Why Cristhian Mosquera started over Piero Hincapié in Arsenal's win vs Bayern Munich

Arsenal defeated Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday night and Cristhian Mosquera played a key part in the victory, but it was a surprise he even started in the first place.

Many expected Piero Hincapié to be named alongside William Saliba for the test after he put in a solid performance in Sunday's north London derby win over Tottenham, but Mikel Arteta opted to go with his fellow Spaniard in the backline.

Speaking to the press following the game, the Gunners boss offered an explanation as to why he chose Mosquera over Hincapié for such a huge defensive test.

Why Cristhian Mosquera started over Piero Hincapié against Bayern Munich

When asked on the decision to start Mosquera, Arteta said: "I think he was really good. With Piero [Hincapié], we need to understand where he's coming from.

"He came from Ecuador after playing two 90s in big trouble – played the derby, the first start that he had in the Premier League, and he finished the game very, very tired.

"[But] that's the good thing that we have Mosquera who he can play in different positions. He was superb I think, both together with William [Saliba]."

Arteta is right in saying Mosquera was 'superb' alongside Saliba as the pair did brilliantly to keep the threat of the Bayern attack at bay for much of the game.

As the Gunners boss acknowledged, it is great that he has his fellow Spaniard to choose from. As Hincapié stands in on the left side while Gabriel is absent through injury, Mosquera is a viable and versatile option to cover when necessary.

It is no surprise that Arteta made the decision to rest the Ecuador defender. His return from a persistent injury is still relatively recent and after playing almost the full game against Tottenham and two lots of 90 minutes on international duty, the last thing fans would want is to see Hincapié be ruled out once again.

Mosquera's inclusion against Bayern also shows how far Arsenal's squad depth has come. Just a few seasons ago, a huge factor in their failure to win the league title was their lack of defensive backup. Now, they have a number of high quality options who can be brought in when Arteta wishes or has to do so.

Now it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard keeps his place in the backline for the Gunners' trip to face Chelsea or if Hincapié will return to the side. Either way, it's safe to say that both will be tough to beat.