Sheringham backs Arsenal over PSG in Champions League final
sheringham comes down to fine margins for Arsenal in the Champions League final, and Nacho Monreal has backed Mikel Arteta’s side to beat PSG. The former left-back said the matchup is completely balanced and pointed to one deciding factor: the team that makes fewer mistakes will be champion.
Monreal’s Arsenal verdict
Monreal called the final “a very even matchup” and said neither side is the clear favorite. He added that both teams have defined styles and will stick to them, which leaves little room for drift once the game starts. For Arsenal, that means the margin Monreal sees is not tactical invention but cleaner execution in the decisive moments.
His belief in the club is rooted in what he saw over six and a half seasons in north London. Monreal won six trophies with Arsenal, and he said the team now looks nothing like the one he knew. “The change has been total. This is a winning, highly competitive Arsenal shaped entirely by Arteta’s personality,” he said.
Arteta and the turnaround
Monreal’s praise for Arteta went beyond the current run to the manager’s influence on the dressing room. “Absolutely. He has a strong personality and knows exactly what he wants. Even as a teammate, whenever we had team talks, he was one of the voices everyone listened to. Everything he said made sense. We all knew he’d become a great manager,” Monreal said.
That view fits the season Arsenal have produced. Monreal said they reached the Champions League final, fought for the FA Cup until the end and pushed the Premier League title race to the final matchday. He also noted that Arsenal have never won the Champions League, which gives this final a sharper edge than a routine high-profile meeting with PSG.
Raya’s season for Arsenal
Monreal also singled out David Raya as the team’s standout. “No question. He’s probably been Arsenal’s best and most consistent player this season. He hasn’t been injured, he’s played everything, and he’s saved the team countless times,” he said. He added that Raya’s game is built on bravery and reading situations quickly, even if he is not tall for a goalkeeper.
“He’s not tall for a goalkeeper, but he makes up for it with bravery — he comes out for everything, catches everything, reads the game incredibly well,” Monreal said. That gives Arsenal a clear edge in one area Monreal trusts most: the goalkeeper who has been present for every stretch of the campaign and central to the club’s push into the final.
For Arsenal, the message from one of their former defenders is plain. Monreal sees a team shaped by Arteta, steadied by Raya and prepared for a final that he believes will turn on discipline rather than reputation. If Arsenal are to lift a trophy they have never won, Monreal’s read leaves them with a simple task against PSG: make fewer mistakes.
