3 standout players from Arsenal’s kickabout against Brentford

Since last season’s opening day humiliation, resentment has simmered but never truly gone away.

The chaos of players with COVID, youngsters being thrown into the deep end, and the celebrations of pundits with the home fans is something supporters have been waiting to avenge. On Sunday, Arsenal did.

Arsenal fans might have expected a tough test in the lead-up to the game against Brentford. The opponents are level on points with Liverpool and have shown several impressive displays of attractive football thus far. By comparison, against their London rivals, Brentford were flat as they got played off the park.

3 standout players From Arsenal’s kickabout against Brentford

While every single player put in a shift, here are three that stood out from the kickabout against Brentford.

3. William Saliba

It’s hard to believe that this was only William Saliba’s seventh game in the Premier League. Saliba had his work cut out against the dynamic tandem of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo, but he couldn’t have performed any better.

The Frenchman was imperious in every sense of the word. He won header after header, using his physical stature to great effect. While his teammates in front pressed forward, he covered the space in behind well. Saliba slid into the channels when needed, cutting out any service to Brentford’s target men. More important than the defensive side of his game was his ability on the ball.

The Arsenal centre-back received passes at any angle, drawing in Brentford’s press before breaking it with ease. His level of comfort in evading opposition players and breaking the lines allowed Arsenal to sustain pressure in dangerous areas. An impressive showing indeed.

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