Arsenal's toothless Champions League exit highlights what we've always known about Gunners

Amidst the smoke in the Paris night, one thing was painfully clear. Above the din of the Parc des Princes, a plain truth could be heard loud and clear. This is a very good side but this .

And it is a plain truth that has been obvious to most for a long time. The shortage of high-quality striking options gives this side an imbalance that has now seen them fall short in both the and Premier League this season.

Not that far short here, to be fair. For good parts of this contest, men were more than a match for in an environment that was wonderfully hostile.

In terms of atmosphere, there was no need for to appear on a giant screen to politely encourage the local fans to make a bit of noise. The Parc des Princes was febrile before the flares and flags were produced when the teams came out for the start of proper business.

When, a couple of hours before kick-off, the police had fired tear-gas into the air outside the stadium, it was almost as though they were just getting into the spirit of things. But to their credit, Arsenal did not choke. Far from it.

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This type of match, this type of occasion, these types of stakes, this type of pressure, form staging posts on the journey of this Arsenal side under Arteta. They settled like a team that knows it belongs at this relatively rarefied level.

Mind you, this is a PSG team that had, to some extent, been over-hyped. For those of us who watched them go to pieces for a 20-minute spell at Villa Park, their vulnerability - flakiness, for want of a better word - was plain to see.

And the smoke from the pyrotechnics had barely lifted before Arsenal were creating clear opportunities. But the early wastefulness of Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli did highlight the problem that, for a long time, has actually needed no highlighting.

There really can be no excusing Arteta and the Arsenal recruitment gurus if a high-quality, proven goalscorer is not recruited this summer. Even allowing for the excellence of Gianluigi Donnarumma, a top-class centre-forward would have had a field day against this PSG side but, instead, it was left to the likes of Rice and Martinelli to provide the ruthlessness in the penalty area.

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And as good as they are, their penalty box-instinct is far from ruthless. Stating the obvious, wasting chances - as Arsenal did regularly in the opening 20 minutes - only exaggerates the pressure on your own defenders, particularly when there is already a one-goal deficit to overcome.

As openings went begging, Arsenal looked increasingly edgy when the prospect of a PSG counter-attack raised its head, as it did with increasing frequency. And while the Fabian Ruiz strike that put the home side ahead was facilitated by poor defending of a set-piece, the free-kick was won by a PSG counter-pressing movement that spooked Declan Rice.

But, typically, it was Rice who was soon running half the length of the field to make a goal-saving tackle that, going into the second half, kept Arsenal hopes alive. That epitomised his commitment to the cause and was typical of Arsenal’s efforts. You would expect nothing less.

And looking back on their entire Champions League campaign, they have plenty to be proud of. But the fact is Arteta still does not have enough clinical striking quality at his disposal. And in smoky Paris, that was plain to see.

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