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Arsenal Vs FC Vorskla: Emile Smith Rowe did precisely what was hoped
Emile Smith Rowe was introduced late on in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over FC Vorskla. He did precisely what was hoped, showing moments of tantalising quality.
Although every Arsenal fan would rather see the club feature in the Champions League, the pinnacle of European club football, there is a unique advantage to playing in the Europa League: the opportunity to field younger players who otherwise would not be given a chance to heavily feature.
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Arsenal opened their Europa League account on Thursday night against FC Vorskla. The 4-2 win was largely comfortable, even if two late goals dirtied the clean sheet, and Unai Emery took the chance to play a string of reserve and younger players: Bernd Leno started in goal, Rob Holding at centre-back, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck on the wings.
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The most exciting of all, however, was Emile Smith Rowe, who was introduced in place of Iwobi after 70 minutes. By that point, the game was all but over — the score was 3-0 and would, four minutes later, be 4-0, and the intensity of the match had been completely eradicated with neither side playing with any semblance of impetus or energy — and so it is a little difficult to accurately evaluate the play of Smith Rowe, as Glenn Hoddle pointed out after the match.
That being said, there were still a series of moments that were extremely bright from Smith Rowe that illustrated his natural talent and promising future. Even if the defending was lacklustre and there was ample time and space for Smith Rowe to manipulate the ball, credit should still be given to the 18-year-old for what he was able to show.
Smith Rowe has been consistently compared to Jack Wilshere. He showed why here. His balance and contortion of his body are outstanding, understanding where the space to exploit is and then drawing in the defender, only to then burst into the space that he created for himself with his previous body movement.
He is able to drift past defenders akin to a young Wilshere and then dribbles with his head up, aware of what is going on around him. He nearly fed Welbeck with a clever through pass after slaloming his way past two defenders. He later nearly scored after cleverly linking up with Mesut Ozil before finding space in the penalty area.
Smith Rowe did precisely what was hoped of him: show glimpses of what he is capable of. In a game that was essentially over against opposition that are far weaker, it was always going to be difficult for the young attacker to every truly make a case for more appearances and starts. All he could really do is display his talent as brightly as possible with key moments. That’s what he did.
Next. Arsenal Vs FC Vorskla: 5 things we learned. dark
I am extremely excited to see what Smith Rowe is capable of this season. He is a wonderfully aware and mature player, far beyond his years. That makes me think that he can play at a level and in competitions that may be beyond other 18-year-olds. Hopefully, we get to see more of Thursday night over the coming months.