Arsenal 1-2 Olympiacos: 5 talking points – Mustafi played his part
By Kian Long
It was a dramatic end to the Europa League tie…
Arsenal hosted Olympiacos in the Europa League second leg tie. They tried to hold onto their 1-0 aggregate lead but it failed as the visitors went a goal up in the second half through Pape Cisse.
Then, Arsenal fans thought they had sealed their way into the next round when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a bicycle kick in extra time but this was cancelled out last minute by Youssef El-Arabi slotting home.
Well, at least Arsenal fans will be forever immune to heartbreak. Here are five gruelling lessons learned as the Gunners bid farewell to the Europa League, enjoy…
Many Arsenal players are going to need a rest
Playing the full 120 against a hard-to-crack defensive team is bound to be gruelling for any player, especially when the fixtures have been coming in thick and fast. However, there are certain Arsenal players that deserve plenty of credit for their ability to show up each week.
Granit Xhaka is a prime example. The Swiss midfielder has played every single minute of action for Arsenal this calendar year and he played out the full 120 minutes today. He, like many of his teammates, should get a deserved rest.
Luckily, Arsenal’s match against Manchester City this weekend has been postponed and they will instead play on Monday night in the FA Cup. Mikel Arteta will use this game to rotate his squad heavily, giving many players a well-earned break.