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Opinion
Step aside Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, it is so obvious who Arsenal’s most important player is against PSG
Arsenal fans will be expecting masterclasses from Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final, especially in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Against Real Madrid at home, Mikel Arteta’s two trusted soldiers stole the show as the hosts emphatically won 3-0.
But it will take a collective effort for Arsenal to trounce this PSG side if they aim to reach their first-ever Champions League final since 2006.
How young Myles Lewis-Skelly fares will be interesting to see as well, considering he has never played at such a stage in his career.
Lewis-Skelly is one of Europe’s best left-backs but at 18, he cannot always be expected to turn up on the biggest stages.
- READ MORE: Myles Lewis-Skelly says he was ‘shocked’ by what Arsenal fans did after his famous goal vs Man City
Myles Lewis-Skelly is Arsenal’s most important player vs PSG
However, a strong case can be made that Myles Lewis-Skelly is Arsenal’s most key player against PSG as they intend to gain an advantage after the first leg.
As Lewis-Skelly kept Rodrygo Goes quiet, he might arguably have even tougher tests awaiting him as PSG could deploy one of either Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Desire Doue on the right flank against Arsenal.
The Englishman has proven to be a class act defensively but Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and Doue are some of the best wingers in the world and what is especially challenging for any defender is how the trio interchange their respective positions.
Lewis-Skelly has garnered praise this season and if he can keep especially either Dembele or Kvaratskhelia quiet — with the pair seeming dead set to start — Arsenal could be well on their way to curbing PSG’s attack.
In possession as well, Mikel Arteta will be demanding the teenager to rise to the occassion. With Thomas Partey suspended for the first leg, Lewis-Skelly will have more responsibility than in the past to help Arsenal build out from the first phase of the pitch further forward — as he effortlessly did against Real Madrid.
As technically gifted as the Gunners wonderkid is, Paris Saint-Germain press relentlessly and he will have to be at his elusive best to escape their pressure, break the lines and help the hosts control the game.
Due to the potential opponents that Lewis-Skelly will be tasked to tame as well as how much of an important role he will be demanded to play with the ball at his feet, it is easy to claim why he will be Arsenal’s main man against PSG.
- READ MORE: Myles Lewis-Skelly shares what Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does that he finds so ‘fascinating’
Mikel Arteta has hinted where Myles Lewis-Skelly will play vs PSG
Mikel Arteta discussed Lewis-Skelly’s position against PSG by hinting that he could play in midfield.
Arteta said last week: “Yeah, he can play as an eight, he can play as a six. He’s played there before many times and he has the qualities to do that.”
If the Arsenal prodigy plays as a midfielder, his role will become even more important due to his lack of experience in the role and the tall task he would have to limit Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz’s influence.