BREAKING NEWS: It was yesterday that I knew He is just so overrated all this while,this small Olympiacos is giving Him tough time and He wants to win the league, Arteta should drop Him against West Ham if not it will be calamity”, Rio Ferdinand blast ONE Arsenal player who had fewer touches than David Raya yesterday and even missed a lot of chances – Not Gyokeres
Wednesday night saw Arsenal pick up their second win in as many Champions League games this season.
Was it the perfect performance? No, probably not, but Mikel Arteta made a slew of changes to the lineup, and on another night, they could have scored a handful more goals.
Moreover, several starters really shone, including David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, and, even though he didn’t score, Viktor Gyokeres looked lively.
Arsenal
However, when it comes to the man of the match, it’s hard to look past Martin Odegaard, who, unlike one of his teammates, has undoubtedly played himself into the lineup for West Ham United.
Arsenal’s best player vs Olympiacos
It would be fair to say that, following his ankle injury, last season was one to forget for Odegaard.
odegaard
The Arsenal captain looked a shell of his former self for the best part of a year, so much so that plenty of fans and pundits alike began to doubt his quality and ability to get back to his best.
Now, it’s certainly still early doors in that respect, but the Norwegian looked great in his cameo against Newcastle United on Sunday, and then took things up another level against Olympiacos on Wednesday.
According to content creator Connor Humm, the Gunners’ number eight showed a version of himself that “has been absent too long” and was “sensational.”
It would be hard to disagree, as for much of the first half and moments of the second, he seemed to be constantly playing perfect balls through the Greek side’s defence and got his rewards with an assist for Bukayo Saka’s strike.
The Drammen-born star was so effective that the Standard’s Simon Collings gave him a 9/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘looked so sharp and played some majestic through-balls’.
Such high praise is more than justified by his statistics, as in his 95 minutes of action, the 26-year-old amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 1.65, took 86 touches, played four key passes, was accurate in seven of ten long balls, took one shot on target, completed 100% of his dribbles and made one clearance.
Odegaard’s game vs Olympiacos
Minutes
95′
Expected Goals
0.72
Expected Assists
0.93
Assists
1
Key Passes
4
Touches
86
Long Balls (Accurate)
10 (7)
Shots on Target
1
Dribbles (Successful)
1 (1)
Clearances
1
Tackles
Arsenal’s worst player vs Olympiacos
While most of the team played well, some starters, such as Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli, were not particularly impressive, despite the latter’s goal.
However, it would be hard to deny that the most disappointing display in red and white on Wednesday night came from Leandro Trossard.
The Belgian international retained his place in the starting lineup from the Newcastle game, but unfortunately, he was even less effective than he had been in that match.
trossard
In fact, if there is one word to describe the 30-year-old’s display against the Greek outfit, it would be frustrating.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion star kept finding himself in promising positions, but time and time again, he’d waste the moment, either through a wayward shot or a poor pass.
Trossard
Collings felt similarly about the winger, giving him a rather generous 6/10 match rating and writing that he ‘wasted’ his fair share of chances.
Unsurprisingly, his statistics tell a similar story: in 73 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.48 but failed to produce either, took 48 touches but completed just 17 passes, lost 50% of his duels, lost the ball 14 times, and was dribbled past twice.
Trossard’s game vs Olympiacos
Minutes
73′
Expected Goals
0.44
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.04
Assists
0
Passes
17/25 (68%)
Touches
48
Long Balls (Accurate)
4 (2)
Shots on Target
1
Lost Possession
14
Duels (Won)
12 (6)
Dribbled Past
2
All Stats via Sofascore
It was a performance that did little to dispel the idea that the 5 foot 8 ace is far better coming off the bench than starting games.
Therefore, while it might seem harsh, Arteta should look to drop Trossard for the upcoming game against West Ham.
