Two young 'treasures' of Arsenal

K STRANGE MEMORIES

More than 20 years ago, Arsenal were the victims of a goal that is still mentioned in the British press today: Wayne Rooney's goal (Everton, 17 years 150 days) against the reigning champions of the Premier League. That was in March 2003. Now, Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly (18 years 129 days) has become the youngest player since Rooney to score against the reigning champions of England (Manchester City). Strangely enough, within a few dozen minutes, Lewis-Skelly's glorious achievement was overshadowed by his teammate Ethan Nwaneri. Nwaneri was only 17 years 318 days when he scored the winning goal in Arsenal's 5-1 victory over Manchester City.

Nwaneri talented young player of Arsenal

Scoring goals is important, of course. But the confidence and maturity of Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri is even more commendable. Not only did Lewis-Skelly not "fit" when entering the starting lineup in a top-flight match, he also showed brilliant form, worthy of being called the best player of the match. At left-back, he calmly dribbled past opponents in really difficult situations. He passed accurately 92.0% (the average figure since the beginning of the season is up to 95.4%). Of the players who have played at least 45 minutes in the Premier League this season, Lewis-Skelly is the player with the highest pass accuracy rate. And despite playing in defense, Lewis-Skelly often makes highly attacking passes. Against Manchester City, only two Arsenal players passed the ball to striker Kai Havertz more than this defender. In 553 minutes of Premier League football this season, Lewis-Skelly has yet to be dribbled past by an opponent. He also has the highest duels won rate in the league (among players who have contested 25 or more duels).

And, as mentioned, Lewis-Skelly even scored… against the defending champions. It was Lewis-Skelly’s first major goal for Arsenal. Again: he’s a full-back. What about Nwaneri?

AFFECTS GAMEPLAY

At just 17, Nwaneri is Arsenal's number one player this season in a number of key statistics: shots; shots on target; goals - all measured by minutes played, of course. On average, Nwaneri takes 3.20 shots per 90 minutes, with 1.67 accurate shots and 0.97 goals. He has played 647 minutes this season, in all competitions. His shot accuracy (52.17%) and goals per shot (30.43%) are both the highest in the team. At Nwaneri's age, only two other players have scored more goals than him in Premier League history. Those are Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen - both notorious "wunderkinds".

Everyone knows: Arsenal is currently a team… without a true striker. This is the major weakness that has prevented Mikel Arteta’s team from becoming a real title contender. Arteta himself tried to find a striker in the mid-season transfer window, but was unsuccessful. So, in the short term, Nwaneri could be an important solution. He is an attacking midfielder, but prefers to play as a winger. As mentioned, Nwaneri’s qualities show that he is very suitable for the task of scoring goals.

With Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly getting better and better, Arsenal not only owns the two brightest young stars in Europe at the moment, but they are also two important tactical solutions for coach Arteta, when Arsenal suddenly faces difficulties in terms of force or playing style. Thanks to the rise of these two young talents, Arsenal is the team with the most goalscorers in the Premier League today.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hai-bau-vat-tre-tuoi-cua-arsenal-185250204215232027.htm