Arsenal vs Olympiacos: Hits and Flops | UEFA Europa League 2019-20
A tough night for Gooners across the globe as Arsenal crash out of Europe at the hands of Olympiacos. A 2-1 defeat at the Emirates to the team from Athens settled the tie in favour of Olympiacos, as despite a wonderful bicycle goal from Aubameyang, the North London side failed to hold the lead for ten minutes with Youssef El-Arabi scoring in the 119th minute to take his team into the Round of 16.
One of the worst games of the season for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta and Co. had no answer to Olympiacos' deep defensive block as the Spaniard could not alter his tactics and get a result in 120 minutes of football. While it should've been a comfortable second leg for the Gunners in front of their fans, Arsenal now see themselves out of Europe, despite the fact that they had an away goal advantage coming into the second leg.
A game of drastic ups and downs, there have been performances right from the best to worst. So without further ado, let's take a closer look at who deserved to go through, and who did not.
#4 Flop - Alexandre Lacazette
For someone who has had unreal backing from Mikel Arteta, Alex Lacazette has yet again dropped a stinker of a performance for Arsenal. In a game where the Gunners were crying out for goals, Alex Lacazette managed to have a total of zero shots on target.
In 105 minutes of football, Lacazette lost possession 7 times, followed by missing the best chance of the game for Arsenal. He had 33 touches of the ball, the least amongst Arsenal players. Moreover, the Frenchman won zero aerial and ground duels and completed an average of two passes every 10 minutes.
On the other hand, Gabriel Martinelli had 11 touches of the ball in his second-half cameo and it was his header which led to Aubameyang's equaliser, although it was unintentional. The Brazilian also attempted 2 shots in 15 minutes, as much as Lacazette did in 105.
It is crystal clear that Arteta has been giving Lacazette chance after chance to prove himself and get back on the scoring charts, but truth be told, Arteta's obsession with not playing Aubameyang as the central striker and refraining to use Martinelli until the second half of extra time has eventually cost his team a spot in the Round of 16.