Real Madrid in the last round. The result was a PSG team allowed to seize ownership of the ball and move it with an ease and efficiency that hasn't truly been Arsenal's calling card since Arsene Wenger left town.

Arsenal need more possession and more verve to go with for the remainder of this tie. It won't happen without a better outing from the team's lone creator-in-chief.

Continued on the next slide...