Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace: 5 things we learned – Old habits die hard

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace battles for possession with Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace battles for possession with Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

2. Full-backs impress again

If there were any individuals to come out of Saturday’s draw in a positive mood regarding their own performances, it should be the two full-backs, Sead Kolasinac on the left and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Both ‘reserves’ at the position impressed mightily and are pushing hard for a starting role.

Kolasinac was the more offensive of the pair, pushing into a left-wing position when Arsenal had safe possession of the ball. He was also the primary outlet, with Granit Xhaka and David Luiz both finding him on several occasions with spraying passes from deep.

Maitland-Niles was equally as influential. He stuck to his Wilfried Zaha task superbly, which is one of the most difficult one-on-one assignments in the Premier League, and was tidy and composed in possession as always. While Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney will be waiting in the wings to return from injury, if Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles perform like this, they might not be handed their starting roles as many assume.