Arsenal have been getting a lot of stick from fans and pundits alike this season for playing so-called negative football, and while there might be an element of decontextualised truth to that criticism, they certainly didn’t do that last night.
Now, the opposition was League One side Bolton Wanderers, but Mikel Arteta made eight changes to the side that drew away to Manchester City on Sunday and gave a handful of Hale Enders their full debuts, who took their chances with aplomb.
Jack Porter in goal looked reasonably assured, Josh Nichols at right-back didn’t shy away from the ball, Myles Lewis-Skelly on the other side of the back four looked first-team ready, and Ethan Nwaneri was perhaps the most impressive of the bunch and should be in with a shout of starting again on Saturday.
However, while it was a largely positive night for the North Londoners, one starter’s performance was notably underwhelming, and unfortunately for that player, he’s unlikely to start another game anytime soon.
Nwaneri's pitch to start on Saturday
Unlike some of the other youngsters on display last night, Nwaneri was a known quantity to fans thanks to his record-breaking cameo appearance two seasons ago, his 15 minutes against West Ham United last year, and his displays in preseason.
Nevertheless, there was still some uncertainty about how he’d cope with his first competitive start for the club, but once the full-time whistle was blown, all that apprehension disappeared.
In his 94 minutes of action, the Enfield-born dynamo was simply sensational and fully deserving of the 9/10 rating given to him by the Standard’s Simon Collings, and while there is always a danger of going too early when it comes to promising youngsters, this time feels different.
Throughout the game, the Gunners’ 17-year-old prodigy looked a threat and, like his fellow debutants, didn’t look slightly intimidated by the occasion.
Overall, while we might still be a couple of years away from seeing Nwaneri start week in and week out in Arsenal’s midfield, the lack of Martin Odegaard, combined with his performance and brace against Bolton, should see him remain in the team for the game against Leicester City at least.
Gabriel Jesus' disappointing performance
Yes, the player in question is former Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus, who was making just his second start of the season last night.
Now, the first thing to say is that thanks to Arsenal winning the game practically at a canter, there was nothing match-definingly poor about the Brazilian’s display, but that is not the issue. The issue is that there wasn’t very much to his display at all.
In what should have been a game in which the 27-year-old bagged a few goals to get his season up and running while maybe providing the odd assist here and there for the youngsters as well, he just looked uninspiring and ineffective, slicing the few chances he had wide of goal.
There were one or two moments in the second half in which he used some lovely close control to spin the Bolton defenders, but it was too late in the game and only helped highlight how anonymous he had been up until that point.
It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by Collings, who gave the talented forward a 6/10 on the night, which is probably fair when looking at his statistics.
Minutes
94′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
2
Shots Blocked
3
Touches
58
Passing Accuracy
30/34 (88%)
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Duels (Won)
13 (6)
Lost Possession
14
In his 94 minutes of action, the São Paulo-born “monster”, as dubbed by journalist Mark Douglas, failed to score or assist a goal, failed to register a single shot on target, took two shots that were off target and three that were blocked, maintained a passing accuracy of just 88%, failed to complete his one cross, lost six of 13 duels and lost the ball 14 times, which is really quite poor given the calibre of opposition.
Ultimately, we all know how brilliant Jesus can be when he’s in form and firing, but based on his performances this season and specifically last night, it looks like he’s way off it at the moment and, therefore, should not be starting on the weekend.
Alongside Nwaneri: 8/10 Arsenal gem was a "different beast" vs Bolton
Arteta has now handed debuts to 12 Hale Enders.
1 ByJack Salveson HolmesSep 26, 2024
