Arsenal vs Olympiakos: 5 keys players in second leg

4. Joe Willock

You can never be quite sure what Joe Willock is going to do. He’s a loose cannon, a live wire, a sparking fuse. I have seen him do the kinds of things that would land him in conversations for most talented youngsters in the world and I have seen him do things that would land him firmly in the U18s.

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But he’s the fill-in No. 10 when Mesut Ozil is’t called upon, and he has the natural ability to do special things. So the key is harnessing that natural ability for good, rather than for bad.

The problem is, as mentioned, it’s hard to predict or prepare for what might happen. And given that the midfield behind him is going to be a bit different (more on that later), and given that Olympiakos will look to strike quickly and early, we will need Willock to be composed, but also swashbuckling enough to get forward and establish our own threat.

That is, after all, what a No. 10 does.

We know he’s mobile and will help with the defense, but we also know that he’s a bit loose with the ball at times and can hand possession back fairly easily and in dangerous places. So a lot of the confidence we will hope to inspire early will come down to his ability to settle into the match.

No. 3 is next.