The Athletic journalist provides 14-word verdict on Pablo Mari's Arsenal league debut

James McNicholas gave his verdict on Pablo Mari’s Premier League debut, during a Q&A on The Athletic.
What did he say?

The Brazilian played the entire 90 minutes at the Emirates on Saturday, helping Arsenal keep a clean sheet in their 1-0 win against West Ham United.



He had already played in the FA Cup, but this was his first taste of league action since making the move to London, which also meant that people had an opportunity to judge how he performed.

McNicholas did just that, as when asked about how the 26-year-old fared, he replied: “Good on the ball, but looked a little stretched by Antonio and Haller’s physicality.”

It can be suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side were very lucky to come out of the game with a win and clean sheet, as Antonio and Haller had clear chances that they should have done a lot better with.

However, when reviewing Mari’s individual performance at the heart of their defensive, positive signs can definitely be taken from this game.

The Brazilian was successful with the only tackle that he attempted during the match, while he also completed eight clearances, which was the most of any player on the pitch.
Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Arsenal Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

He won three of the six aerial duels that he competed in. This does potentially play into McNicholas’ point of the centre-back struggling with the West Ham strikers’ physicality, as Haller won eight aerial duels, while Antonio came out on top in four.

The Athletic journalist was also correct about his ability on the ball, as Mari showed plenty of precision, completing 85% of the 82 passes that he attempted during the game.

Therefore, while this is far from conclusive about how he will do at Arsenal, there are certainly positives to be taken from the Brazilian’s performance on his league debut.