'He was unreal': Mikel Arteta blown away by 24yo Arsenal star who made 5 recoveries vs Chelsea
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Christos Tzolis following his fantastic performance against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Greece international signed for the Gunners from Club Brugge this summer and has made a fine start to his career with three assists across all competitions.
He had a forgettable outing against Aston Villa on the road last month, but made amends with a much-improved showing, bagging the assist for Martin Ødegaard’s winner against Chelsea (2-1 victory).
Speaking after the game, Arteta was undoubtedly impressed by the left-sided winger and said that ‘he was unreal’ and his work rate and decision-making are phenomenal to watch.
He told Sky Sports (via BBC Sport): “He was unreal again. He has been showing that the level of threat, the work rate, and his decision-making are phenomenal to watch.”
Tzolis had a reality check against the Villans recently. He won just one of seven duels contested and had only 24 touches with nine passes before his half-time substitution.
However, he produced a much-improved showing against the Blues. The 24-year-old won six of eight duels contested and was heavily involved with 56 touches in the game.
The former Brugge man also made five recoveries and completed 38 passes. He created four chances for his teammates, including a clever ball for Odegaard’s 50th-minute winner.
There were suggestions that Eberechi Eze could start over Tzolis after the latter’s struggles at Villa Park, but the manager kept his faith in the summer signing, who proved his credentials.
With the victory, the Gunners are second in the league standings, behind Manchester City. They have the same number of points, but Arsenal trail the Cityzens on goals scored (seven to six).
Next up, Arsenal have an away trip to Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
The post 'He was unreal': Mikel Arteta blown away by 24yo Arsenal star who made 5 recoveries vs Chelsea first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.
