Arsenal Vs Olympiakos: Player ratings – A battling victory

5.5. Played a more orthodox midfield role on this occasion, not moving out into a left-back space as frequently as before under Mikel Arteta. He was not nearly as effective. Rarely played the ball forwards, although the options available to him were not plentiful, played several hospital passes, especially during a ropey 20-minute spell following half-time, and did not find his range in distribution to progress the play into advanced areas. Xhaka was not the problem, admittedly, but he was not exactly the solution either.. CM. Arsenal. GRANIT XHAKA

Arsenal. MATTEO GUENDOUZI. 6.5. This was not the normal Matteo Guendouzi game. Usually, the rhythmic elements of central midfield play are missing but he provides inspirational moments. On this occasion, his vision and creativity were poor, forever passing backwards and sideways, but the control he provided was critical. He was often the one who played Arsenal out from deep positions, he conducted play neatly, and battled bravely. Not special, no, but solid.. CM

JOE WILLOCK. 4.0. The Gunners’ two best chances in the first half came from Joe Willock-inspired moments. When he plays freely, spinning past defenders and surging into vacant spaces, he is a real threat. But his all-around play is still extremely raw. His passing is inaccurate, his touch is poor, especially in close spaces, and he does not offer the Arsenal defenders options to progress play. When playing as the number 10, you are the heartbeat of the team, and Willock is simply not smooth enough on the ball to be so.. CM. Arsenal