On a night where players needed to show they are worth their place in the team with a big performance, Carl Jenkinson’s technical limitations were on display for all to see against PSG.
If we judge on Wednesday night’s performance, Hector Bellerin has absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to getting his place back when he returns from injury.
Basically Jenkinson does things like Bellerin but with less style, grace or technical ability.
Özil giving Jenko the ball is kind of like Michaelangelo handing me a paintbrush.
— Paul (@rockthecasbah77) November 23, 2016
Don’t get me wrong, he does everything that is required from the modern right-back, running up and down the wing, offering a solution on the overlap for the right-winger, be it Iwobi or Sanchez. But when came the time for the final ball, he was unable to deliver.
There must have been four or five crosses that went nowhere near an Arsenal player. I jokingly said to my friend that someone should remind Jenkinson that he was playing in the Champions League and not in the Championship.
The work rate was there, no doubt about it, but working hard is not good enough at this level. In a tight game, when your team is struggling to find an opening and create chances, you cannot throw away so many potential openings. You need to show your quality on the ball and it did not happen on the night for the right-back.
Hopefully it was a one-off poor performances because if he comes up regularly with those questions will have to be asked about his future at the club.