To be honest I didn’t expect Him to hold me Today but to my greatest surprise He did, although the result didn’t favor them but He was their savior”, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood named the ONE Arsenal defender that really gave Him tough time tonight – Not Gabriel and not Saliba
To be honest I didn’t expect Him to hold me Today but to my greatest surprise He did, although the result didn’t favor them but He was their savior”, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood named the ONE Arsenal defender that really gave Him tough time tonight – Not Gabriel and not Saliba
Arsenal were held to a rather uneventful 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
On a night when both Arsenal and Nottingham Forest were desperate to return to winning ways, the two sides looked rather fatigued.
Mikel Arteta made one change to his starting XI to welcome Jorginho into the picture in place of Thomas Partey, sticking with his questionable plan to play Mikel Merino up front.
On a night that was trialling for Arsenal, who are almost certainly out of the Premier League title race now, here’s how the players rated.
David Raya – 6
For the most part of Raya’s night against Forest, the Spaniard was positioned closer to the halfway line than his goal however, the shot-stopper was called into action late on.
Riccardo Calafiori – 5.5
Calfiori was punished against West Ham and the left-back’s start at the City Ground looked as though it was going down a similar road.
Despite being booked early on, the Italian showed a strong presence going forward on what was an outing of mixed reviews, seeing him hooked at half-time.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6
Gabriel was hardly tested by Forest, which might have come as a shock to the Brazilian given what the Tricky Trees have done this season.
William Saliba – 7.5
Like his central defensive partner, the majority of Saliba’s evening was quiet but, the Frenchman ensured he didn’t switch off, producing a goal-preventing challenge to deny Chris Wood.
Jurrien Timber – 6.5
Timber always looked to make something happen on the right, the Dutchman was strong going forward and when called upon defensively, flexing how much of an all-rounder he is.
Jorginho – 7
While the 33-year-old is painfully slow in transition, Jorginho added a sense of control to the midfield that isn’t seen from Thomas Partey, the Italian was exceptionally good at dictating the pace of play.
Declan Rice – 6.5
After being humiliated by West Ham, Rice looked more like his usual self against Forest. The England international got into some encouraging positions going forward and worked well in a pivot with Jorginho.
Martin Odegaard – 5
Things aren’t ticking for Odegaard right now and the narrative emerged once more against Forest.
What must be said is that the Arsenal captain was trying to make things happen but, that quality impact just wasn’t there – partly due to lack of movement around him.
Leandro Trossard – 4
Trossard really struggled to beat his man throughout the contest on a disappointing night for the Belgian.
It’s rather punishing when comparing Arsenal’s wide options to the likes of Liverpool at present.
Ethan Nwaneri – 7
As always, Nwaneri tried to make things tick when he was in possession, however, the teenager struggled to get on the ball as much as he’d want to.
Still, the Hale End graduate was once again Arsenal’s most influential attacker, which speaks volumes.
Mikel Merino – 5
Merino tried to make an impact with some encouraging runs from set play but, the bottom line was that the Spaniard looked out of his depth playing so far forward.
Substitutes
Kieran Tierney – 6.5
Arteta called on Tierney to replace Calafiori at half-time, bringing the defender on to add some security on the left side, which the Scotsman certainly achieved.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.5
Added some energy in central areas after coming on, provided intricate passes and runs.
Raheem Sterling – N/A
Ben White – N/A
Thomas Partey – 6
Wasted no time getting himself into the game, taking a brilliant touch and then firing a shot on goal.
