Arsenal vs Olympiakos: Player Ratings and Analysis

It wasn't pretty, but Arsenal got the job done by holding on to a 2-1 victory against Olympiacos. Arsenal looked a little shaky, but they did what they had to do to get the three points in this match.

Arsenal were without nine of their first team players and started Robin Van Persie, Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey on the bench. Pat Rice, who filled in for the "banned" Arsene Wenger, fielded a very different team than the one that played against Bolton.

Alex Chamberlain and Andre Santos were given their first ever starts in Champions League football, and it would be a game the would never forget. Both players scored their first ever Champions League goal and led Arsenal to victory.

Arsenal did look vulnerable at times, especially on the counterattack. Olympiacos were able to pull one goal back via header from David Fuster. Olympiacos almost leveled the tie from a beautiful curler from Vasilis Torosidis that hit the crossbar.

Arsenal managed to hold the lead and now are second in the group after Marseille thrashed Borussia Dortmund 3-0.

Now, onto the player ratings for Arsenal.

Wojciech Szczesny

Rating: 7.0

Another good performance by the young Polish keeper. He made some very fine saves and showed his own arsenal of abilities in front of goal.

He could not have done anything about that goal. He saved the defense many times and kept his cool in pressure situations.

In my opinion, Szczesny has been our most consistent performer so far this season.

Bacary Sagna

Rating: 6.0

It was a very uncharacteristic performance by the Arsenal right back.

He was exposed many times in the defense by the Olympiacos attack and put Arsenal in some dangerous situations.

He did play better in the second half, but his performance today was rather careless.

Expect Sagna to bounce back this weekend in the North London derby.

Per Mertesacker

Rating: 7.5

A solid performance by the German skyscraper (my nickname for Mertesacker), even though Arsenal looked shaky on the defence. Mertesacker is consistently improving after each performance.

He cleared any threat in the air and his positioning was superb. He also read the game very well.

Only if he can develop a consistent partnership with Koscielny, Mertesacker will blossom in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen.

Alex Song

Rating: 7.5 

Due to the plague of injuries at Arsenal, Alex Song had to move to center back against Olympiacos, and he played very well. 

Song was able to communicate well with Mertesacker throughout the game, which formed a strong partnership. 

Song made a fantastic pass finding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which led to a goal and crediting Song with the assist.

Arsenal seem to play a lot better when Song is on the pitch. He knows he hast to take more of a leadership role with the departures of Fabregas and Nasri in the midfield and is proving to be a valuable asset to this Arsenal squad. 

Andre Santos

Rating: 8.0

One word to describe Santos' performance against Olympiacos: Brilliant.

Santos got the selection in the starting XI over Kieran Gibbs, and he proved his quality in this match. He showed a lot of cool and composure when scoring. Having a defender who can score goals like that with ease is an asset.

Many Arsenal supporters are excited to have this Brazilian in the squad.

Emmanuel Frimpong

Rating: 6.5

There were some positive things I saw from Frimpong today, but there were also some bad things I saw.

Let's start with the positives.

• Showed great determination and fight throughout the whole 90 minutes
• Made amazing tackles and was an impenetrable force in the midfield
• He didn't get booked in the entirety of the match.

Some of the negatives include:

• His distribution of the ball was poor.
• very poor with the ball at his feet

Frimpong needs to improve if he wants to cement a spot in the Arsenal starting XI.

Tomas Rosicky

Rating: 5.5

Tomas was very poor against Olympiacos. He made many mistakes, and his performance today was very dissatisfying. 

Rosicky was very poor in the passing portion of the game. He failed to even make the simpler of passes. 

What really surprised me was his poor decision making in the final third.

With performances like that, Rosicky will be spending a lot of the time on the sideline.

Mikel Arteta

Rating: 7.0

Less than a month with the club, Mikel Arteta is already become one of my favorite Arsenal players. His performance today wasn't spectacular, but it was above-average.

Arteta put on a show with his passing. His distribution of the ball throughout the game was absolute class.

Mikel saved Arsenal with a brilliant goal-line clearance that prevented a definite goal chance for Olympiacos, which proved to be vital in the match.

Mikel's heart and passion has made him a fan favorite, and hopefully, the time comes when he is rewarded with his first call up to the Spanish national team.

Andrei Arshavin

Rating: 5.5

Arshavin's performance was a mixed bag. At times, he looked good, and at other times, he looked, well, pathetic.

He did make a great pass to Chamakh in the first half, but failed to capitalize on the chance and was involved in the build up in the Santos goal. Arshavin also showed some improvement in his game by actually taking on defenders and attempting shots.

Arshavin's passing was poor and at times looked lackadaisical.

It's what we usually expect from Arshavin. The only time he steps up his game is when Arsenal play an elite side. Hopefully, that can change. 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Rating: 8.0

How many people still think Arsenal overpaid for this youngster?

Pat Rice told his side to get Chamberlain involved early in the game to ease the youngster's nerves, and it proved to be an excellent plan. Chamberlain made an early impact in the game by putting Arsenal ahead in the eighth minute with great finish.

He comes up big in big games, but could help out in the defence more.

With a few more games under this kid's belt, he may just take Theo Walcott's spot in the Arsenal starting XI.

Marouane Chamakh

Rating: 5.5

Don't you feel kind of bad for Chamakh?

The guy works his butt off and keeps trying and trying, but always is coming up short.

He fought very hard for every ball. He chased down loose balls and got into great scoring positions, but his finishing in front of goal was absolutely dismal.

For everyone's sake, hopefully Marouane Chamakh can get his mojo back.

Substitutes

Aaron Ramsey

Rating: 6

Aaron came out the gates roaring and quickly became a threat to the Greek side's defence. He got in a lot of good positions where he could score, but was unlucky because his teammates couldn't ever get him the ball.

Rambo is getting back to his top form.

Robin Van Persie

Rating: N/A

Robin didn't get that much time in the game, which prevents rating his performance.

Kieran Gibbs

Rating: N/A

The same story as Van Persie. Kieran had little time to make an impact on the pitch.

Conclusion: For a depleted squad and with Arsene Wenger banned from the touchline, Arsenal were able to get the job done and earn three points. With players such as Koscielny, Gervinho, Benayoun and Walcott returning to the squad for this weekend's fixture against Tottenham, Arsenal will be looking to continue their winning form in the North London derby.