Mikel Arteta shares clear verdict on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s display for Arsenal vs Olympiacos

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Arsenal have opened their Champions League campaign with a pair of 2-0 victories after beating Olympiacos on Wednesday night.

The Gunners beat Athletic Club 2-0 in September and repeated the trick as Olympiacos arrived in North London.

Arsenal played brilliant football in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Gabriel Martinelli.

Bukayo Saka added number two late on as Arsenal just about did enough to fend off a spirited Olympiacos side.

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Mikel Arteta on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s Arsenal debut

Ally McCoist was wowed by Arsenal’s squad depth before the game, as Mikel Arteta made a number of changes.

One of those changes came at left-back, as Myles Lewis-Skelly replaced Riccardo Calafiori in the starting XI.

Calafiori has impressed of late, meaning Lewis-Skelly has yet to start a Premier League game this season.

The 19-year-old was sensational last season, but his first start of the season came in a Carabao Cup tie at Port Vale.

Arteta handed Lewis-Skelly a chance to shine against Olympiacos, and he didn’t disappoint.

Lewis-Skelly should have recorded an early assist, but Martinelli headed his cross wide of the target.

Arteta has now praised Lewis-Skelly, telling Arsenal’s official website that he felt the teenager was ‘really, really good’ against Olympiacos.

Arteta added that Lewis-Skelly was ‘really focused’ and performed brilliantly at ‘every level‘, praising his defensive and attacking qualities.

“Very good. I think he played a really, really good game,” said Arteta.

“Every level, defensively and attacking, and he looked really focused, he understood really well when to take chances, when to keep the game flowing and very simple, and I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen today,” he added.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is heading in the right direction at Arsenal

Lewis-Skelly faces increased competition this season.

Calafiori has impressed after an injury-hit debut season at Arsenal, while the Gunners snapped up Piero Hincapie on transfer deadline day.

Arteta has three quality left-back options at his disposal, even if Hincapie would rather play as a centre-back.

Lewis-Skelly is still a young, developing player, and he may need to remain patient in search of a first Premier League start of the season.

Wednesday’s display just shows that Lewis-Skelly is still moving in the right direction, though, having shown improvements with his delivery into the box alongside his strong defensive play.

More Champions League opportunities may be just around the corner for Lewis-Skelly, and he just needs to keep taking every chance that comes his way.