Arsenal got their Europa League campaign off to a good start by securing a 2-1 victory over Zurich in their first group game of the tournament.
After seeing his side’s unbeaten Premier League record come to an end last weekend thanks to a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United, Mikel Arteta made some changes to his starting XI for their European clash.
One player who was brought into the team that we feel passed Arteta’s test with flying colours is Marquinhos.
The north London club signed the winger, who Arteta described as having “exceptional” physicality, during the previous summer transfer window from Brazilian club Sao Paulo.
After being an unused substitute for the Gunners’ three Premier League games, the 19-year-old was given his first senior start for the club on Thursday.
With just 16 minutes on the clock, the winger opened the scoring for his new side, before assisting Eddie Nketiah’s goal in the second half.
Having made 52 touches of the ball in total before being replaced by Bukayo Saka after 69 minutes, Marquinhos made four key passes in total as well as creating two big chances and successfully delivering three of the four crosses he attempted.
He even showed his worth off the ball as well by making two interceptions for his side.
This debut display ultimately earned the teenager an impressive overall match rating of 8.9/10 from SofaScore, making him the highest-rated Arsenal player on the day.
The Evening Standard also picked up on the winger’s blistering performance by naming him as their star man for the game and saying that he “looked sharp” throughout.
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the youngster proved he has what it takes to be a suitable first-team option for the Gunners and Arteta, who may now have a headache over whether he keeps the attacker in the starting XI or not.
