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Rob Holding made his first appearance of the season for Arsenal on Thursday night when the Gunners played host to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava at the Emirates Stadium in a Europa League group fixture.
The North London club had little trouble in dispatching the visitors 4-2 but will be frustrated by the concession of two late consolation goals that saw their wait for a first clean sheet in the Unai Emery era go on.
Despite the Vorskla goals, Arsenal looked generally solid at the back, albeit they were rarely tested. In terms of building up play, though, the Arsenal back line was very comfortable and tidy in possession.
Alongside summer signing Sokratis, Holding was reliable and assured and made 100 passes throughout the match – more than any other player on the pitch. He also registered a very impressive 94% pass completion rate.
Considering how shaky the Gunners have looked when playing out from the back so far this season, Emery would be wise to heed these statistics and bring the 23-year-old into the starting XI in place of Shkodran Mustafi to face Everton this weekend.
What do you think, Arsenal fans – did Holding do enough to earn a starting berth in the Premier League or is Mustafi still the more reliable option?