Arsenal 0-0 Red Star Belgrade: 5 Talking Points

#4 Mathieu Debuchy continues his good form

Mathieu Debuchy won 100% of his aerial duels

For a man who has literally only played about 180 minutes of football this year, Mathieu Debuchy doesn’t look like he’s missed a step. In an unfamiliar right-centre-back position, the Frenchman did incredibly well to cover for the ever-attacking Reiss Nelson.

The 17-year-old is naturally a right winger, so his defensive work rate is not up to scratch yet, meaning Debuchy had to do the work of two men. He basically had to be a right-back and centre back at the same time, covering all the space down that flank.

The Frenchman contributed to all phases of play tonight. He completed an incredible 84 accurate passes, made 2 tackles, made 6 clearances, intercepted 1 pass and won a staggering 5 aerial duels.

It’s not just his commitment and hard work that was impressive, Debuchy’s positioning was astute and he gives Arsène Wenger another option for his shaky back three system. Granted, Red Star Belgrade aren’t the best of oppositions, but they’re good enough for us to gauge the Frenchman’s readiness for first-team football.