Arsenal had plenty of first-team players in action over the March international break, in what was a period to remember for some.
Mikel Arteta would’ve had a close eye on how his Arsenal squad performed over the international break, paying particular attention to the injury front.
As many as 14 Arsenal players were in action in the March international break, with players travelling near and far to represent their nations.
In a period of ups and downs for a number of Gunners, here’s how the Arsenal team rated based on their performances on international duty.
Arsenal player ratings over the March international break
Declan Rice – 9
Rice was branded the ‘personification of consistency’ on international duty as the Arsenal midfielder thrived under Thomas Tuchel.
The Englishman played as a number six and excelled for the Three Lions, providing assists against both Albania and Latvia.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 10
Tuchel was overjoyed with Lewis-Skelly, who had a dream first call-up to the England squad.
As far as international debut’s goal, the Hale End product did it all, starting twice and asserting himself as one of Tuchel’s star players – what a season the 18-year-old is having.
Ethan Nwaneri – 8
Though Nwaneri didn’t get a senior England call-up with Lewis-Skelly, the teenager made waves in his first taste of the England U21 squad.
Nwaneri scored a sublime goal against Portugal U21 on his full debut, climbing the ladder at international level seamlessly.
William Saliba – 6
Not many would’ve predicted that Saliba would get slammed on international duty, as the normally reliable Arsenal defender was pulled apart by Croatia.
Fortunately, the second leg of the Nations League tie went as expected for the Frenchman, who ensured he corrected himself before returning to Arsenal.
David Raya – 0
Unfortunately, it was a break of no action for Raya, who didn’t get a minute of game time as Luis de la Fuente preferred Unai Simon.
Mikel Merino – 7
It was an international break to savour for Merino, who scored for Spain in the Euro 2024 winner’s first leg clash against the Netherlands.
Merino earned high praise from De La Fuente whilst on duty, maintaining his position as a valued member of the Spain squad.
Thomas Partey -9
Partey wowed in Ghana’s win against Madagascar, scoring a brace in his nation’s 3-0 win.
The Arsenal midfielder also started in Ghana’s 5-0 win against Chad.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 4
It was an international break to forget for Gabriel, who picked up a suspension for Brazil, seeing him miss the Selecao’s clash with Argentina.
Brazil’s media weren’t happy with Gabriel for picking up such a detrimental yellow card, particularly as Dorival Junior’s side went on to lose 4-1 to their rivals in the Arsenal defender’s absence.
Leandro Trossard – 2
Trossard was accused of ruining the game in Belgium’s defeat to Ukraine, which wasn’t the end of the forward’s poor feedback.
The Belgian winger was then slammed despite his side winning the second leg, with his country’s media calling Trossard ‘too weak’.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6
Coming up against Trossard, Zinchenko impressed for Ukraine, playing a role in midfield for his nation.
The Arsenal fullback started in both of Ukraine’s meetings with Belgium, collecting one assist.
Jurrien Timber – 0
It was a nightmare international break for Jurrien Timber, who left the Netherlands camp due to illness.
Riccardo Calafiori – 1
Calafiori gets a point as he was selected to start in Italy’s back three however, things quickly turned sour for the summer signing.
The Italian now faces a period on the sidelines after Calafiori picked up a nasty knee injury against Germany, seeing him miss out on the second fixture of the break.
Martin Odegaard – 9
It was an international break of dreams for Odegaard, who collected a mere four assists over his two games for Norway.
Odegaard’s teammates sang his praises after the Arsenal captain collected a hat-trick of assists in Norway’s win over Israel.
Kieran Tierney – 4
Tierney is far from the starting XI at Arsenal, and unfortunately, his luck carried over to the international break.
In Scotland’s clashes against Greece, Tierney earned mixed reviews in a disappointing time on duty for the left-back and his country.
Jakub Kiwior – 5
Kiwior played every minute for Poland over the international break, playing Lithuania and Malta.
Polish media had a split opinion about Kiwior, who was strong in some areas and weak in others whilst on duty.
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