It was a day when the Arsenal team news threatened to be the news, Mikel Arteta sending a message at the outset. There was precious little rotation from the manager ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League, semi-final second-leg away against Paris Saint-Germain, the tie that cast long shadows here. Arteta wanted to keep his starters in the groove, to generate momentum for the Parc des Princes with a win. So much for the theory.
Arteta rested Jurrien Timber, who had picked up a minor knock in the 1-0 first-leg defeat against PSG but that apart, he went with pretty much his strongest available line-up. It was certainly a contrast to the approach of his PSG counterpart, Luis Enrique, who made ten changes for his team’s Ligue 1 game at Strasbourg. PSG, who have already sewn up the title, lost 2-1.
