Zurich boss hails ‘fantastic Arsenal, says £25m ace shows ‘so much quality’
FC Zurich coach Bo Henriksen paid tribute to a ‘fantastic’ Arsenal side and Kieran Tierney’s terrific long-range strike following Thursday’s 1-0 UEFA Europa League group-stage defeat at the Emirates Stadium, speaking via The Express.
While Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United would finish in the runners-up spot – their inability to beat Real Sociedad by two clear goals in San Sebastian consigning them to a play-off against one of the third-place Champions League teams – there was to be no such disappointment for Arsenal.
They were far from their best against Zurich. But some fine saves from Aaron Ramsdale, coupled with Kieran Tierney’s rasping volley at the other end, secured the Gunners a last-16 spot, putting last week’s defeat to PSV Eindhoven behind them.
“Of course, Arsenal is a fantastic side,” says Henriksen. “There’s no doubt about that. At the end of the day, it could be fun to see them win the championship (the Premier League).
“It’s a long time since they did that, so it’s about time. It’s a great team, we knew that from the beginning.
“Of course, all our analysis was to see if we could close them down and hold them down on a few chances. We actually did that in many periods of the game. But we knew they had the quality.”
KIERAN TIERNEY FIRES ARSENAL INTO EUROPA LEAGUE LAST-16
Henriksen highlighted the nature of Tierney’s winner – a terrific left-footed volley sent spinning into the bottom corner – as proof of the gulf in class between the two sides in North London.
“They scored out of nowhere,” adds the one-time Kidderminster Harriers forward. “It’s not even a fantastic big chance but there’s just so much quality in the team. Doesn’t matter if it’s the left-back or the right-back, they will always (create) chances.”
Tierney’s 17th minute strike was his first for Arsenal in nearly 12 months. The swashbuckling Scot has been one of the club’s real bright sparks in the Europa League, offering a constant threat on the overlap while adapting impressively to Arteta’s inverted full-back system.
“It’s been coming – I’ve not scored in a while!” Tierney tells the club’s official website. “I’ve been getting closer in the last few games and I’d just like to tell the boys it’s about time I scored.
“Job done is how you’d describe it. We’d have liked it to be more comfortable, but it was never going to be easy. (Zurich) came here with a lot to play for as well. But we dug deep and we defended well at the end. They put a lot of pressure on us.”