Mathieu Debuchy impressed on his return for Arsenal.
A quietly effective performance will have been exactly what Mathieu Debuchy will have wanted for Arsenal, and it’s exactly what he delivered.
The French international had been out injured since early September, and could not has asked for an easier game in which to ease back, with Arsenal dominating Galatasaray.
He added balance to the Arsenal defence, and was the standout performer among his teammates defensively in the 4-1 win.
| Match | Won Tackles | Interceptions | Aerial Duels Won | Accurate Crosses | Shots Blocked | Assists | Goals | Total | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Debuchy | Galatasaray vs Arsenal | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 77 |
| Calum Chambers | Galatasaray vs Arsenal | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 90 |
| Per Mertesacker | Galatasaray vs Arsenal | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 90 |
| Héctor Bellerín | Galatasaray vs Arsenal | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 90 |
| Stefan O’Connor | Galatasaray vs Arsenal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
Amazingly, Debuchy was the only Arsenal player all night to win a tackle, making two – yet perhaps this also says something for Galatasaray’s poor attack – with much talked about youngster Bruma being particularly disappointing.
He also made a superb six interceptions, with Per Mertesacker’s no tackles and no interceptions a little symptomatic of his recent disappointing form – but he did come up with two blocked shots, including one which almost certainly saved a goal from close range.
Hector Bellerin will have been glad to come through the 90 minutes after being hooked at half-time against Stoke at the weekend, with Calum Chambers also bouncing back well.
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