Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Atletico Madrid: 5 key players to watch — Stage is set

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 05: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League quarter final leg one match between Arsenal FC and CSKA Moskva at Emirates Stadium on April 5, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 05: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League quarter final leg one match between Arsenal FC and CSKA Moskva at Emirates Stadium on April 5, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 11: Saul Niguez of Atletico de Madrid is tackled by Facundo Roncaglia of Celta de Vigo during the La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Celta de Vigo at Wanda Metropolitano stadium on March 11, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 11: Saul Niguez of Atletico de Madrid is tackled by Facundo Roncaglia of Celta de Vigo during the La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Celta de Vigo at Wanda Metropolitano stadium on March 11, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) /

4. Saul Niguez

I am familiar with most of the Atletico players. Their squad has been fairly settled for some time. The likes of Koke, Diego Godin, Juanfran and Antoine Griezmann have all been at the club for several seasons and are well-known in world football. But one player that I wasn’t so aware of was midfielder Saul Niguez.

In the first leg, however, in a more limited role given that Atletico were playing with the numerical disadvantage, I was extremely impressed. Busy and industrious without the ball, Niguez also showed an element of drive and quality when he had the opportunity to burst forwards from deep.

That is important for a team that often likes to play on the counter-attack. Having players who first and foremost work hard in their defensive duties and then offer a pitch-flipping drive with the ball is invaluable to such a team. Niguez will cause the Gunners problems on the break if he has the opportunity to turn and dribble. They will need to aware of his threat.