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Arsenal
David Ospina: 5/10
When called upon, the Colombian could not answer the call. It’s not easy to play just your 5th game of the season but Ospina showed us why he’s Arsenal’s second choice. Although he didn’t have much to do, he was still useless in the one pivotal moment of the match.
Calum Chambers: 5.5/10
As a defensive-minded RWB, Chambers basically tucked in alongside the back three to make a back four. The 22-year-old completed 23 passes, won 2 aerials and was dribbled past once.
Mathieu Debuchy: 4.5/10
He gave away several fouls, got a yellow card and conceded a poor penalty. The Frenchman had his poorest game of the season yet, only making 2 tackles whilst misplacing 4 passes. Based on this game, Debuchy won’t be breaking into the first team anytime soon.
Per Mertesacker: 5.5/10
Back at the club, he started his professional career at, Per Mertesacker showed everyone why he’s retiring in the summer. He looked a step behind the pace, out of ideas on the ball and inept in his man marking. As the central CB, Mertesacker was meant to marshal his defensive unit, instead, he led them to disarray.
Rob Holding: 6/10
The Englishman had a relatively quiet match as he wasn’t tested down his side and didn't have anyone to mark. The 21-year-old won 2 aerial duels and completed 99 passes. That’s a high total but none of those passes led to any meaningful attacks.
Mohammed Elneny: 6/10
Elneny was moved into the midfield position after playing the last few games at CB. Back in his rightful position, the Egyptian was much more involved in Arsenal’s build-up play. The 25-year-old completed 94% of his passes and created 1 chance.
Francis Coquelin: 5.5/10
The Frenchman showcased the more attacking side of his game against Cologne as he ventured forward on several occasions, even hitting the post once. He played more like a box-to-box midfielder than a defensive midfielder but his third man runs were not clever enough to help the Gunners destabilise the German team’s defensive organisation.
Jack Wilshere: 6.5/10
England’s most gifted midfielder gradually grew into the game and eventually ended up controlling everything the Gunners did in the second half. Wilshere has only played 25 minutes of PL football this season and this was the perfect chance for him to prove himself to Arsène Wenger and Gareth Southgate. Wilshere created 2 chances, made 46 passes and successfully completed 8 take-ons.
Danny Welbeck: 6/10
The Englishman looked rusty in the first few minutes of the game. But after a while, his engine started to motor. He was running directly at the Cologne defence, seeking to take them on at every opportunity. His fitness only allowed him to play 45 minutes, in that time, he completed 5 take-ons, completed 22 passes and had 1 shot on goal.
Olivier Giroud: 5/10
As the focal point of Arsenal’s attack, Giroud was solely responsible for holding up play and link up with others and he failed to do either. The Frenchman lumbered around aimlessly in the final third, as he was void of service and void of ideas to score any goals.
Substitutions
Alex Iwobi: 6/10
The 21-year-old came on at half-time and instantly revamped Arsenal’s attack. The Nigerian tried to make an attacking pass at every chance and with that, he created 2 chances and completed 3 dribbles.
Reiss Nelson: N/A
As talented as he is, Nelson’s burst of pace wasn’t enough to seriously affect the game in the short time he was given.
Eddie Nketiah: N/A
The youngster tried to get on the end of a few crosses, but Cologne’s packed defence didn’t give him the space he needed.
