And just like that, Arsenal have got their first win of their Champions League campaign.
The three points are ultimately what matter most, but it would be fair to say that Mikel Arteta’s side weren’t at their best against Athletic Bilbao this evening.
The North Londoners got their goals through Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, but up until the Brazilian slotted home in the 72nd minute, they underwhelmed.
Several players will have to up their game for the next match, but Arteta also has to make a few changes, notably no longer playing two specific stars together.
Arsenal’s underwhelming stars
Now, it should be said that while we think several Arsenal starters didn’t put in strong performances today, none of them were terrible.
After all, the Gunners were the better side and ultimately deserved all three points.
With that said, one of those who started the game that didn’t exactly light it up was Viktor Gyokeres.
There were moments in which the Swedish international showed his ability, be that by holding up the ball for his teammates or making a few well-timed runs, but that was pretty much it.
His job is to put the ball in the back of the net, and he ended up missing a few chances, including a header in the first half and then another in the second.
Gyokeres’ game vs Bilbao
Minutes
65′
Expected Goals
0.47
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.01
Assists
0
Shots on Target
1
Shots off Target
3
Big Chances Missed
2
Touches
18
Accurate Passes
6/7 (86%)
Dribbles
0
Moreover, his statistics don’t make for pretty reading, as he made just six passes in 65 minutes, took three shots off target for his one that was on target, and officially missed two big chances.
The Stockholm-born monster wasn’t the only attacker to have a forgettable night, though.
Eberechi Eze also struggled to have much of an impact in Bilbao, coming off in the 71st minute with an expected assists figure of 0.11, just 19 completed passes and didn’t take a single shot.
However, while the two summer signings struggled to make an impact up top, there was a more significant problem elsewhere in the team, a problem stemming from a pairing Arteta must not start again.
The Arsenal duo who must not start again
While Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera once again showed Arteta why they can be an incredible pairing tonight, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino did the opposite.
Now the Englishman is an unquestionably world-class midfielder and has been one of the Gunners’ best players since joining the club in 2023.
Likewise, the Spaniard has proven his usefulness over the last year or so, but the manager needs to stop playing them in the midfield together, especially when Martin Zubimendi is at the base.
The reasons why are relatively straightforward: they don’t offer enough attacking threat, and at times can be exposed for lack of finesse.
For example, the pair produced a combined expected assist figure of 0.20 and a combined expected goals figure of just 0.05, which was all from the former Real Sociedad ace.
Merino’s game vs Bilbao
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.05
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.04
Assists
0
Shots on Target
1
Big Chances Created
0
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Accurate Passes
21/28 (75%)
Dribbles
0
Possession Lost
12
Duels (Won)
13 (5)
Fouls
3
Although considering there was only one shot on target between them and one big chance created, those metrics are hardly surprising.
On top of lacking creativity and attacking thrust, the pairing was frustratingly loose with possession.
Rice’s game vs Bilbao
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.00
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.20
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Ground Duels (Won)
4 (2)
Accurate Passes
47/58 (81%)
Possession Lost
13
Fouls
2
During their 96 minutes of action, they lost the ball a staggering 25 times, with the former West Ham United captain losing it 13 times and the La Roja star 12.
Unsurprisingly, given their middling performances, the pair received just a 5/10 match rating from the Sun’s Joshua Hall, which feels about right.
Ultimately, Arsenal were deserved winners tonight and can go into Wednesday’s game in good spirits, but a few changes still need to be made, and one of those is no longer playing Merino and Rice in the same midfield.
