The $30 million toe in the water

Arsenal's Champions League final defeat by PSG has left the Gunners reeling, with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly labeling them 'boring' in a congratulatory text to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Ferguson's comments come after Arsenal's 4-3 loss in the shootout, with Gabriel's penalty miss condemning them to defeat.

The Gunners had just 24.7 per cent possession, the lowest for any side in a final of the Champions League since records began, while Kai Havertz's early goal was their only shot on target in the match.

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Arsenal's defensive approach has been criticized by some, with PSG star Joao Neves hitting out at their style of play.

'We deserved this title,' he said. 'I saw only one team on the pitch. We created chances, we had the ball most of the time and we played better.'

The French press felt the team 'who tried to play' deserved to claim their second successive Champions League, despite struggling to create many opportunities of note.

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Arsenal's defeat has sparked a debate about their style of play, with some questioning whether they have abandoned their attacking philosophy.

According to L'Equipe, Arteta's side had 'rejected their Barcelona legacy' by adopting a defensive approach.

The publication wrote: 'For a long time, it seemed PSG would lose this final without even really playing, rendered powerless, locked down by the Gunners, who threw the key into the Danube before parking their double-decker bus in front of David Raya's goal.'

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Despite the criticism, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has praised his team's performance, saying they 'deserved this title'.

The team's star player, Joao Neves , has also hit out at Arsenal's style of play, saying they 'created chances,we had the ball most of the time and we played better.'

However, the question remains: what led to Arsenal's defensive approach, and did it ultimately cost them the Champions League?

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The lack of attacking intent led L'Equipe to go as far as claiming Arteta had 'rejected his Barcelona legacy'.

Arteta came through the youth ranks at the Catalan club and played 42 times for their B team until he spent 18 months on loan at PSG .

It remains to be seen whether this criticism will have any impact on Arteta's future at the club.