Pain in the Arsenal
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3 standout players from Europa League draw in Portugal

By Krish Ajmani

LISBON, PORTUGAL - MARCH 09: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal FC celebrates scoring Arsenal FC second goal with his team mates during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg one match between Sporting CP and Arsenal FC at Estadio Jose Alvalade on March 9, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
LISBON, PORTUGAL - MARCH 09: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal FC celebrates scoring Arsenal FC second goal with his team mates during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg one match between Sporting CP and Arsenal FC at Estadio Jose Alvalade on March 9, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images) /
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2. William Saliba

William Saliba scored his second Arsenal goal in Lisbon. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
William Saliba scored his second Arsenal goal in Lisbon. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images) /

While the players around him seemed shaky at best, William Saliba held the defence together. The Frenchman slid into the channels and make several key blocks as Sporting mounted pressure. His interventions were crucial to Arsenal only conceding two against the Portuguese outfit.

His form since the World Cup has been tumultuous at times. Losing aerial battles, getting caught out and just being a step slower than attackers were unfortunate features of his game after returning to London. Recently, however, his form has improved drastically. Still unbelievably young, Saliba has once again shown consistency in his game.

His performance against Sporting was another solid one. Defensively solid, his attacking prowess was on display as well. He scored with a header from Fabio Vieira’s corner, opening the scoring. While this lead would not last, it was a due reward for Saliba’s showings in the past few weeks. Hopefully, his form continues to improve and a few more set-piece goals would not hurt either.

Continued on the next slide…

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