There was a Captain Mainwaring moment from Arsène Wenger late on Wednesday night. There was “no reason to panic” about what he admitted was Arsenal’s sudden inability to win games he said. His prime cause for concern after holding a lead for only 18 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain seemed to be what word he might employ. “I have to be careful on the choice of my words. I say 'stuttering' and it comes back at me…”

There are moments amid the grey, increasingly meaningless choreography of the football press conference circuit when the truth mocks the whole charade and this was one of them. Wenger was boasting about his team having gone through their group undefeated and outside in the tunnel Carl Jenkinson, the full back, was agreeing that Tottenham would have given anything to be in the place where Arsenal found themselves. “Exactly. Getting to the last 16 is not the easiest thing in the world to do anyway.”

Yet Arsenal had just played like stink, revealing in the process that there is no reason on God’s earth to believe that the team will mark Wenger’s 20th year by venturing deep into the competition knock-out stages. Nothing seems to have changed.

Mesut Ozil: invisible; Olivier Giroud: isolated; Jenkinson; incapable of attaining the level required of a world class, Champions League winning full-back. (Twice, Alexis Sanchez pointed out to the Englishman a position he had failed to take up.) The other Premier League side with big ambitions in the competition had not sparkled either, though Manchester City are operating under a new manager, who is trying to locate a new system for the continent. For Wenger, this has been a Champions League work in progress for 20 years and still looks no closer to winning the thing.

In the Old Trafford press conference room on Saturday afternoon, Wenger told us that his players had been anodyne because of a “mental block” that stadium holds. In the Emirates press conference room, he told us that his players had allowed Paris Saint-Germain to “play too comfortably” in a first half they dominated. “We dropped off. We didn't maintain the pressure.”

It was the way he said this - calmly, phlegmatically and seemingly impassive to whatever the French champions happened to bring into the game - that was significantly. It is fair to say that Guardiola would have been on the touchline, eviscerating his team if they had allowed opponents to “play too comfortably.” From the very outset, when Wenger was pictured shaking the French players’ hands in the tunnel, there was a lack of something visceral.

He also said of his side that “it was difficult for us to find the right positioning on the pitch from the start.” Is it not the manager’s job to decide where those positions should be? In the new midfield combination of Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin, there was little sense of balance. Ramsey’s performance against PSG divided opinion. There was certainly a strong tackling dimension to his game in the early stages, but the French side’s playmaker Marco Verratti was immeasurably better.

Arsenal vs PSG player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Arsenal vs PSG player ratings Arsenal vs PSG player ratings david-ospina.jpg Two crucial saves in the second half kept things level after the equaliser. Nothing he could’ve done for Cavani’s opener, although positioning could’ve been better for Lucas’s header. That said, he will have had faith in his defender on the post. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings carl-jenkinson.jpg Bore the brunt of the home fans’ frustrations in the first half as two poor crosses killed off rare chances for the home side. Saw the best and worst of him after the break, as his low cross led to Verratti’s own goal and pivotal touch in defence took the ball away from Matuidi, only for the England right-back to lose Lucas for the crushing equaliser. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings laurent-koscielny.jpg A very poor showing by his standards, as he gifted at least three chances to PSG’s attack. Lost Cavani for the first goal and tried to take Lucas on when playing out of defence, only to lose possession, foul the Brazilian and receive a booking. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings shkodran-mustafi.jpg Made two well-timed interceptions but missed the ball when alone with Cavani that was lucky not to be punished. Rolled by Matuidi that led to the opener, which had to go down as his fault. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings kieran-gibbs.jpg Goalline clearance prevented Arsenal from going behind early on, and he was very reliable when it came to his defensive duties. Pressing his case to replace Monreal on a permanent basis, but could offer more going forward. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings aaron-ramsey.jpg Lively from the off with a firm tackle on Lucas inside the opening minute. This was his first outing of the season in the centre of midfield, but he was unable to strike up a partnership with Coquelin and at times went roaming to leave Arsenal exposed. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings francis-coquelin.jpg Caught napping by Cavani that nearly led to an early opener for the French side, with Coquelin’s deflection nearly going in his own net. Grew into the game defensively, but he doesn’t work well with Ramsey in midfield and he was rightly booked after going over the ball and collecting Thiago Motta. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings alexis-sanchez.jpg Was he fouled? Contact with Krychowiak looked minimal for the spot kick, but it was enough to win a penalty for his side regardless. Moved away from his central role to return to the left wing, and his impact was reduced significantly as a result. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings mesut-ozil.jpg Beautiful inside pass deceived the PSG defence to find Sanchez that led to the penalty. Always probing to try get Arsenal playing forward and retained possession well when under pressure, but was left isolated. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings alexi-iwobi.jpg Worried the PSG defence with his direct running forwards, but each time he reached the area he looked unsure of himself and reluctant to shoot. Should have done better to clear the ball when standing on the post for Lucas’s goal. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings olivier-giroud-0.jpg Had little to do in the first half as Arsenal failed to put any meaningful attacks together, but remained calm to convert from the spot and level the scores on the stroke of half-time. Tried to impose on the PSG centre-backs but wasn’t given much assistance and Arsenal didn’t adjust their tactics to suit his needs. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings areola.jpg Very little to do in the first half until he was picking the ball out of his net on the stroke of half-time. Could do nothing to stop the equaliser. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings meunir.jpg Looked to advance early on but didn’t forget his defensive duties. Did well to restrict Iwobi to keep him out of the area. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings marquinhos.jpg Unlucky to see his clearance cannon back off Verratto and into the net. Booked for a cynical foul in halting an Arsenal counter attack, but was otherwise solid, especially in the air. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings thiago-silva.jpg His slight touch nearly led to an early goal from a corner that should’ve rung alarm bells for the home side. Sussed out everything that came his way. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings maxwell.jpg Nullified the threat of Sanchez that eventually saw the Chilean switch to the left flank as he searched for better chances. Sucked in by Ozil that helped lead to the penalty, but that was more to do with his sublime hidden pass than an error of judgement. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings marco-verratti.jpg Misread on Cavani’s early run saw a chance to send the striker through missed, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time to put the ball in his own net to hand Arsenal the advantage. It rattled him as he then lost possession on the edge of his own area. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings krychowiak.jpg Offered a protective shield for the PSG defence that worked until the dying seconds of the first half when his lunge gave away the penalty. Replaced shortly after the hour as Unai Emery went in search of goals with Hatem Ben Arfa on in his place. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings thaigo-motta.jpg As we’ve come to expect, he didn’t make a great deal of eye-catching contributions but then barely put a foot wrong. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings lucas-moura.jpg Incredibly dangerous with the ball at his feet and linked up well with Cavani that on another day would’ve produced a simple victory. His stunning free-kick deserved a goal as he hit the top side of the cross bar with a fantastic curling effort. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings edinson-cavani.jpg Scored his second goal against Arsenal in as many matches this season, as he was on hand to tap in Matuidi’s inch-perfect pass for the opener. Tormented Koscielny all match and should have had a second when he somehow missed a header that was, by all accounts, a sitter. Still, he showed how lethal he can be, and he just needs to produce it on a more consistent basis. Getty Arsenal vs PSG player ratings blaise-matuidi.jpg Got the better of Mustafi to spring the offside trap and play in Cavani for the opener. Played out of position on the left of the attacking three due to Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore being injured, and as a result saw his influence somewhat limited. Still, everything he did contribute was a joy to watch. Getty

“We played against a good team, of top technical quality,” Wenger insisted. PSG are currently third in France’s Ligue 1. No-one can claim that the side who will edge out Arsenal as groups stage winners once again are going to be striking fear into the continental elite come the semi-finals.

There was at least the satisfaction of Tottenham’s elimination for Arsenal. A London Evening Standard headline in which Toby Alderweireld declared: “We can win the Champions League” was circulating on Wednesday. Though Spurs’ own performance in Monaco was further evidence of tactical flabbiness – allowing the opposition full backs free reign to cause havoc – it can at least be said that Mauricio Pochettino is in unchartered waters.