I must confess, I thought Bodo/Glimt would prove a sterner test for Arsenal than they ultimately did.
The level of competition in the Europa League these days is higher than ever, partly because of the creation of the Conference League and partly because, well, football has moved forward, but Bodo were something of a blast from the past.
Aside from some brief lapses in concentration from Arsenal, there was precious little to worry about. It was as comfortable a night’s work as we have seen for some time. We started in third gear and, once we’d eased into a two-goal lead, slipped back into second and cruised for the remainder.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s nothing to complain about. I’d rather a straightforward win than having suffered an embarrassing reverse. It does make for a slightly anti-climactic feeling, though.
That said, there were plenty of pluses to take away from the result. Chief among them were some much-needed minutes for some of those players on the fringe of the first team and those recovering from injury.
Forcing your way into a winning team is difficult and your cause certainly isn’t helped without having the chance to play some football. Run-outs like last night are unlikely to affect Mikel Arteta’s first-team thinking just yet but it doesn’t hurt to get some competitive action after a period on the sidelines.
The likes of Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Eddie Nketiah have had to make do with 20 minutes here or there in the Premier League so a chance to play the majority of the match last night was welcome. What’s more, all three performed well and their services will continue to be required as we balance this European campaign with league and cup commitments.
Elsewhere, Rob Holding was his typically reliable, fuss-free self, Fabio Vieira continued his stellar introduction to life in England and Marqunihos added to his experience in the first-team set up.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner will also have benefited greatly from a tidy night between the posts. As yet, he remains untested in the white heat of the Premier League and many of us will have nightmares filled with Alex Runarsson so the more we can get Matt up to speed away from the full glare of the football world, the better.
Undoubtedly, sterner tests await in this Europa League campaign but, for now, we can only beat the teams in front of us. Bodo may yet prove themselves such a test when we travel to Norway later in the month but last night was simply not their night.
Arsenal, meanwhile, march on. It’s Liverpool at the Emirates this weekend and a chance to really light a fire under our season.
Blog on You Gunners 