Arsenal vs PSG: Who has the most complete team
Arsenal and PSG are two of the strongest clubs in Europe this season, and we expect them to fight for the Champions League.
This happened last season, and both teams met in the semifinal of the competition, with PSG eliminating the Gunners.
The Ligue 1 side would go on to win their first European crown, and Arsenal fans cannot help but wonder if their team could have been champions if they had won that semifinal tie.
PSG remains one of the best teams in Europe, and there is a good chance that they will retain the Champions League title.
No one says it would be easy to do that, but they have kept their team together, and stability helps so much in any competition.
The Parisians have splashed the cash on the world’s best players in the last few seasons, which is why fans buy Champions League tickets to watch them play.
Arsenal has never won the Champions League, so the Parisians have one over them, but the Gunners remain one of the best teams in England and Europe.
Since 2020, they have undertaken a major rebuilding job and have trusted Mikel Arteta to take them to the next level.
The Spaniard has gradually improved the quality of his team each summer, and Arsenal has now become one of the teams to fear domestically and in Europe.
In their domestic league, we expect them to be champions when this season ends, as they have assembled a dream team for Arteta.
The gaffer knows the pressure is on, but considering how well his team has performed in the last few seasons, he is confident that they can get it done.
Domestic expectations
Few people believe that PSG can be stopped by another Ligue 1 team now, as they have reached a new level.
When they lost Kylian Mbappe was the best time for another French club to topple them.
However, that never happened as they coped well and Luis Enrique kept his word to build a stronger team without the Frenchman.
In France, most people only buy Ligue 1 tickets when they want to watch PSG play in a stadium.
However, in the Premier League, Arsenal has not been English champions since 20o4, a remarkably long time for one of the best and most popular teams in the world.
The Gunners have finished second in the last three consecutive seasons, so it seems like they are closer than ever to becoming champions.
This season, they will hardly have an excuse if they do not become champions of England because, despite building a Galactico squad, Liverpool is struggling.
Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season has also not solved all of Manchester City’s problems, so the Gunners have an important date with destiny.
We can all tell that they now have the required squad depth to be champions, so we expect them to win, just like PSG is expected to defend their Ligue 1 crown.
It will be difficult to stop either of these teams, so by next summer, we expect both of them to have won their domestic titles.
European expectations
In Europe, Arsenal and PSG have started strongly after being among the last four teams last season.
While PSG is expected to win the crown again, Arsenal’s next step is to reach the final and probably win it as well.
In 2006, they reached the final of the competition with one of their best ever squads and the Gunners were expected to win it.
They even took the lead, but Barcelona came from behind to win the game 2-1 to leave Arsenal without a UCL crown.
They have not reached the final since that season, and the fans who have bought Arsenal tickets this season expect that to change.
In 2024, they reached the quarterfinals, having returned to the competition that season for the first time since 2017.
This year, they were in the semifinal and crushed Real Madrid on their way to reaching the last four of the competition.
This term, fans now expect to reach the final, and they will hope they are not paired with PSG at any stage in the tournament until that time.
The Parisians have reached a new level of competitiveness and effectiveness, which earned them the crown last season.
This term, they have kept most of the players that helped them achieve that success, and they reached the final of the Club World Cup in the summer.
They are expected to defend the crown, and whoever knocks PSG out of the Champions League this season will be expected to win the competition.
Who has the most complete squad?
It is exciting to compare the squads of Arsenal and PSG, but it is not easy to pick a winner.
In this article, we will consider each position with just the starters to show which team is much stronger.
Our chosen formation is 4-3-3, so we will name the best players in each team and compare their counterparts in the other team.
Goalkeepers - David Raya vs Lucas Chevalier
PSG shocked most people when they chose to replace Gigio Donnarumma with Chevalier in the summer, but he is one of the finest goalies around.
He has already kept five clean sheets in nine league games this season and has not made them miss Donnarumma.
However, Raya is the best between both, having won back-to-back Golden Glove awards in the Premier League.
He is set to break the record for the most clean sheets in a season by the end of this term.
Right back - Jurrien Timber vs Achraf Hakimi
This will be one of the hardest to differentiate, as Hakimi is simply world-class and has proven so at three clubs.
Timber has been terrific since he came to Arsenal and is now one of the best right-backs in the world, considering he benches Ben White.
The Dutchman is great, but Hakimi is a much better and more accomplished player.
Left-Back - Nuno Mendes vs Riccardo Calafiori
Mendes is such a smooth operator and a very humble player whose form in the last season has made him arguably the world’s left back.
There is a conspiracy theory that Mohamed Salah has been in bad form since he faced the Portugal star in the Champions League.
Calafiori is a terrific player, and he is heading towards becoming one of the finest in the game, but he is nowhere near Mendes at the moment.
Right Centre Back - William Saliba vs Marquinhos
There were several seasons when we all considered Marquinhos one of the best defenders in the world, but the Brazilian’s best is behind him now for obvious reasons.
He is 31 now and is close to the end of his career, while William Saliba is yet to hit his prime, but he is already one of the world’s best. The Frenchman is the better player.
Left Centre-Back William Pacho vs Gabriel
This is one of the hardest comparisons to do between these teams because Pacho was outstanding as PSG won the Champions League.
In England, Gabriel is considered the most complete centre-back, and he is probably the best in the country this term.
Pacho has shown his pedigree as well, and we will leave this as a tie between them.
Defensive Midfield - Martin Zubimendi vs Vitinha
It is so hard to remember that it was this same Vitinha who could not get game time when he played at Wolves.
Last season, he shone in the PSG midfield and was even considered for the Ballon d’Or.
Zubimendi has made a terrific start to life at Arsenal, making all of us forget about Thomas Partey quickly.
However, most people will choose Vitinha over him in their midfield, and we agree.
Central Midfield - Declan Rice vs Joao Neves
Rice has been so good that he made all of us forget that Arsenal broke their transfer record to add him to their squad.
The Englishman is arguably the most complete midfielder in England, but Neves took him out of the game when Arsenal faced PSG last season, and the Portugal star is a much better player.
Attacking Midfield Fabian Ruiz vs Martin Odegaard
At Arsenal, Odegaard has been transformed into one of the world’s best players, but Ruiz has more experience and accomplishments.
The way PSG’s midfield is, he is not given the sole responsibility of creating chances, but he has also been in fantastic form for Spain, winning Euro 2024.
Right Attacker - Bukayo Saka vs Desire Doue
Like most Arsenal players, Saka has been fantastic, but he does not have the trophies to make his career and reputation great.
Doue singlehandedly ran the show at the last Champions League final after causing problems for several teams before that final. At the moment, he is a surer bet to deliver a fine performance than Saka.
Left Attacker - Gabriel Martinelli vs Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
It is baffling that Premier League clubs allowed PSG to sign Kvaratskhelia from Napoli at the start of this year because his quality has been evident for several seasons.
Martinelli has lost form and did poorly last season, which has not changed much since the start of this term.
Kvaratskhelia is surely a better player in that role, and no manager will pick Martinelli if he has the Georgian.
Centre-Forward - Ousmane Dembele vs Viktor Gyokeres
Dembele was terrific in attack for PSG last season, and that earned him the Ballon d’Or, a remarkable achievement for a player we considered a flop at Barcelona.
However, Gyokeres scored almost 100 goals in two seasons at Sporting Club. In the right system, he will guarantee more goals than Dembele.