Mikel Arteta shares verdict on Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie after making Arsenal debuts

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Arsenal are off the mark in the Champions League after beating Athletic Club 2-0 on Tuesday evening.

Mikel Arteta returned to the Basque region on Tuesday as Arsenal claimed all three points against Athletic Club.

Arsenal were a little flat in large parts of the Champions League opener, but Arteta’s substitutions changed the game.

Leandro Trossard set up Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal’s opener, before the Belgian found the net himself to seal a 2-0 win.

This wasn’t a vintage Arsenal display, but with William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz all unavailable, Arteta will be delighted with the win.

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Mikel Arteta on Piero Hincapie and Christian Norgaard’s Arsenal debuts

Cristhian Mosquera dazzled Arsenal fans with his display in the heart of defence, and he is increasingly looking like one of the bargains of the summer.

Two other Arsenal summer signings were involved against Athletic Club and actually made their debuts off the bench.

Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie both came on late in the day and helped Arsenal see out the victory with a clean sheet.

Norgaard joined Arsenal over the summer but has been forced to wait for his debut after an injury kept him on the sidelines.

Arsenal snapped up Hincapie on deadline day, securing the defender on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with a view to a permanent move.

Arteta was delighted with both players and told Arsenal’s official website that they both applied ‘the best five minutes of their lives’.

Arteta believes Norgaard and Hincapie typified the spirit Arsenal need from substitutes, and believes the Gunners will ‘win a lot of games’ as a result.

“Something that we always discuss is that the finishers have to impact the game, and Gabi and Leo came on to make the difference for the team,” said Arteta. “They was outstanding and the rest of the team as well. In many moments, they were at a very good level.

“When someone is able to win the game in those actions and be so clinical, it’s exactly what we need because the threat can come from different ways and different players. I’m very pleased with that.

“It means that [Gabi and Leo] are connected and they feel that they are really, really important. We have discussed that a lot. We’re going to need that. Piero [Hincapie] comes in and plays five minutes and so does Christian [Norgaard], and it’s the best five minutes of their lives. That’s the spirit that we need amongst the squad. If we have everybody at that level, we’ll win a lot of games,” he added.

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Piero Hincapie and Christian Norgaard must remain patient at Arsenal

Hincapie and Norgaard have been waiting for their debuts, and coming on to secure a Champions League victory will feel very sweet.

The attention now turns back to the Premier League, and Hincapie and Norgaard will hope for more action to come.

Both players face major competition, though, with Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back and Gabriel Magalhaes as the left-sided centre-back.

Hincapie wants to play as a central defender, but a ‘masterclass’ performance for Ecuador at left-back showed his versatility.

Norgaard faces a battle with Martin Zubimendi and even Declan Rice in holding midfield, but it’s clear that Arteta will trust him to come on and make an impact.

Arsenal take on Port Vale in the Carabao Cup next week, and that could be the ideal time for both Hincapie and Norgaard to make their first starts.