Arsenal came into their Champions League clash with Monaco on Wednesday evening amidst some injury chaos that had engulfed the squad.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the likes of Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber had all missed training.
Gabriel and Calafiori have missed the last three matches now, ultimately sitting out of the 3-0 win against the Ligue 1 outfit in midweek too.
That being said, Partey and Timber were both in the squad, although only one of them started; a certain Mr Partey.
The Ghanaian has been used as a makeshift right-back at times this season to cover for injured players while Timber has had to do so on the opposite side at left-back.
It’s rather remarkable that even has to be done. This Arsenal side has huge depth at full-back but not many of them can stay fit. Presently, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White both find themselves on the sidelines too.
As a result, it allowed 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly to start on Wednesday and boy did he do well.
Myles Lewis-Skelly's first Champions League start
What a performance this was from the teenager. Handed a first Champions League start by Mikel Arteta, the young Englishman took to the field at the Emirates Stadium as an inverted left-back.
He has played there before this term, notably coming off the bench in games against Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League, as well as PSG and Shakhtar Donestk.
The fact he was trusted against some of the biggest clubs across the continent speaks volumes of how highly the coaching staff rate the Hale End gem.
Speaking at full-time, Arteta waxed lyrical over the academy graduate and was in awe of the quality of performance he’d just seen from someone with just six senior appearances to their name.
“Myles Lewis-Skelly did so well. Really proud moment. He’s one of our own. It’s just a joy to watch it him, a privilege to be able to give the chance to somebody. He took the chance.”
That praise, however, was justified, even if he did only last just over an hour on a cold north London night. He left the field having played a pivotal part, though.
Minutes played
64
Touches
53
Accurate passes
45/47 (96%)
Key passes
0
Tackles
1
Ground duels won
4/5
Possession lost
2x
Dribble success
2/2
The teen’s best moment came in the build-up to the opening goal of the match. Lewis-Skelly was fed the ball in midfield and he was hounded quickly by a Monaco player.
Rather than getting flustered and panicking, he evaded the press in beautiful fashion before playing a pass with surgical precision into Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian was guilty of missing two gilt-edged opportunities before this but made amends on this occasion, sweeping the ball into Bukayo Saka who scored the first of his two goals on the night.
A host of Arsenal players immediately rushed towards Lewis-Skelly for his genius piece of play and rightfully so.
After this performance, Arteta will no doubt have been given a healthy selection dilemma. As we’ve seen with fellow teenager Ethan Nwaneri, these Hale End stars are almost showing that they’re too good to miss out.
Injuries dependant, we could well see Lewis-Skelly back in that inverted role against Everton on Saturday but that doesn’t particularly bode well for a couple of players.
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Lewis-Skelly's emergence is bad news for £25m Arsenal man
Having been selected at left-back against Man United a week ago, Zinchenko was primed for another start against Fulham and Monaco but didn’t make the squads due to injury.
We knew the Ukranian was unlikely to be fit over 24 hours before this match which sparked a debate, would the lesser-spotted Kieran Tierney play?
Arteta hinted he could well get minutes in his pre-match press conference, saying that he’d earned an opportunity.
“He is ready, he’s training really well and he’s going to have an opportunity for sure. The way the team is looking at the moment, he is going to do that for that reason and because he’s earned it. The way he’s behaved, the way he’s been with us because he’s willing to do it and when that happens, you have to give those opportunities to players.”
Sadly for the Scot, he didn’t see a single minute of action against Monaco and was left to rue a night where he would have featured for the first time in 16 months in Arsenal colours.
Tierney spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and then picked up an injury during Euro 2024 when he was in action for Scotland.
Since then it’s been a case of rehab for the £25m signing and he’s appeared in a few squads since returning to the grass for full training at London Colney.
Signed for
£25m
Games
124
Goals
5
Assists
13
That said, you do now have to question the defender’s future at the club even more. This looked like a time for the former Celtic man to revive his career in London but in spite of several defensive injuries, it was an 18-year-old who was picked ahead of him.
Now, had the night gone awfully for Lewis-Skelly then Tierney’s worries over game time may not be so big. Unfortunately for him, the teenager had a mighty fine night that has bumped the Scotland international even further down the pecking order at left-back.
To put it simply, it would be a surprise if we ever saw the 27-year-old play another minute for Arsenal.
It’s a sad eventuality, it really is. 124 appearances have fallen his way since moving from north of the border. So good were his displays throughout most of that time that he was described as the Gunners’ “future captain” by his fellow Scot and pundit, Ally McCoist.
Alas, that dream will never become a reality. In January, an exit surely looms for Tierney.
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