Former England international, Owen Hargreaves has hailed two Arsenal stars following the Gunner 1-0 win over Napoli in Italy last night.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder believes the defensive partnership between Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Laurent Koscielny paid off.
He noted that the partinership is crucial to Arsenal’s hopes of ending the season on a high note.
Alexandre Lacazette’s stunning free-kick eased Unai Emery’s side into the semi finals of the Europa League at the expense of Napoli.
Napoli failed to trouble an increasingly resilient Arsenal defence.
Arsenal have now kept six clean sheets in their last seven matches in all competitions as they close in on a place in a first European final since 2006 and a top four finish in the Premier League.
Sokratis has grown in stature since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund, while Koscielny has excelled since returning to the side in December following a long-term Achilles injury.
“Arsenal look different when Koscielny and Sokratis play together,” Hargreaves said, according Metro Uk.
“I thought the midfield balance was excellent with Torreira and Xhaka, while the front two pose a threat and there was just an excellent balance.
“You have to give the manager credit, he sets the team up.
“He addressed the away issue didn’t concede a goal. They are peaking at the right time.”
Kommentare