I regret playing Him yesterday,this might be the very last time He will be starting a game for me before He leaves by January”, Arteta have finally ordered £50m player to pack His bag and leave by January due to His shambolic performance yesterday
I regret playing Him yesterday,this might be the very last time He will be starting a game for me before He leaves by January”, Arteta have finally ordered £50m player to pack His bag and leave by January due to His shambolic performance yesterday
Arsenal got back to winning ways with a victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. The win takes them to seven points in the Champions League league phase as they continue their run toward a top eight finish in order to skip a dreaded play-off round next year.
Arsenal took the lead in amusing fashion as Gabriel Martinelli’s strike smacked the post, rebounded off the back of goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk and back into his own goal. Leandro Trossard would miss a penalty to set up a nervy finish to the match with many players absent and Riccardo Calafiori going off injured.
The game was being streamed on Amazon Prime on Tuesday night. However, football.london were in the stadium to capture everything that the television cameras missed.
Subdued atmosphere
Leading up to kick-off, there were plenty of seats available for supporters to grab on the ticket exchange. The Emirates Stadium atmosphere has certainly taken something of a beating by many supporters, particularly on European nights, with the revamped version of the Champions League seemingly having an impact on the feeling of weight inside the ground.
Unlike against PSG, there were plenty of empty seats in the away end too. It began to pick up after kick-off but the empty seats in the upper tier were certainly visible.
Gabriel vs Gabriel
Arsenal decided to use Gabriel Jesus in the right side role in the absence of Bukayo Saka. Mikel Arteta remained coy on providing any update on the winger ahead of the Gunners’ clash with Liverpool this weekend.
Jesus was spritely and amongst the chances but struggled to take the opportunities which fell his way. It was evident in his body language that his confidence continues to falter.
His misses in the first half may have seen his concentration dip at the start of the second when loose in possession near his own box, a chance nearly opened that Shakhtar put wide. Gabriel Magalhaes turned and shouted across to his international teammate, clearly in an attempt to get him to focus.
He gets it
What Arsenal fans did not want to see was another injury and sadly it seems that is exactly what has happened. Riccardo Calafiori looked to have twisted something be it a knee or ankle and tried to resume but was forced off minutes later.
Despite having both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior on the bench, Arteta opted instead for Myles Lewis-Skelly to make his second Champions League appearance.
Just watching him solely for the first few minutes after he came on the field, he moved immediately into the inverted semi-midfield position. It is evident just how ingrained the Arsenal system remains in all their players.
