Monday night’s match against Leeds United was all about the return of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, and the on-loan striker certainly made the most of the occasion with a sweetly struck winner to mark what many has branded “The Return of the King.” However, in his usual modest mood, Henry took time to praise two of Arsenal’s youngsters when he said the following about Nico Yennaris and Ignasi Miquel’s performances to Arsenal.com:
“Obviously I am going to grab some headlines and stuff like that but Nico Yennaris and Ignasi Miquel at the back, along with some of the other guys, played really well. I was at the end of a great move but as I said many times, it is all about the team. We went through and that is the most important thing.”
Keeping Tottenham winger at bay
Yennaris was not expecting to play in Arsenal’s Third Round encounter with Leeds United, but after yet another injury to a make-shift fullback, this time Francis Coquelin, he was thrown into the deep by Arsene Wenger. Despite playing well for Arsenal’s Reserves thus far this season, Yennaris was now up against a very lively Andros Townsend, who desperately tried to make life miserable for the young Englishman. However, the FA Cup debutant stood off the threat of Townsend’s pace and trickery with ease, and even made a few threatening forward runs to give the Leeds defence a busy night.
Having made only one first-team appearance prior to the Leeds fixture - in the Carling Cup 4th round match against Bolton Wanderers - Yennaris found himself in a highly unfamiliar territory; but his good defensive attributes and an overall fearlessness made sure that the 18-year-old made a lasting impression on fans and pundits alike. The young Englishman was not put off by the trickery from the on-loan Tottenham winger, Townsend, nor by the fact that Townsend and Leeds’ other winger, Ramón Nuñez, constantly swapped flanks to stir things up. Yennaris stood steadily at right back and brushed off the challenges that came his way throughout the match as well as offering The Gunners some more firepower and attacking flair with a few surging runs up Arsenal’s right-hand side.
Attacking flair may signal further appearances
Although Wenger has played make-shift fullbacks in the hope of filling the void left by the injuries to Sagna, Gibbs, Santos, and Jenkinson, in the process, Arsenal have lost much of the attacking flair and, despite a good run of results, become rather one-sided in the attacking part of their game. Yennaris, on the other hand, showed how valuable it is to have an extra player to put some pressure on the opposition’s fullbacks throughout the game as he aided both Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in creating room with some energetic runs down the right flank.
Unfortunately for Yennaris, the road up to a first-team spot is longer than the current list of injured players, and Wenger prefers the notion of safety-first with Djourou in the right-back slot instead of an inexperienced, yet talented youngster. However, with some hard work and by taking the few chances that come his way, Yennaris may be able to impress both Wenger and Banfield sufficiently to become a first-team regular in the years to come. Although the road is long and hard for the youngster, who told Arsenal.com that he always pretended to be “Thierry Henry [on the playground] because he was the best striker when I was growing up,” will take pride in the Arsenal legend’s praise and keep pushing for a spot in Wenger’s starting XI.
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