Arsenal vs FC Koln player ratings: Sead Kolasinac crushes disaster

By Josh Sippie | Sep 14, 2017

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal celebrates scoring the 2nd arsenal goal with Sead Kolasinac of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League group H match between Arsenal FC and 1. FC Koeln at Emirates Stadium on September 14, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Back Three

CB. Arsenal. ROB HOLDING. 0.2. This was awful. Everything about it. He was forced into committing poor fouls because he couldn’t keep the ball, he couldn’t get anything going. He was loose, wayward and awful. He got too far forward, lost the ball and pouted. If it weren’t for the heroics of Elneny, who bailed him out time and again, Holding may have been staring in the face of the worst game of his entire career. He is the only player I know who can force Arsene Wenger to take him off at half and completely change the formation because of it. We shouldn’t be seeing Holding for awhile.

6.9. Maybe I’m crazy to keep hoping to see Per Mertesacker return to the form he had against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, but I dream of it. He wasn’t awful against Koln, but his lack of pace was clear and the back three clearly doesn’t suit him either. When the swap was made to a back four, he resumed normalcy.. CB. Arsenal. PER MERTESACKER

6.7. He was good. That’s what Monreal is, he is perpetually good. He is rarely great or poor. Again today, he had his great moments and his bad moments and for the rest of the match, he was just good.. CB. Arsenal. NACHO MONREAL

Next up, the wingbacks.