Full Time: Arsenal 0-0 Red Star Belgrade
Arsenal hosted Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League at the Emirates stadium but all did not go well for the Gunners. Yes, they qualified to the knockout stages because of the goal-less draw but their performance last night was very miserable. Arsene Wenger again rang the changes for this one but the Gunners’ second-string were a long way off their best.
Although young goalkeeper Matt Macey made a couple of eye-catching saves, the rest of the players did not impress as much. One cannot blame Wenger for making so many changes, considering Sunday’s clash with the high-flying Manchester City, but much like their previous game, their display wasn’t really encouraging enough.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Matt Macey – 8/10
The only Arsenal player that seemed impressive last night was Macey. His height helps him in making a lot of saves and he appeared to be in his element as he denied the opposition.
Mathieu Debuchy – 7.5/10
He did look rusty at times but then he managed to settle in. Debuchy’s positional awareness was quite strong and he won a couple of headers as well.
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
The player is not a natural central defender and it showed last night. Elneny was enthusiastic and full of energy but that was not enough.
Rob Holding – 6.5/10
Holding found it tough to contain Srnic at times but then he showed a lot of composure and understanding of the game. However, he still has a long way to go.
Reiss Nelson – 6/10
The player showed pure attacking intent and failed to contribute much defensively. He is far from his pre-season form but it was an encouraging display.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 7.5/10
Maitland-Niles provided a steady channel of support down the left flank for Arsenal when it came to both offensive and defensive plays.
Francis Coquelin – 6.5/10
His passing was erratic but Coquelin, like always, gave his all. However, his distribution continues to be poor.
Joe Willock – 6/10
Much like Coquelin, Willock struggled with his passing. He did show wonderful quality whenever he surged forward but he lacked finesse in the final third.
Theo Walcott – 5/10
Walcott lacked edge and his decision-making was quite questionable. He did not gel well with Willock and it was quite evident on the field.
Jack Wilshere – 7.5/10
Almost everything that happened in Arsenal’s final third was through him. He was the only bright spot in an otherwise dull Arsenal attack.
Olivier Giroud – 5/10
Giroud lacked mobility and his inability to be flexible did affect the team. Moreover, Giroud was also wasteful with the chances that he got and that is not acceptable against a seemingly weaker defence.
Subs
Eddie Nketiah – N/A
Wenger was probably hoping for another miracle from the youngster but that did not happen this time. The player came on very late.
Comments are closed.