Mikel Arteta put enormous trust in both Rob Holding and Mohamed Elneny as the Gunners emerged victorious against Chelsea. Arteta faced numerous problems in getting the correct lineup due to the absence of key players like Thomas Partey, Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. On the other hand, Chelsea was full of confidence after a win against Crystal Palace. A defeat for Arteta’s side against Chelsea away from home would have put their chances of UCL next season at a huge risk. Whereas a win would have boosted their chances as they would have been level on points with currently 4th placed Tottenham Hotspur. And the Gunners did just that, remarkable performances from Rob Holding and Elneny played a huge role in the 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
3 Arsenal players who impressed Mikel Arteta in training:
#3 Nicolas Pepe
While Pepe did not play against Chelsea, the winger has impressed the gaffer massively in the training. It hasn’t been easy for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal this season with the 26-year-old having only 2 G/A in 17 appearances. But that has not stopped or demotivated him from training rigorously and a start for Nicolas might be on the cards anytime soon.
#2 Rob Holding
Rob Holding was simply amazing against Chelsea as he stood like a rock at the back. While the defence did prove to be leaky at times, Holding was on another level considering he had not made a start for the Gunners since January. Mikel Arteta’s low block gamble paid off as Rob nullified Lukaku.
#1 Mohamed Elneny
Prior to this game, Mohamed Elneny and Rob Holding combined made only 6 starts for the club but their performances were so good that it seemed they had been starting every single match. A substitute for Thomas Partey who is currently injured, Elneny filled his boots perfectly. Applauding all three of them, Mikel Arteta told Arsenal.com “I’ve said it many times, it’s the way that they train. If you see the training session that we had on Sunday after the defeat, if you see Mo Elneny, Rob Holding, Nicolas Pepe, how they trained – I think it’s the reason why we won.”
