And that is how you announce your return to the Champions League. A confident, swash-buckling 4-0 thrashing should send shivers through the rest of Group B if not every other squad and—okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Had we hung this scoreline on, say, Bayern or Barcelona, we could bray and thump our chests. PSV Eindhoven were clearly outmatched if not outclassed. It’s a great way to return to this glorious competition, and we shouldn’t make too much of it. Well, let’s allow ourselves to wallow and revel and beam just a little bit. It’s been a long time.
Goals from Saka, Trossard, and Jesus settled this one by halftime, and by the time Ødegaard scored, we had turned in the match into a relaxed training session, and Arteta even relaxed enough to get Saka off the pitch and Smith Rowe on it. David Raya had little to do, which may force Arteta into an interesting selection dilemma ahead of Sunday’s North London Derby. Before we get ahead of ourselves, get into the post-match poll to rate the lads and choose your MOTM!
A dominant performance against a well coached PSV.
Bodes well for Sunday.
Credit PSV for a bold if risky strategy of trying to get up the pitch to attack. It’s too early to say we’ll be able to win the group, but Sevilla’s struggle at home to Lens suggests we at least go through. That was arguably Sevilla’s easiest fixture of the group stage and they dropped points. If we can find 10 points, that might be enough to win the group.
Wasn’t Wenger’s magic number 12 as I think I might remember.
I think he saw 10 as necessary for advancing from and 12 for winning the group. I can’t find it, however. This is a very winnable group. Sevilla are one of the weaker pot one sides and we’re one of the stronger pot two sides.