Jamie Carragher called Arsenal's Champions League final performance against PSG the 'worst I've ever seen.' 'They played like Getafe for 120 minutes,' he said.
PSG won a second consecutive Champions League title on Saturday night. The French capital club had to wait until the penalty shootout to get past Arsenal. The Gunners' performance was strongly criticized by Jamie Carragher.
For the last club match of the season, PSG defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final on Saturday night in Budapest.
A complete performance from Luis Enrique's men, who won a second consecutive Champions League title. After crushing Inter Milan (5-0) last season, the capital club had to wait for penalties to overcome the English champion. A final that did not excite most observers, given the minimalist game proposed by Mikel Arteta.
After the match, Carragher did not mince his words about the Gunners' performance. The former Liverpool player, now a consultant for CBS and Sky Sports, did not appreciate the English club's proposed game plan.
"It might be the worst performance I've ever seen in a Champions League final. Honestly, Arsenal played like Getafe for 120 minutes. Ninety minutes sitting back in defense, then another 30 minutes sitting back even more. I waited in vain for them to show a bit of ambition, a bit of courage, but their tactic seemed obvious: survive, survive, survive, and hope that David Raya wins the penalty shootout. This is the Champions League final, not a relegation match. You can't spend two hours defending your own penalty area and expect people to hail that as a tactical masterclass," said the 2005 Champions League winner.
"For me, it's one of the worst performances ever seen in a final of this competition," he emphasized to conclude. The Gunners' fans will still remember a good season. The London club managed to break the curse, winning the Premier League 22 years after their last title in 2004.
Truth be told, Carragher has a good point. Something similar to what PSG midfielder Joao Neves said at the end of the match, arguing that only one team seemed to want to win.
That said, it is that kind of game plan that makes PSG suffer. Of course, the objective was not to make the rival suffer; it was to win, but we must give the Gunners the necessary credit: they knew how to put the European champion in trouble and sent the match to a penalty shootout, where anyone could have won.
What PSG has achieved in these last two years is pure history. The Parisian team already surpasses clubs like Manchester City in Champions League titles won and has equaled the achievements of other historic clubs like Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
