At a Glance:
- Arsenal played out a dull 0-0 draw with Sporting CP on Wednesday night.
- The result saw the Gunners progress into the last four of the Champions League for the second season in a row.
- One player impressed with his performance and should now start against Manchester City.
Arsenal played out a dull 0-0 draw against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night to progress into the last four of the Champions League, and one particular star made a case to start against Manchester City on Sunday with his performance.
Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the affair in N5, keeping Sporting at arm’s length with relative ease. That said, the cost of this control was a very meek attacking performance, which generated just 0.7 expected goals over the course of 90 minutes.
The Gunners won’t care about how they got into the semi-finals, however, as they now have a winnable tie against Atletico Madrid to look forward to. Before that, though, Arteta’s outfit must focus on Sunday’s huge showdown against City at the Etihad.
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Cristhian Mosquera was impressive for Arsenal against Sporting
Ben White was targeted by Bournemouth on Saturday. The England international’s right side was flooded with long balls from the Cherries, and his physical frailties started to show.
Sporting did the same thing in Lisbon last week, with this clearly an area of weakness for the Gunners when White is deployed out wide. Thus, Arteta had to change things in the second leg, and he did.
| Cristhian Mosquera vs Sporting Statistics | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 55 |
| Passes into the Final Third | 5 |
| Accurate Passes | 33/37 (89%) |
| Clearances | 2 |
| Defensive Contributions | 2 |
With Jurrien Timber still unavailable, the Spaniard called upon Cristhian Mosquera at right-back. The 21-year-old delivered for the Gunners, completely shutting down the threat of Pote and Maxi Araujo down that side.
He was also competent in possession, completing 89% of his passes, whilst joining the attack when he could. While he doesn’t offer the same offensive threat as White, he was more assured defensively and Arsenal reaped the rewards, not allowing Sporting any notable opportunities.
Cristhian Mosquera should start for Arsenal against Man City
Arsenal need to do a similar job at the Etihad to what they did at the Emirates on Wednesday. The Gunners aren’t in a position to steamroll anyone offensively at the moment, so they should lean into their defensive resilience and play for a draw in the north-west.
Thus, Arteta should call upon his most defensively secure players for this crucial clash, and that includes starting Mosquera over White at right-back. The Spain international has earned a start after his display against Sporting, and he’s more equipped to deal with City’s threat than his English counterpart.
Pep Guardiola will deploy Jeremy Doku off the left. The Belgian is one of the league’s most prolific dribblers, and White might struggle to contain a player with this direct running and carrying ability.
Mosquera can lock Doku down. It’s a no brainer for Arteta.
