Arteta on Hincapié: Arsenal Link & Performance Analysis

Arsenal’s last-gasp defeat against Aston Villa sparked a lot of criticism. One of those pointed out by the fans was Piero Hincapié, because in the play prior to Emiliano Buendía’s agonizing goal, he could not reject the ball, which went to the side. With that serve the 2-1 play began, which raised questions about the Ecuadorian.

The Gunners fans pointed towards Hincapié, despite the fact that several passes were made after the throw-in and some defensive errors by his teammates. The Ecuadorian’s performance was good, managing to be solid in defense, but that action that the fans did not like.

The one who did not agree with the criticism of Piero was Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach. In the post-match press conference, the Spanish coach praised the performance of the Ecuadorian and Jurrien Timber, who was his duo at the back. Of course, Arteta regretted the losses of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, the starting central defenders.

“It is what it is, and we have to deal with it for a while, we know that. And the team has to be able to adapt, without looking for excuses. Obviously, we know what those two (Gabriel and Saliba) bring, especially in a game like this. But The other two (Hincapie and Timber), I think were also exceptional“were Arteta’s words.

The Arsenal coach came out in defense of the Ecuadorian, who is adapting well to the Premier League, the most intense league in terms of football pace in the world. This Wednesday at 3 p.m. the Gunners will visit Joel Ordóñez’s Burjas for the Champions League, game in which Hincapié will start.

The Champions League action resumes with the sixth round, which starts this Tuesday and will be played until Wednesday. The Ecuadorian players will play an important match for the aspirations of their teams, with a tricolor duel included in this day: Brujas by Joel Ordóñez vs Arsenal by Piero Hincapié.

While some teams seek to secure a direct pass to the round of 16, others fight for a ticket to the playoffs. Kevin Rodríguez’s Union Saint-Gilloise (25th) and Ordóñez’s Brujas (26th) are complicated, since they are outside the Champions League playoff qualifying zone, so they arrive urgently for a victory.

For its part, Hincapié’s Arsenal is the best positioned, since it is the leader of the league phase and a victory would leave them one step away from obtaining a direct place in the round of 16. Willian Pacho with PSG (2nd) and Moisés Caicedo with Chelsea (7th) are among the top eight of the table, but they need victories to maintain their positions.

At Olé we review the Ecuadorians’ matches in the Champions League.

• 10.30 hs, the Almaity (CAGS) – Olympicaucos (GRITE)
• 12.45 pm Bayern Munich (ALE) – Sporting Lisbon (POR)
• 3pm, Union St-Gilloise (BEL) – Marsella (FRA)
• 3pm, PSV Eindhoven (NED) – Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
• 15 hs, Inter (ITA) – Liverpool (ING)
• 3 p.m., Barcelona (ESP) – Eintracht Frankfurt (ALE)
• 15 hs, Atalanta (ITA) – Chelsea (ING)
• 15 hs, Monaco (FRA) – Galatasaray (TUR)
• 15 hs, Tottenham (ING) – Slavia Praga (CHE)

• 12.45 hs, Qarabag (AZE) – Ajax (NED)
• 12.45 pm, Villarreal (ESP) – FC Copenhagen (DEN)
• 3 p.m., Juventus (ITA) – Paphos FC (CHI)
• 3 pm, Athletic Bilbao (ESP) – Paris SG (FRA)
• 15 h, Bayer Leverkusen (ALE) – Newcastle (ING)
• 3 p.m., Borussia Dortmund (ALE) – Bodo/Glimt (NOR)
• 15 h, FC Brujas (BEL) – Arsenal (ING)
• 15 hs, Real Madrid (ESP) – Manchester City (ING)
• 15 HS, Benfica (POR) – Napoli (now)