Rio Ferdinand believes Arsenal’s ability to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League will come down to mindset rather than talent.
Speaking on his Rio Reacts YouTube show, the former Manchester United defender dismissed concerns about ability, insisting that belief and grit will determine whether Mikel Arteta’s side can book a place in the final.
“I don’t think it’s about ability with Arsenal at this stage. I think it’s about mindset. I think it’s about mentality in this game,” Ferdinand said.
“It’s about belief. It’s about going into that game and saying, ‘we are meant to be here. We are going to get ourselves to that final and we’re going to show a way of playing that might not be what we’re used to seeing with Arsenal’, but it’s going to be hard.”
Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with Man Utd in 2008, stressed the need for Arsenal to embrace a less polished, more determined approach.
“It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be gritty. And they’re going to find a way. In [Bukayo] Saka, they have a match winner who can turn a game on its head on a sixpence.”
Arsenal will be boosted by the return of Thomas Partey, who missed the first leg through suspension. His availability could allow Declan Rice to play a more advanced role – something Ferdinand believes could help unlock PSG.
“Yeah, which maybe allows Declan Rice to play a bit more advanced and gives them that little bit of thrust from the middle of the pitch.
“So, they’ve got positives in their team, but as many positives as they have, if the mindset and mentality isn’t right going into this game, when you’re 1-0 down, to say ‘no, no, guys – there’s real belief here’ they’ll get smoked.”
Ferdinand pushed back against comparisons to Arsenal’s dramatic win over Real Madrid earlier in the competition, warning that PSG are a different kind of threat.
“Paris aren’t Madrid, though,” he continued.
“This is a proper team. I don’t think they’re invincible, this Paris Saint-Germain team, but they have been the best team, I think, in terms of balance and what they’ve brought to the table in games so far.”
He ended with a tactical concern, pointing to Arsenal’s lack of a true centre forward as a potential weakness PSG could exploit.
“My biggest concern for Arsenal is that without a centre forward, this Paris Saint-Germain team can go man-to-man, one-v-one at the back and be comfortable, fairly comfortable, which means they have numbers further up the pitch to outnumber this Arsenal team and really suffocate them and keep them back.”