Mikel Arteta reserved special praise for one ‘extraordinary’ Arsenal star after the Gunners continued their winning run and kept yet another clean sheet in last night’s 3-0 Champions League stroll against Slavia Prague.
A Bukayo Saka penalty and a second half brace from stand-in striker Mikel Merino helped Arteta’s men make it four wins from four in Europe so far this season.
Overall, the relentless Gunners have won 10 consecutive games in all competitions and have now gone eight matches without conceding, a sequence that dates back to their victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park on September 28.
Even with a slightly altered back four, with summer recruit Piero Hincapie filling in for Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal were largely untroubled last night with right-back Jurrien Timber producing another superb display.
The Netherlands international appears to have seen off competition from Ben White and his now firmly established as Arsenal’s first choice right-back.
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Timber drew significant plaudits from newly inducted Premier League Hall of Famer Gary Neville last month and Arteta was equally effusive in his praise of the former Ajax star.
He said: ‘Extraordinary. For me, he’s been phenomenal in every department.
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‘I think he’s taken his level and the team’s level to a different dimension, against his opponents, the way he penetrates, the way he wins duels, the way he understands the game, the way he wants to make things happen.
‘A big example for the rest of his teammates.’
Despite their flawless record of late, Arteta opted to make a tactical change last night and asked William Saliba to step into midfield on a more frequent basis.
Asked to explain that subtle tweak, Arteta said: ‘That was related about the way they press, and the way the nine makes the press and the way where we could find certain advantages and time, because if not, everything is absolutely man-to-man.
‘And it’s a really difficult game to play constantly, especially after the direct play. And we could have done better; it’s something we haven’t had time to train really.
‘So, to have more solutions and to try things, and to especially put players in their qualities with a bit more time on the ball. It’s something that I wanted to try.’
Hincapie, meanwhile, caught the eye on his first Champions League start for the club he joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
‘Very happy, he can play in those two positions, as a centre-back or full-back,’ said Arteta when asked for his assessment of the Ecuador international’s display.
‘Today, the way we had to set up and the situation that we have to imagine with the ball.
‘I think he was really good, really strong, really efficient and really good, because now he’s got some minutes in the last week with two games and the last minutes against Burnley. So, we’re getting him up to speed.’