Letter from Paris as Arsenal gear up for PSG
"Big balls and magic moments" required for Arsenal to beat PSG and reach Champions League final says Declan Rice
Bonjour, heureux Mercredi, as they say in these parts.
I got to Paris late on Tuesday, after getting a delayed Eurostar, while then being forced/crushed into my seat with no space to space by a bloke sat next to me who was even larger than me.
All in all it was a distinctly uncomfortable two and a half hours, on the back of a needless hour at Eurostar in Kings X, so packed and fraught was it, it made the last days of Saigon look positively tranquil.
De toute façon (anyway), I’m here back in the Eternal City for the first time for a game since the last days of Arsene Wenger, when Arsenal drew with Unai Emery’s PSG 2-2 on a glorious Parisian September day back in 2016.
It was a toss up between attending Mikel Arteta’s open training at London Colney or cover his pre-match press conference at the Parc de Princes on Tuesday evening.
As it’s been such a long season (I’ve still managed to get to every single game the men have played making it 53/53 ahead of kick-off) I chose the easier option for once, and took in training at London Colney.
It was good to note Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard all trained, along with Thomas Partey who will be a key factor in the second leg, after serving his suspension at the Emirates.
It was also good to note the team looked relaxed, although not as joyous as last week, prior to the first leg and the 1-0 defeat.
"Big balls and magic moments" required for Arsenal to beat PSG and reach Champions League final says Declan Rice
"We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we're ready to play at this level," said Rice.
He added: "It's a semi-final, it's 90 minutes away from a final - I think that tells you everything you need to know.
"I think the manager spoke to us - us as a group of players know what we can achieve tomorrow night and it's a game of football.
"We can go out there and we can achieve something great for this club and that's what we want to do. We obviously know we're 1-0 down but we have full belief, full positivity that we're going to go out there and win."
Arsenal boss Arteta insists Gunners can make history and overcome PSG to reach Champions League final
Arteta was asked if this clash was his biggest game as boss. He replied: “Yeah, one of the most beautiful, for sure. I mean, again, one win away from being in the final. We cannot ask for anything else.
“Let's not do the talking [now], let's do it on that pitch at 9pm when the game starts.
“Show our best, best, best, best version and win the game.”
He added: “We are more than capable, we've done it in Europe against a lot of odds, probably nobody would say that we'll be in this position. So that was against history as well. So, let's make our own history.”
Arteta continued: “I am in conviction that when we had to do it, we did it in a really convincing way against very difficult opponents.
“So again, the last one is very recent, it's Madrid against all the odds because obviously they were talking about all the comebacks and the history and what they did. And we proved something very different to what they expected and we want to do the same [at the Parc de Princes.]”
I attended Arsenal training on Tuesday morning
I was actually talking to someone at the club before open training on Tuesday morning, and mentioned that I thought I’d only been to Paris twice for football matches, when actually it was four.
The two games I’ve been telling everyone I went to were the 1994 ECWC semi-final first leg, when I was part of the away end that sang 1-0 To The Arsenal to the tune of the Pet Shop Boys ‘Go West’ - when the Parc PA played the song at half time, and travelling Gooners improvised (as we are 1-0 up thanks to Ian Wright’s goal).
I try to avoid telling people in polite conversation that there was practically a riot before the game, but that’s a different story altogether (and one you can read about in my book The Miracle of Copenhagen, available in all bargain bins now)
The second game was of course the 2016 draw with Emery’s PSG.
However, I completely forgot about attending the 2006 Champions League final. A match so traumatising I’ve never actually watched the game back, after being there in the Stade de France, 17 minutes from eternal glory.
What I’d also completely forgotten to mention to people when discussing watching football in Paris, was that I was also there for the 1995 ECWC final at the Parc. Again, a match so traumatising I’ve completely wiped it from my memory banks.
I also went to the Stade de France to watch France 1-1 England a few months after Euro 2000, after that great French side packed with Arsenal players won the trophy.
I’m not sure if it was the strong continental lager I drank during that weekend, but I can’t recall much of the game, although I do remember paying a visit to Pere Lachase on the morning of the game, to pay tribute to two of my idols buried in that grand Parisian cemetery, namely Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.
I have to say I love Paris the city, less so Paris, the sporting city.
Daily List
1 - Visit Eiffel Tower
2 - Leisurely lunch at a special place I know…
3 - The Parc de Princes
I plan to pay a visit to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning (why? well, just because, it’s the Eiffel Tower, and every game I’ve been to here I’ve gone to the Eiffel Tower first) then catch up with pals and have a leisurely lunch with a carafe or two of wine in an authentically French restaurant that does astonishingly incredible food at ridiculously cheap prices. (See my social media tomorrow for more.)
I first visited the place on a sixth form school trip back in 1989 and was blown away by the quality of the food. I would tell you the name of it, but you’ll only end up going there, and spoil the secret, so if you don’t mind, I won’t.
….
PS: Be careful here in Paris
For any Arsenal fans travelling to Paris, just be careful. I’ve seen trouble every time I’ve been to the French capital for a game.
This is what L’Equipe says today (Wednesday, May 7)
«risque de troubles à l'ordre public liés à un contentieux entre supporters ou au comportement habituel de certains supporters ».
“risk of public order disturbances linked to a dispute between supporters or the habitual behavior of certain supporters”
Stay safe Gooners, here’s to a result for the ages tonight.
PSG at Arsenal. CREDIT: @laythy29 - see the Gooner Fanzine Faebook page for video from last weel