Mikel Arteta must start 'grovelling' to Arsenal star for what he did against Real Madrid - opinion

There was no shortage of Arsenal players deserving praise following a 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night to book a place in the Champions League semi finals for the first time since 2009.

Declan Rice was once again on a mission in the heart of midfield, following his brace of spectacular free kicks against the Galacticos last time out, while Bukayo Saka didn’t let a penalty miss stop his electric form with a tidy finish in the second half.

Having put five goals past the much-feared European Champions, it’s easy to fixate on the Gunners’ attacking output amid an injury crisis, but the showings were equally impressive at the back. Across two legs, Real Madrid scored just once against an Arsenal back four which was not a full strength.

Arsenal benchwarmer steps up against Real Madrid

Mainstay centre-back Gabriel was unable to feature in either fixture having picked up a hamstring injury against Fulham earlier this month. The Brazilian has undergone surgery, which left Arteta having to turn to benchwarmer Jakub Kiwior.

The Poland international had started just two Premier League matches this season before that injury to Gabriel. Kiwior had seen more minutes in the Champions League, but that was largely the result of an injury to William Saliba.

At the risk of becoming somewhat of a forgotten figure at the Emirates Stadium, there were worries that Kiwior would not be able to cope against Real Madrid. His first minutes against the Spanish titans in the first leg were shaky but, soon after that, he settled into the game.

On Wednesday night, the defender was imperious. From the off, he was switched on enough to ensure Kylian Mbappe saw a goal ruled out for offside and tracked the superstar’s runs effortlessly throughout the match. At the other end, Kiwior towered over Lucas Vazquez to provide an aerial threat similar to the missing Gabriel.

You can tell Kiwior is respected by his teammates too. The centre-back shared a huge chest bump with colleague Saliba late on, following a crunching tackle on Vinicius Jr from the Frenchman with the scores at 1-1. To have a second-choice centre-back of such quality, and such a great relationship with his centre-back partner, is a huge asset.

Mikel Arteta must rebuild Jakub Kiwior relationship

Speaking after the match, Arsenal legend and former defender Martin Keown said: “I think shoutout for Kiwior as well because everyone was looking at him as a weakness in the team. No, he’s stood up and he’s played exceptionally well tonight.”

It’s therefore with alarm that TBR Football this month had reported that, despite the increased minutes, Kiwior still ‘wants to leave’ Arsenal to return to the Serie A. The defender previously spent two years at Spezia.

Arteta must make sure that doesn’t happen, even if it takes a degree of grovelling over a lack of minutes. An Arsenal team that wants to compete on all fronts must surely keep Kiwior in the squad.

In other news, Unai Emery has already told Arsenal how to beat PSG in Champions League semi-final.