Been very impressed with Saka

Looks good doesn’t he.

Staggering really that he’s still with us.

Well he did look good until he just got smashed.

And again!

Very promising indeed. Standout of the young players tonight.

Fairly low key performance from Özil. Hard to equate remuneration with performance. Okay, but no more than that really. There have been more eye catching efforts by our players tonight.

Wow. Super move. Saka with only the keeper to beat but lashes into the goalies face.

A pity! That would have rounded his night off nicely.

Yes. Big shame. Would have been great.

Result! Pleased that we’ve seen out the last two dead group games, managing to keep the unbeaten run going and giving useful development opportunities to our younger squad players. All keeps the momentum going.

Very decent result for our young side.

If it wasn’t for the European Union we would have won the game by several goals. Well done lads

An enjoyable stress-free watch, game time for Kos, Nacho and Özil and several youngsters.

5 consecutive clean sheets in the Europa League equals the record in the competition to go alongside out consecutive clean sheet record for the champions league

Really like these young players coming through. One thing that strikes me about all of them is how confident on the ball they are. They look well balanced, good technique, and often decent skill to run at and beat a man.
Nelson, AMN, Nketiah we knew from last season, Emile Smith Rowe is the standout break through this year and Willock looks to have come on leaps and bounds but really like what I’ve seen of saka and medley as well

Evening Rich. What makes Smith Rowe "the standout break through this year"? He's a good player who I expect to have a fine career in the game, making lots of money. But I'm less sure he'll be a great player or will be a regular first choice at a club chasing the biggest trophies. He has a good all round game, but what's he outstanding at?

He's talented, but is hardly another Pires or Charlie George, let alone Bergkamp. He's a decent finisher without being another Wright. He's not slow but is hardly another Anelka or Walcott for pace. I've no complaints with his work-rate but he's hardly another Welbeck in that respect. How good is he at running with the ball? Hardly another Henry is he? He can't hold the ball up like Giroud, lacks physical presence and is weak in the air.

So he's alright, but is that enough? I just can't see what makes him the "standout break through". Indeed, I don't think he's even close to breaking through. Or am I missing something?

And so our unbeaten run goes on. Good to see the younger players getting games. Better still when they don't hide in the game. Kos came through ok, and that is important.

Jenkinson has lost his confidence. I think he fears trying the harder things.

I look at players like Saka and a couple of the others and wonder why we don't see more of them on the bench. A run of appearances at the end of games is what some of these kids need to improve. Not all matches but the more comfortable ones. Certainly cups against lower division sides.

There are reports some fans questioned starting Lacazette in a game that meant nothing. I can think of two, maybe three possible reasons. First, I think he wanted to make sure there was experience up front and experience in the back to steady the youngsters. Second, I think its probably more important to the squad than we realize to keep the unbeaten streak going. It's like likely it helps maintain and increase confidence. The third, which ma not be as a likely reason as the previous reason is it helps Lacazette's confidence.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... y-15549771

Watching an Arsenal.com clip of Arshavin scoring at Anfield and one of the comments was "I swear Arshavin must have scored more goals at Anfield than Andy Carroll did" hahahahaha

I thought Jenkinson did okay last night. I'm certainly not suggesting a statue be made of him for outside the ground. But he didn't let anybody down.

The problem with giving saka bench time in the hope we can give him 15 mins at the end of the game is that:
A) we haven’t been comfortable in the last 15 minutes of that many games so far this season
B) saka would take the place of someone like ramsey, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette and Arsenal have the best record of substitutes impacting the game
The pattern should be generally the same for all of our best youngsters, they get to play above their age groups, eventually making the squad for cup games then preferably going out on a years loan somewhere meaningful then coming back to be part of the first team squad. Nelson is a great example to the younger players. He’s 2 years older than Saka so Saka has plenty of time

Hi Bernard, I am looking at the youngsters each year and seeing if there is a glimpse of a player who takes a leap ahead of his peers and shows signs that he could make it in Arsenal’s first team squad.
I am probably using the term ‘break through’ slightly different to you, I mean break through as in a young player who gets in the first team ie: he’s made the break through, rather than ‘he’s made it’

I think it is too easy to get carried away with some good performances from our younger players and there is far more chance Emile Smith Rowe doesn’t make it as a regular in Arsenal’s first team than he does. My point above was basically pitting Emile Smith Rowe against the 20 or so other youth players at arsenal who feel their next step is to break in to the first team.

Low quality game, low atmosphere and low attendance. I feel the club should reward my attendance at last nights match. The most interesting thing apart from the inclusion of very inexperienced players was when Mkhitaryan ran onto the pitch at the end with an Armenian flag and hot hauled off by security.

... and of course Koscielny’s return.

.... and those little swooping grey birds flying around under the floodlights

...and the stadium announcer getting the half time score wrong....

....and that you literally could get up and sit in ANY block in the upper tier you wanted as the crown was so sparse

...and exiting the ground was like talking a leisurely stroll through a main line station at night

.....and I got a big wedge of serviettes from the concourse before they ran out....

...and my son found a hub cap on the way home (insert Scouse jokes here) and somehow ended up with the grubbiest Face I’d ever seen

.... I think I need to start my day

Didn't he come in and score 3 goals right off the bat for us on day one ?

Emery has apparently given debuts to 11 youth team players this season.

Did he? I didn't notice that. What score did he give?

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/pr ... tory.shtml

£10m defender linked

Fair enough Rich. My own guess is that Smith Rowe will either end up as a squad back up at club chasing the biggest trophies or be a first choice at somewhere like West Ham or Newcastle.

He said Arsenal nil....and then he realised his error and then made a joke regarding how the rest of the scores in the Europa league he was about to read out would be correct.

I didn't go last night but from the TV coverage, I thought Zech Medley looked as impressive as any of the youngsters. He came on for Lacazette last night and played left back but he played central defence in Kiev. Joined us from Chelsea, apparently, as did one or two of his contemporaries, but Zech grew up a Gooner.

18 years old, big, skilful and confident - looks like a really good prospect.

...oh and we fielded a Scot.

Can't remember the last time that happened. Anyone?