Arsenal may have come away with the straightforward 3-0 win on Thursday against FK Ostersunds, but finding one player that stood out above the rest is unusually challenging. No player particularly distinguished himself, but none of the 14 players that Arsene Wenger used in the match were a liability either. The defence was decent enough when challenged, but still allowed a relatively low-level team to create some decent opportunities. David Ospina was not tested too often, but came up with a couple huge saves, including on a last minute penalty that would have spoiled his clean sheet. Shkodran Mustafi was in one of his authoritative moods, as he made a couple chance-preventing sliding challenges and functioned well as the chief organizer if the defence. Mesut Ozil was his usual crafty self, but it was far from his finest match of the year, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan played much better than he did on the weekend, but still misplaced a few too many passes to be the most valuable player. Mohammed Elneny kept the midfield ticking over, and Alex Iwobi was good in possession for most of the night. However, taken as a whole, the best match was played (in this author’s opinion) by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Maitland-Niles was not the match winner with any goal or assist, but he was consistently the most exciting player on the pitch. His work as the emergency left back earlier in the season showed off his defensive abilities, but there was always a sense that the position was not a best use of his talents. Thursday was exciting for the young Englishman, as he was able to showcase his skills in his natural position in the centre of the park. He was absolutely explosive at times during the match, displaying an almost Wilshere-esque ability to accelerate out of danger with the ball glued to his feet. His passing might have been a level below that of Arsenal’s usual starters in the midfield, but that is something that will come with time and experience.
Arsene Wenger trusts his maturity so much, that often it was he that stayed back to shield the defense as Mohammed Elneny worked into slightly more advanced positions, but when Maitland-Niles did decide to make runs, his eye for a combination play meant that a threatening move was almost sure to follow. He was active in all phases of play, and his ability to turn defence into attack almost instantaneously was unmatched on the day. His selection as man of the match is not so much for the deciding plays that he made, but for the excitement that his play has given fans about his future with the club. He easily justified his selection in place of Granit Xhaka, who has been struggling for form this season, but it is far to early to assume that he is destined to replace the Swiss international in the side, full time. For now, he is an excellent utilitarian player to have in the squad, already an asset to the club in positions all over the pitch. Should he ultimately settle into a home in the central midfield, his combination of pace, power, dribbling ability and intelligence make him one of the most explosive young midfield talents in all of Europe. Not bad for a player that many fans hardly batted an eyelid at this summer when young Reiss Nelson became a favourite for his incredible trickery with the ball. However, there is little doubt over which young Gunner is generating the most buzz now, and that same lad also happens to be your Arsenal Man of the Match.
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