
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha expertly broke down Arsenal and Mikel Arteta's tactics during the Champions League final.
PSG became the second team to retain Europe's most prestigious prize with a 4-3 penalty shootout win after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Kai Havertz put Arsenal ahead inside five minutes, which had Gunners supporters dreaming of a first-ever Champions League triumph.
In trademark fashion, Arsenal attempted to make it a game of attrition. PSG had plenty of shots and managed to find an equaliser midway through the second half. Ousmane Dembele converted his penalty in the 64th minute after Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
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Penalties followed after a tense 30 minutes of extra time. Eberechi Eze was the first player to miss, although David Raya managed to save Nuno Mendes' spot-kick to keep Arsenal's hopes alive. However, PSG didn't falter again and Gabriel skied his penalty high into the Puskas Arena stands to give the French giants victory.
Several PSG players spoke to television broadcasters after the game, including Portugal international Vitinha. He decided to address Arsenal's game plan, which saw them register just 24.7 per cent of possession. That's the lowest number in a Champions League final since stats started being recorded, in addition to the lowest in any Arsenal game under Arteta's management.
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Vitinha broke down how Arsenal 'waste time'
Despite winning the Premier League this season, Arsenal have received criticism for being dull to watch. Their reliance on choreographed set pieces leaves a lot to be desired by the neutral. It's something Vitinha picked up on, stressing in a chat with TNT Sports Mexico the importance of picking your moments. He later revealed PSG manager, Luis Enrique, spotted exactly what was going on in the first half and decided to make a tactical tweak in the second.
"You have to be patient when you're up against a team like that," the 26-year-old said. "We knew it was going to happen, but even more so after Arsenal's goal, since you really have to be patient.
"It’s difficult because you see the clock ticking away, it’s a final, you want to win and they waste a lot of time on everything: throw-ins, goal kicks, everything. And it’s very difficult because if you fall into that trap… You lose your cool.
"So, a lot of patience, two very compact lines, sometimes with six at the back, and it’s difficult because you want to make a decisive pass, you want to break that down, and you can’t because that’s exactly what they want, so you have to go wide, make runs without the ball.
"And that’s what the coach talked about at halftime, and I also think there was a little more space in the second half, and we took advantage of that very well. We got the penalty, and after that, the game was ours."
Topics: Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Champions League, Mikel Arteta