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Opinion
Myles Lewis-Skelly will not be pleased as UEFA make announcement following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid
Myles Lewis-Skelly probably shocked even the most optimistic of Arsenal fans with his display against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
It was only the Hale End graduate’s eighth appearance in the UEFA Champions League – all of which have come this season – but the Arsenal No.49 performed like a man who had made 500 appearances in the competition.
Lewis-Skelly stunned the Spanish media with his exquisite display, in which he shackled Rodrygo to the point where the Brazil international was hardly mentioned on commentary, also enabling Gabriel Martinelli to shine as he kept the left flank locked down.
Ian Wright even thinks Martinelli is a better player with the 18-year-old behind him.
Therefore, with the above taken into account, an announcement made by UEFA after the second leg might irritate Myles Lewis-Skelly somewhat.
UEFA choose Nuno Mendes over Myles Lewis-Skelly in Team of the Week
UEFA have now named their Team of the Week after the second legs of the quarter-finals came to an end, and interestingly opted for Nuno Mendes instead of Lewis-Skelly.
🥁 Introducing your team of the week… |
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
The England international will surely feel disappointed about that given the level of his performance compared to the Portugal international.
Yes, Mendes scored for PSG at Villa Park, but was on the end of a 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa, and was made to look amateurish at times by Marcus Rashford.
In fact, had Ezri Konsa and Marco Asensio managed to finish off glorious chances – the latter of which came from space left down his side – the PSG No.25 may have even found himself knocked out of Europe entirely.
How Myles Lewis-Skelly fared against Rodrygo
In contrast to Mendes against Rashford, Lewis-Skelly won nine of his 11 duels up against what is arguably the best attack in Europe, also completing both of his attempted dribbles while recording a pass success rate of 84% in Madrid.
Rodrygo – who Steve McManaman thinks is better than Bukayo Saka – was even withdrawn after just 61 minutes, having failed to register a shot or complete a single dribble.
What was perhaps most striking about the man from Denmark Hill – however – was his protection of the ball.
It might be a bold statement, but we have seldom seen a player use his body as well as Lewis-Skelly does, with the Arsenal wonderkid always sensing where an opponent is coming from and shielding them expertly.
At the very least, the Londoner should have been included in the Team of the Week by UEFA – but if he keeps delivering performances like this, he will undoubtedly win other, more significant, accolades.