2 weeks ago
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PLAYER FOCUS
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Cristhian Mosquera had only just settled into his seat on the Arsenal bench before being called to lace up his boots and make his second appearance for the club against Liverpool. The €15million signing from Valencia hasn't featured much in pre-season and, prior to Sunday's game, Mosquera had only 26 minutes of Premier League action under his belt after coming off the bench in the 5-0 win over Leeds United. That wouldn't have provided such a strenuous test of his ability, given that the game was over as a contest and he was playing in front of his home crowd at the Emirates Stadium. But coming on at Anfield just five minutes into the game to deputise for the irreplaceable William Saliba, Mosquera was very much thrown in at the deep end.
Player Focus: Cristhian Mosquera
Still only 21, the centre-back showed some nerves were to be expected in the early moments. A few heavy touches aside, he grew into the role alongside Gabriel Magalhaes and dealt with most of the action that came his way. More importantly, Hugo Ekitike got very little change out of his duels with the Colombian and that added another string to his bow. But could he follow Mikel Arteta's blueprint for passing out from the back? The cold statistics suggested he could, completing 26 of his 28 attempted passes in the first half alone. His intent to go forward at every opportunity was a bright point, highlighting his confidence in possession.
In carrying out his defensive duties, he was just as solid; only Mikel Merino could match his tally of three tackles during the game. The second half offered more opportunities to shine, especially in closely-matched battles with Ekitike. And when Liverpool's front four pressed, mostly comprising of Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz, Mosquera kept a cool head in passing between Gabriel and David Raya inside his own box. If there was one brief wobble, it came in the 61st minute when Ekitike pounced on a loose ball and bundled it over the line, getting there a fraction of a second ahead of Mosquera. He wasn't slow to react but was beaten to it. However, the offside was correctly raised against Gakpo. From there, he limited Liverpool's forwards to few chances in front of goal, and he could do little to deny Liverpool claiming a late 1-0 victory after Dominik Szoboszlai's incredible free-kick.
Losing Saliba to a suspected muscle injury represents a huge blow, especially considering Bukayo Saka has been ruled out with a hamstring problem and Martin Odegaard was struggling with a shoulder injury. But Mosquera's promising display will soften the blow of Saliba's potential absence and give Arteta something to smile about after a narrow defeat. Gary Neville's praise during his in-game commentary for Sky Sports was completely justified, suggesting he could be ready for more game time - and the Spaniard may not have a choice but to show faith in him again if Saliba is sidelined for several weeks.
Market value analysis
He is only two games into his career at the Emirates, but Arsenal will be ecstatic if Mosquera continues to perform at this level considering he arrived for such a small fee in the modern market. While rivals such as Chelsea and Liverpool have been quoted over €40m for Jorrel Hato and Marc Guehi this summer, Mosquera offers superb value against his modest transfer fee.
Transfermarkt's market value for Mosquera remains at €30m for now. But if he fills in for Saliba alongside Gabriel while the Frenchman is sidelined, it would be a smart prediction to suggest he will continue to rise. However, Piero Hincapié's imminent arrival could scupper those plans as he often plays at centre-back. It's very much a case of 'watch this space' with the highly-rated Mosquera.
