da roleta： Defeat on the night for Arsenal was deliciously irrelevant.
da aviator aposta： Just days after the high of a north London derby victory over Tottenham, a European comedown would have been hard to take. But then this season is different – the Gunners’ Europa League ambitions have so far seemed irrelevant to their campaign.
And yet, it’s been pretty positive so far. Not only have Arsene Wenger’s side managed to top the group and make it through comfortably to the knockout stages, but they’ve also been able to give some serious game time to the young players who would only have been exposed to League Cup football otherwise.
Last night, it was Ainsley Maitland-Niles who did his chances of progression at the club no harm at all with a good display, even in defeat.
The youngster put in a fantastic all-round performance from left wing-back as he showed that he has the range of skills needed to become a very good player for the club.
He showed off his passing, with an accuracy of 95%. He attempted seven dribbles, with five coming off, demonstrating that he’s not afraid to take on his man. And his four tackles with a 100% success rate proves that he can also do the defensive jobs that Arsenal’s midfielders often seem to struggle with. The most impressive part, however, is that his 104 touches over the course of the 90 minutes shows that he wants get on the ball as much as possible.
Overall, the sheer breadth of his positive qualities stood out on a night that was completely irrelevant for the Gunners.
That’s important, though. This isn’t a season where Arsenal, weighed down by Champions League commitments, have to battle hard twice in a week. This is a season where youngsters like Maitland-Niles are given chances to prove themselves and taking them, leading the Gunners to the knockout rounds. All the while, the first-team gets to rest up.
This weekend, away to Burnley, comes the kind of fixture that big clubs hate just after a European away game. Especially this season. It’s great news for Arsenal that their main starters are rested up well before the trip up north. And that’s all thanks to the likes of Maitland-Niles’ ability to get the job done.
[ad_pod ]