What next for Arsenal? & Is Iraola better than Slot?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Athletic FC.
Hi there and welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, Adam Leventhal. Coming up today, after a painful defeat in the Champions League final, what do Arsenal need to do to close the gap on PSG next season?
What happened in the Champions League final that left Arsenal heartbroken?
Gabriel versus Safanov. Has to go in. Oh, he's missed it.
He's missed it.
It's heartbreaking for Arsenal. Soul-destroying for Gabriel.
So a lot happened over the weekend. We'll deal with the Champions League final, Arsenal's Premier League winning parade, and also Arnaud Slot departing Liverpool. James Pearce is going to be joining us for that a little bit later on. But first up, it's hello to Tom Williams, French football journalist. How are you? Hi, I'm very well, thanks. How are you? Yeah, all good, all good. And also, hello to The Athletic's Arsenal correspondent, Art de Rocher. How are you?
I'm good. I know you're probably expecting a different answer, but I'm actually okay. A little bit sleep deprived, but I'm all good.
Yeah, so it's interesting. Obviously, the defeat in the Champions League final, but then the parade. It's quite a switch in emotions. How was that parade for you, Art?
Yeah, I mean, I can only speak as one of the over a million people who were there. So everyone's going to have very different experiences. But for me, it was... a joyous occasion, really. I mean, for me, I tried to be as smart as I could with the logistics of everything. So I live in South London, but I stayed in North London on the Saturday night, got my spot quite early on Essex Road, which was meant to be one of the more quiet spots on the nine kilometre route. So I didn't want to be, you know, in with all the busy crowds on Holloway Road so for me it was really really good kind of timing and spacing to get where I was and to be fair all the people where I was were very well behaved there was no trouble in the area where we were so yeah it was a very good day and as you say quick change of emotions but I think that had already started the night before to be fair.
Obviously, you mentioned there were some incidents. There's continued coverage of the news stories, both attached to the Arsenal parade, also the aftermath in Paris as well after Paris Saint-Germain's win in the Champions League final. So you can check that out on The Athletic. But Tom, you were in the mix of it as well because you live near Finsbury Park. So as an occasion, I suppose it's interesting – In terms of the timing, isn't it? Art mentioned the timing there. Are you content with it?
Yeah, I mean, I've lived in Finsbury Park for the last eight years and the atmosphere around here the last week has just been remarkable. There's just this incredible energy to the place, seeing a lot more Arsenal shirts than ever before, even on a match day. And yeah, I think, as Art said, yesterday felt very good-natured. I think it helped that the parade did come so quickly after Saturday night because it gave everyone involved with Arsenal something to switch their focus to. And of course, you know, for all that Saturday night went the wrong way from an Arsenal perspective, there is still an awful lot to celebrate from this season. And so I think actually... Although it was a very quick turnaround, I think it probably helped everyone to be able to draw a line beneath what happened in Budapest and, you know, very quickly focus on celebrating this historic campaign and, you know, sharing that moment with their supporters.
So Arsenal and their fans moved on, but we are just going to turn the clock back if that's all right and reflect on the final. Paris Saint-Germain, back-to-back winners of the Champions League. From the point of view of Arsenal's game plan, now there's been a bit of time for the dust to settle. Could Mikel Arteta have done anything differently?
i'm not too sure and i know a lot of neutrals looking at that game would see let's say the possession stats and say how could you set up this way but i think any game plan goes out the window when you score that early in the final everyone knows that you then have something to hold on to for the rest of the game and to be fair as the game ebbed and flowed watching it so i watched it in the stadium in the emirates stadium
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:22
2
What happened in the Champions League final that left Arsenal heartbroken?
0:22–7:25
3
How did Arsenal fans react at the celebratory parade after the final?
7:25–23:21
4
Could Mikel Arteta have changed tactics in the final to stop PSG?
23:21–45:45
5
Were the in-game penalty decisions and VAR calls in the final controversial?
45:45–47:04