Arsenal took on Swiss giants FC Zurich in the Europa League this evening and Mikel Arteta’s men secured a 2-1 win.
A debut goal from Marquinhos and an Eddie Nketiah header either side of the hosts’ penalty was enough to get us the win, but we were nowhere near our best.
Arsenal player ratings vs FC Zurich
Matt Turner: 6/10
The American made his debut for Arsenal this evening, and he mostly had a quiet game. However, he did have a shaky start, where he almost conceded after a shocking mistake while trying to get out of a tricky situation.
Apart from that and the penalty, Turner didn’t have much to do. His distribution has to improve, but he’s quick to get the ball rolling from the back, which is a good thing. He’ll likely keep his place when PSV come to town next week.
Kieran Tierney: 6.5/10
The Scotsman didn’t do anything extraordinary, but he had a good game until he was replaced in the second half.
Tierney had a good pop at goal as well but his shot, unfortunately, was saved. It’s good to see him getting some much-needed minutes under his belt after all his injury struggles.
Rob Holding: 6/10
The Englishman was handed his first start of the season this evening, and he didn’t have a lot to do. He kept things simple and was definitely the better of the two centre-halves.
However, at the very end of the game, Holding committed what looked like a silly foul at the edge of the box. He was the last man at that point, which could’ve seen him get a red card, but thankfully for him, the Zurich forward had strayed offside before the foul was committed.
Gabriel Magalhaes: 5/10
The Brazilian was not at his best this evening. He put Turner in a really difficult situation in the first half which almost cost us a goal, but thankfully, the post came to his rescue.
Arteta was also seen shouting at Gabriel on numerous occasions for picking the wrong pass in our build-up. A night he’d like to forget for sure.
Takehiro Tomiyasu: 6.5/10
It was great to see Tomiyasu back in action this evening. The Japan international didn’t have a lot to do defensively and was seen tucked into our midfield for large parts of the game.
His passing was good, he combined well with young Marquinhos, and it was a really assured performance. He may have given Arteta a few things to think about ahead of our upcoming games.
Albert Sambi Lokonga: 6/10
A good display in the middle of the park by the talented Belgian. He was tidy in possession, did well in transitions and was a lot more positionally disciplined today than he was against Manchester United.
He could still improve with his final ball, but that will come as he plays more games.
Granit Xhaka: 7/10
A good return to Switzerland for the Swiss skipper. Xhaka worked really hard and was one of our better players. He’s getting better and better in that box-to-box role, which is excellent for us.
Xhaka did go down with what looked like an injury at one point, which is worrying. However, he got back up and finished the game without any visible issues. Hopefully, it’s nothing.
Fabio Vieira: 6/10
Vieira really is an exciting player, but it was a tricky game for him this evening. Zurich sat back and defended all game, and although the Portuguese midfielder got on the ball quite a lot, especially in the first half, he couldn’t do an awful lot with it.
As the game went on, it seemed like Vieira was trying a bit too hard to make something happen. However, he definitely has an eye for a pass, and with more games, he should get better in the coming months.
Gabriel Martinelli: 7/10
Another player who worked really hard this evening. Martinelli got on the ball a lot and tried to make things happen. He was arguably our biggest threat going forward, but sadly, he couldn’t get on the score sheet.
It’s worrying that we’ve to rely on starting Martinelli every single game because of our lack of options on the left flank. Arteta will have to manage his minutes ahead of our busy schedule before the World Cup.
Eddie Nketiah: 7/10
A very eventful game for our English striker this evening.
A really good assist for Marquinhos’ opener was followed by a rash challenge inside the box that led to a penalty. He looked a frustrated figure after that, but Nketiah managed to correct his mistake by scoring the winner in the second half.
Marquinhos: 9/10
A goal and an assist on debut – Marquinhos can’t ask for anything more.
The teenager isn’t the typical flashy Brazilian winger, but he’s excellent at what he does. He’s calm on the ball, doesn’t take too many risks and his crossing is magnificent. We’re excited to see more of him in the coming weeks and months.
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