Long read: Should Arsenal be worried about Hector Bellerin?

There are three things that always occur at this time of year in the world of football; International fixtures suck the life out of everyone, illuminous yellow balls are used in games for no good reason whatsoever, and reports start emanating from Barcelona that state that they’re interested in signing an Arsenal player. Again.

We’ve been here before with our Catalan friends, they’re like the one guy who your friend brings to a house party that you’re hosting, and all they do all night is ask you where you bought your furniture. Except, in Barca’s case, they also think you’re obliged to sell them whatever they take their fancy to.

That antique table that looks so nice in the living room? The one that you spent weeks mending and restoring to bring it back to full glory? The one that everyone looks at in envy? Yep, Barca are that guy who offers you half its market value whilst telling you that it’s wasted in your house anyway. No tact, no shame, nothing, all whilst trying to pass off acting as a ‘gentleman’. It’s Bargain Hunt, except with one letter changed in the second word.

We’ve become used to this charade though. If it wasn’t Marc Overmars that they wanted, it was Patrick Vieira. If it wasn’t Thierry Henry they wanted, it was Cesc Fabregas. Over the last decade and a half, Barcelona have viewed Arsenal as a London branch of a budget supermarket where most of the produce is fine, some of it is brilliant and some of it is of no use to anyone (sorry, Alex Song). As soon as something good appears at the Emirates, they appear out of the woodwork as if they were Spurs fans after winning a game in October: predictable, and just as annoying.

With all of this in mind, Barcelona are once again casting an envious eye over one of our players, but this time, it’s not as clear cut a situation as Arsenal having a world-class player and Barcelona wanting him. This time, it is Barca that negotiating from a position of weakness, not Arsenal.

In Hector Bellerin, Arsenal have the best young right-back in the world. If you need a right-back who has to do his own running and Lionel Messi’s on the right wing, and you have infinite money to spend like Barca do, the list of viable candidates isn’t a long one. Real Madrid won’t sell them Dani Carvajal for obvious reasons, Dani Alves just left Barca, Serge Aurier is a headcase. They bought Aleix Vidal from Sevilla last season as he played right-back as a contingency measure and looked good, but he’s been a disaster at the Nou Camp. They’ve had to resort to playing Sergi Roberto, a central midfielder, at right back. It’s a total mess at the moment.

For all the talk of La Masia being a production line of quality players for Barca, the conveyor belt has been empty for a while now. Gerald Pique, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta are still performing at a high level, but the clock is ticking on replacing them. Home grown player restrictions affect Barca just like they affect Arsenal, you need eight players that are either developed at the club or from the country you play in, in any 25-man Champions League squad.

With Barca’s squad becoming more and more un-Catalan as the years go by, the lack of an in-house successor to the likes of Xavi, (unlucky, Cesc) Puyol and Dani Alves means that whenever a chance comes to fill a position of need with a Spanish player, they have to take it, just so it means they can cast a wider net to fill other positions.

As a result, Hector Bellerin isn’t just some vanity signing to be targeted in order to placate fans who want to boast about the size of there club. Bellerin is as near a must-sign player as there is for Barca right now. It was never a case of if Barca came in for him, but when.

So, should Arsenal fear the worst again, just as they have when Barca have poked their head in the door before? No. Not in the slightest. For once, they are in a total no-lose scenario.

If Bellerin, a lad who by every interview he’s given seems to be having the time of his life whilst living in London, decides that he wants to stay around, then the best young right-back in the world will wear red and white for a while to come.

And if he decides that he wants to leave?

Well, when we thought about Thierry Henry leaving, we knew that Arsenal wouldn’t be competing for the league title the next season. It was the same when Cesc Fabregas left. Without the team’s best player and captain, it was going to be an enormous job finding someone to replace them.

Bellerin, as promising a player as he is, will never be as integral to Arsenal’s hopes of competing for silverware as a 30 goals a season striker or a 20 assists a season midfielder. He’s a really good right-back, but he’s only a right-back.

Go through Arsenal’s squad right now and tell me how players you wouldn’t want to lose ahead of Bellerin, and you’ll see why Barca’s interest in signing him is comparatively unimportant. If it were Mesut Özil or Alexis Sanchez being targeted, it would be a problem. Laurent Koscielny, too. Maybe Aaron Ramsey as well. I would even go as far as to say that Alex Iwobi may be more valuable to Arsenal than Bellerin right now, such is the going price for competent attacking midfielders at the moment.

Hector Bellerin might turn out to be the best right-back in the world in three years, and seeing that happen whilst he’s at another club would be far from ideal. But you don’t need world-class fullbacks to be successful, just someone who’s consistently solid week in and week out is more than fine. Think Nacho Montreal or Bacary Sagna. Good, but not world-class. That’s more than enough as long as the quality is there in the centre of the field.

Arsenal don’t have a problem with Hector Bellerin, Barcelona do. And the bigger that problem becomes, the more expensive his replacement will be at the Emirates.

Barcelona: The Champions League connection

The Blaugrana have a long list of names who used to represent the club as a player or coach that will take part in the competition during the coming season.

The Champions League gets underway on Tuesday for the 2016/17 season in which numerous former Barcelona employees seek to join the group stages of Europe's premier competition.

Full focus will be on the National Arena in Bucharest where Pep Guardiola's Manchester City face Steaua Bucharest, with Nolito set to be part of the starting line-up. "We will try to score goals and convince the players how important and nice it is to play in the Champions League," Guardiola said, "We will try to win [the competition]."

The former Barça coach - who won a historic treble in his debut season at the helm - has taken a 21-man squad to Romania but hasn't included Yaya Toure, who was also together with Guardiola during his time at the Camp Nou.

Luis Enrique and Phillip Cocu are of course already in the group-stages with Barça and PSV Eindhoven respectively but they could be joined by a further three former Blaugrana players in Guardiola, Oscar Garcia and Thomas Christiansen.

Garcia's Red Bull Salzburg face Dinamo Zagreb while Christiansen's APOEL Nicosia face off against FC Copenhagen.

Former Barça players Jonathan dos Santos and Dani Olmo - who represent Villarreal and Dynamo Zabreb respectively - are also aiming to join the group stages as well as Thomas Vermaelen who is currently on loan to AS Roma.

Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Grimaldo (Benfica), Thiago Motta and Maxwell (Paris Saint-Germain), Marc Bartra (Borussia Dortmund), Hector Bellerin and Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Pepe Reina (Napoli) and Adriano and Quaresma (Besiktas) are already in the group stages.

Hector Bellerin: Should he stay or should he leave Arsenal?

Written by Edward Ware

Over the past season, Hector Bellerin has emerged as the undisputed number one right-back for Arsenal.

The Spanish fullback played 36 of out of 38 Premier League games last season, contributing with one goal and five assists.

At 21 years of age, there is no doubt that the young Spaniard has huge potential.

With Dani Alves having left Barcelona for Juventus, Alexi Vidal is the only recognised senior first team player at right back. With this in mind, Bellerin has been touted as Alves’ potential successor.

The former La Masia academy player, has been very strongly linked with the Catalonian team in a £40 million deal.

Sergi Roberto, who predominantly plays in centre midfield, can also play at fullback but he lacks the experience to make the position his own.

So should he stay or should he go?

Since 2008, Arsenal have long been considered a feeder club for Barcelona. Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song have all left for one of Europe’s biggest clubs in recent years.

So it would be no surprise to see Bellerin return to the club where he started his career.

Why stay

Although Bellerin has been Arsenal’s first choice right-back this season, he has only had one full season playing at the top level.

He is obviously a fantastic player, but we have seen what big money moves can do to players early on in their careers.

At this stage of his development, most people will see him at the best place.

Arsene Wenger has a reputation for developing talented youngsters, so it might be worth staying for a few years yet.

Bellerin already has an FA Cup to his name and with Arsenal one of the favourites to claim the league next season, along with the extra investment in players the club is seeing, things are beginning to get very exciting

Not all of the Arsenal players to have crossed the border have enjoyed success in Barcelona. Neither Fabregas, Song, Hleb or Henry managed to last more than three seasons.

However, Henry did of course win the treble with the club.

Why go

Simply, it’s Barcelona.

One of the biggest clubs in the world, Bellerin would consistently be challenging for Champions Leagues and league titles, as well as playing with arguably the best strike force in the world.

There is certainly a prestige that comes with playing for Barcelona.

If Bellerin were to make the move he would be playing for his boyhood club. He was born in Barcelona and joined the academy in 2003, before leaving for Arsenal in 2011. So it would be a dream come true for the young fullback.

If Barcelona do bid for the young defender it will certainly be a huge decision.

Luckily he is still at a very early stage in his career, so if he were to stay it is very likely Barcelona would come calling again.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola lines up move for Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin

The new City boss is set to oversee a major overhaul at the Etihad Stadium after replacing Manuel Pellegrini.

And The Times report that Guardiola wants to bring in Bellerin in order to be his first-choice right-back.

City are in the market for reinforcements in that position with Pablo Zabaleta expected to move on this summer which would leave Bacary Sagna, a former Arsenal player himself, as the only specialist right-back in the squad.

Bellerin was part of Barcelona’s La Masia academy during Guardiola’s time in charge of the Catalan’s before he left for Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2011.

The Times state that Bellerin is particularly attractive for City as he is classified as a home-grown player.

The Spaniard spent three successive years in England before he turned 21 and by adding him to their squad, City would move closer to UEFA’s rules for European competitions.

They state that clubs must have eight home-grown players in their 25-man Champions League squads. This season City were forced to submit a smaller squad as they only had four players who met their criteria.

Bellerin is in high demand with Barcelona also considering a move for their former youngster as a replacement for Dani Alves.

Arsenal, however, are determined to hold on to their man and would likely demand a mammoth fee for the 21-year-old, who has four years left on his contract.

This week he was rated the most valuable defender in Europe by the CIES Football Observatory, who priced him at £43.1m.

City have regularly raided Arsenal for players in recent years, signing the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Sagna.

Guardiola has already made one signing since taking charge of City, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan arriving from Borussia Dortmund.

5 Players Arsenal Need to Replace this Summer

As the English Premier League season draws to a close, Arsenal have performed another capitulation and instead of winning their first title in well over a decade, the Gunners are once again embroiled in a fight for the top 4. Much of it is due to the foibles of their manager, in not addressing issues of depth, not improving on a good squad in the summer – barring the acquisition of Petr Cech – and giving contracts to some players who were well in the dusk of their careers. Here’s 5 players we think the Arsenal needs to replace if they want to have a chance at the title next season:

1. Mathieu Flamini

Re-signed in 2013, Flamini added some much needed bite to the team in his first year, but even then, his lack of agility and athleticism to perform at the top level was obvious. Since then, he has been derided quite often, and hasn’t given much to the team beyond his pointing abilities. The Gunners midfield needs an overhaul this season, and sadly there’s no place for Mathieu in it – unless his best-friend, Mesut Ozil, feels lonely in London without him and wants him to stay.

2. Mathieu Debuchy

One cannot help and feel a little sympathy for Debuchy. The Frenchmen joined Arsenal when he was the first choice right back for the France NT, and he didn’t do much wrong since he replaced Bacary Sagna. However, two long term injuries did not help his cause, and the young Spaniard Hector Bellerin took his chance with both hands and made the right back spot his own. Since then, instead of fighting for his spot in a team firmly in the title race, Debuchy has moaned continuously about his lack of playing time until finally he moved on loan in the winter transfer window. There’s no way he stays with Arsenal next season, and if they manage to recoup his 12 million pound fee, it’ll be good business for the Gunners.

3. Mikel Arteta

Once of the Gunners most underappreciated players, he did a great job in righting the flailing ship Arsenal after he was signed from Everton. However, at the age of 34, time is not on his side anymore, and injuries haven’t helped either. A classy captain, a true professional, there’s a good chance that he may join the coaching setup at City once Pep moves there. His experience and personality will be missed, but his body cannot support him at the highest level anymore.

4. Tomas Rosicky

Signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2006, the future promised great things for the Czech player. But the old bane of all Arsenal players, injuries, have peppered and hurt what was a promising footballing career. Despite that, the Little Mozart has continued to be one of the most passionate and positive players at Arsenal, providing many moments of brilliance and glee for the club and the fans, and once he departs, he will be missed by all Gooners.

5. Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott burst on the scene as a fresh teenager full of promise and hope for the future. But since then, he has failed to develop as expected and beyond his brand image and speed, he does not provide much to an Arsenal team. Injuries again have not helped his cause, but even when fit, he often seems like a one trick pony, and his reluctance to backtrack has been troublesome for the defence as well. Against a defence which sits tight, Theo does not provide much, but he could do well in a team like West Ham or perhaps even Leicester who do not dominate possession and instead look to hit teams on the counter. In an Arsenal team however, his contribution has been limited and disappointing.

So there you go, here’s whom we think Arsene and the Arsenal should replace in the summer window. Do you agree or disagree? Discuss.

Hector Bellerin names the Arsenal teammate he thinks would make a great manager

The Spanish full-back says his compatriot Mikel Arteta is the Gunners star best equipped to go into coaching.

Hector Bellerin has told FourFourTwo that of all his current Arsenal teammates it is Mikel Arteta who would make the best manager when he hangs up his boots.

Former Everton midfielder Arteta has more than 350 appearances in English football under his belt from his time with the Toffees and the Gunners, and has been captain at the Emirates Stadium since 2014.

However, the 33-year-old has featured just 15 times in the Premier League in the last two seasons, and there is talk that he could choose to retire and move into coaching this summer, with Pep Guardiola reported to be interested in adding him to his Manchester City coaching staff.

Arteta's fellow Spaniard Bellerin believes that it is a move that would suit the midfielder perfectly, and tipped his compatriot to start leading teams from the dugout rather than the pitch.

Bellerin told FourFourTwo: "He’s very intelligent, he knows how to play football, he’s got very clear ideas and I speak with him a lot about it.

"Even though I’m a full-back and he’s a midfielder, he’s always got words of advice for me, so I think he would make a good [manager].”

"He’s the captain so he’s got the right to be [the bossiest]. But he always does it with a positive mindset, so he’ll never try and boss you in a bad way. It’s a characteristic that every captain has to have."

The former Rangers midfielder was a key player in his first three seasons in North London, but has seen his influence and playing time diminish over the last two years due to niggling injury problems and increased competition in the midfield.

He captained Arsenal to FA Cup triumph at the end of the 2013-14 season, but did not play between November 2014 and the start of the current season because of injury.

His contract, which is due to expire at the end of the season, is unlikely to be extended and he is widely tipped to move into a coaching role rather than looking to extend his playing career.

Would Arteta make a good manager?

Mediawatch: Very much featuring the Redknapps

Acewatch

Among the ‘PREM ACES’ that were turned away from a nightclub despite being ‘title-chasing footballers’ – according to theDaily Star’s front page – was Ben Hamer, last seen on loan at Bristol City.

Ace.

England for the EnglishThere is a great deal of joy to be found in Harry Redknapp’s latest Daily Telegraph column. Not least this line on Jamie Vardy…

‘Vardy has also been fantastic but is he a sexy enough name for one of the Big Five? They will probably go for someone from Spain, Uruguay or Argentina who we’ve never heard of.’

We can only presume from this sentence that Redknapp had ‘never heard of’ Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and all those other nobodies signed by the Big Five from Spain, Uruguay or Argentina. Let’s face it, they’re no Jermain ‘top, top, top’ Defoe.

Hard timesOf course, Redknapp has not finished:

‘Leicester’s success also underlines how important recruitment is and that players in England cannot be overlooked. So many of these players, such as Vardy and Danny Drinkwater, have had to work their way up and probably suffered many knockbacks over the years.’

Probably? Is that good enough now? Danny Drinkwater actually joined Leicester directly from Manchester United, where he had been at their academy since the age of nine, the poor b***ard.

Oh and of the eight players signed by Leicester this season, only two were bought from English clubs. And only one of those was English. But yes, their success definitely underlines that players in England cannot be overlooked.

Who’s winning the title this week, Harry?
Harry Redknapp, January 4: ‘Leicester have had the most successful season of the lot up to this point when you think they were tipped to go down in August, but they will probably start to fall away and I’ve put them down to finish sixth.’

Harry Redknapp, February 28: ‘Leicester City and Tottenham are now rightly the title favourites and this felt like a potentially pivotal weekend.’

Harry Redknapp, March 1: “Tottenham have got it all on, going to Upton Park under the lights, with a tough crowd. But if Tottenham come through that they win the league I think.”

Harry Redknapp, March 6: ‘Leicester are virtually guaranteed Champions League football next season, a stunning achievement in itself, and I cannot see them slipping up for the league. It will take a massive collapse for them now but looking at their fixtures, and the games for the teams around them, they will win the league.

‘Everyone has been waiting for them to slip up but it just hasn’t happened. Every month you look at the fixtures and try to pinpoint one they could lose and they keep upsetting the odds. That win over Spurs at White Hart Lane in January now looks pivotal.’

Yes, it now looks pivotal. It didn’t look so bloody pivotal last week, did it, Harry?

A timely reminder

Harry Redknapp, March 7: ‘Whatever happens over the final nine games of the season he has been the manager of the year.’

When I was brilliant, by Harry RedknappOf course Redknapp cannot credit Claudio Ranieri without shovelling a bucketful of praise towards good old Englishman Nigel Pearson.

He says: ‘Pearson’s departure in the summer could have threatened to set them back and out of the 12 managers or so who were linked with the job, Ranieri was the one nobody expected. He could easily have come in and messed it all up, changed the style of play and said ‘no, we’re not going to do it like that’.

‘I’ve gone in at teams down at the bottom of the league and you’ve had to change things quickly to get a reaction and freshen the place up. But Leicester already had decent players and it reminds me of when I went in at Tottenham.

‘At Spurs we already had Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Michael Dawson and it didn’t need much work doing on the squad. They just needed some direction and someone to believe in them.

‘Leicester also had a strong core in the squad, adding just a couple of new players like N’Golo Kante and Shinji Okazaki over the summer. It’s not as if Ranieri was taking over a bunch of idiots.’

So Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Michael Dawson (that has to be the first time Dawson has been the third name in that particular triptych) just needed somebody to believe in them, Harry? Is that why you gave Bale a total of six Premier League starts that season after taking over in October 2008? Is that why you tried to send him out on loan? Is that why Dawson started just ten league games that season after you took the job?

And Modric just needed direction? Like telling him that “it’s difficult for him to play as one of two central midfielders, he’s got to play further forward”? Like preferring Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios in central midfield and pushing Modric onto the left wing? Mediawatch is astonished that Zinedine Zidane has not tried the same tactic at Real Madrid.

Like father, like sonIn a ridiculous Daily Mail column that suggests that every Leicester player should make it into a team of the year, Jamie Redknapp ‘writes’ the following:

‘Mahrez again proved his quality with an exceptional goal at Watford and I think the best playets are the ones who perform away from home.

‘Mahrez looks like he’d be more suited to playing with the comforts of home but some of his best displays have come on the road – at Watford, Man City, Everton. He is the perfect exponent of counter-attacking football.’

So he is the perfect exponent of counter-attacking football – traditionally a tactic utilised away from home – but he looks likehe’d be more suited to playing with the comforts of home. What on earth could he mean?

The AlamoCongratulations to Garth Crooks of the BBC. Unable to think of an outstanding performance from a right-back this weekend for his team of the week (could we humbly suggest Hector Bellerin, DeAndre Yedlin or Craig Dawson?), he simply does not pick one. So a back three of Charlie Daniels, Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk must hold the fort behind Aaron Ramsey, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Dimitri Payet, David Silva (‘like John Curry on ice’), Riyad Mahrez, Harry Kane and Josh King. Good luck fellas. You really don’t see enough 3-2-3-2 formations with no holding midfielders.

Knowing me, knowing you
Oh my. The Sun really are setting their man up for a fall when they dub Paul Jiggins their ‘north London know-it-all’. We are expecting big things as he ‘poses the big questions facing Tottenham and Arsenal as they battle for title glory’. Come on then, know-it-all…

‘WHAT MUST THEY DO IN THE RUN-IN?’ asks Jiggins. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is his answer in full …

‘POCHETTINO will know his side cannot continue giving teams a one-goal head start. And they must ensure they turn superior possession into goals and kill off opponents when on top.

‘Kane added: “After going 2-1 up, we should have gone on to get a third and a fourth.”

‘Arsenal must cut out the poor discipline and defensive howlers that have cost them vital points this season.

‘It was classic Arsenal at the Lane — seemingly in control before suffering another self-inflicted wound.

‘Wenger yet again talked about “regrets” after the game, but the stubborn Frenchman still tried to gloss over his side’s familiar failings.

‘He said: “It’s part of the top level, to keep control and not make a mistake at a decisive moment.

‘“But I wouldn’t make too much of a fuss about that because it would take away the fact we performed well.”

‘You did, Arsene, but you still did not get the three points!’

So thanks to Jiggins’ expertise, we discover that Tottenham need to stop conceding goals and start scoring more. And Arsenal need to stop having players sent off.

The Sun’s resident comedy Cockney may indeed know it all; he’s just chosen to keep most of it to himself.

Finishing lineThe Sun put together a Rashford v Berahino comparison for reasons unknown, with marks out of five for pace, aerial threat, attitude and finishing.

Graeme Bryce awards them both 4/5 for ‘finishing’ despite the fact that they failed to hit the target with any of their four shots in total. What the hell mark would actual goalscorer Salomon Rondon have got?

A difference of opinion
Garth Crooks, the BBC: ‘I had a big problem with referee Andre Marriner’s decision to award Christian Benteke a penalty when Marriner looked unsure. I have no problem with the referee’s opinion, I just think we are all entitled for the referee to be sure.’

Graham Poll, the Daily Mail: ‘ANDRE MARRINER was brilliantly helped by assistant referee Scott Ledger when Damien Delaney tripped Christian Benteke.’

Mediawatch is siding with the actual, you know, referee. Especially when he is ably assisted by his – and this is a key word – assistant.

Hector Bellerin’s stunning ex-girlfriend heats up Instagram with more provocative pictures

Young Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin was dating hot Londoner Isabella Johnson-Ewers earlier this year, but it seems the couple are no more.

Isabella, who describes herself on Instagram as an ‘actress, dancer and model’, has erased all photos of Hector from her social media accounts, while her latest uploads include a snap of her kissing an unknown man.

We don’t know much about him. Nor do we care. After all, he’s not a footballer or a stunning actress, dancer and model.

However, we think you lot might like to see some of Isabella’s recent photos, although Mr Bellerin may want to steer clear because her level of hotness could upset him!

Isabella Johnson-Ewers… in a knitted jumper

Isabella Johnson-Ewers showing strong selfie game in her underwear

Isabella Johnson-Ewers showing off her peachy bum while flaunting the words ‘make money, not friends’

Isabella Johnson-Ewers pouting like a boss

Isabella Johnson-Ewers posing behind bed sheets

Isabella Johnson-Ewers looking explosive with an aerosol can

Isabella Johnson-Ewers kissing in black and white

OLIVIER Giroud inspired Arsenal to complete a Champions League group stage comeback as his hat-trick at Olympiacos sealed their place in the last 16.

Going into the game having lost three of their previous five fixtures, the Gunners needed to win by two goals or more at the Karaiskakis Stadium or better the 3-2 defeat they suffered at home to the Greek champions in September.

Giroud produced the goods when it mattered as Arsenal made light work of a seemingly difficult task.

Arsenal become just the eighth side to advance through their group having taken three points or fewer from their opening four matches and Arsene Wenger will now be hoping to avoid the big names as they will come up against a group winner in the next round.

The Gunners took their time as they felt their way into the contest but finally stirred as Joel Campbell’s cutback was struck goalwards by Mathieu Flamini, with a deflection off Manuel da Costa taking the ball onto the crossbar.

But the opener came just moments later as Mesut Özil produced a sublime pass to set Aaron Ramsey away. His near-post cross was met by the head of Giroud and the ball squeezed over the line as Olympiacos goalkeeper Roberto was unable to deal with it.

The hosts nearly equalised as another sloppy pass by Hector Bellerin left Arsenal exposed and Brown Ideye’s cross was turned inches over his own crossbar by Laurent Koscielny as the game remained finely poised at the interval.

There was concern for Giroud at the start of the second half as he fell awkwardly on his ankle, but he got himself back on the pitch and soon doubled Arsenal’s lead after another well-worked move. Özil again started everything with a clipped pass to Campbell, the former Olympiacos loanee controlling well under pressure before sliding a perfect pass into the path of Giroud for the France striker to sweep home. Theo Walcott came close to adding a third to give Wenger’s men some breathing space but his effort was blocked behind for a corner. Petr Cech then showed just why Wenger was so keen to sign him in the summer as he pushed away a curling Kostas Fortounis shot with the hosts looking for the one goal they needed to advance at Arsenal’s expense.

Ideye should have done better when picked out in front of goal, but Per Mertesacker cleared before the former West Brom forward could pounce.

Olympiacos had begun to set siege to Cech’s goal but they were undone when referee Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the penalty spot as Nacho Monreal’s shot was blocked by the arm of the diving Omar Elabdellaoui. Giroud duly despatched the penalty to complete his hat-trick and send Arsenal into Monday’s draw for the first knock-out stage as they saw out the contest with minimal fuss.

Arsenal's Theo Walcott settles the Hector Bellerin speed debate once and for all

There was a time, not so long ago, when Theo Walcott's superior speed was entirely undisputed.

Not only was the then-winger by far and away the fastest man at Arsenal , he was widely agreed to be the fastest man in the Premier League . His speed was his greatest asset; there wasn't a defender who could catch him once he'd reached a sprint. Then, out of the blue, along came Hector Bellerin .

Though we're sure Theo is glad to see the academy graduate doing so well at the moment, he must feel a little put out about Hector's much-publicised pace. There has been talk of the young full-back beating Theo in a 100-metre sprint, while fans regularly debate which of the two is really Arsenal's fastest man.

However, Theo has now settled the debate once and for all.

Speaking to the guys over at Copa90 , Walcott has reasserted his dominance when it comes to sprinting, racing and all things pace. According to Theo, he'd win any contest over 100 metres - even if he does concede that Hector's burst speed is mightily impressive.

Five things we learned from Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United

Arsenal bounce back like no one else, the Alexis Sánchez of last season is back, and Anthony Martial was United’s only plus point.

1) Arsenal bounce back like no other team

Arsenal had melted down on their previous appearance at the Emirates Stadium,against Olympiakos in the Champions League, Arsène Wenger had been extremely prickly, home form had been poor and their recent record against Manchester United had been awful; two wins in 17 games. So, all the ingredients were in place for an Arsenal win. No team bounce back from the brink of crisis quite like this one and it was a result and performance to energise the club, and remind everyone that, yes, Arsenal have their deep-rooted flaws but they are also a very good side when everything clicks for them. Curtis Mayfield blared over the Tannoy at full-time. Arsenal move on up.

2) United fly out of the blocks to fire the contest. Err …

“Right lads. Let’s make sure we start quick, get in their faces and don’t give them any space to pass.” Louis van Gaal’s actual pre-match team-talk was presumably a little different because United did pretty much everything that a visiting team at the Emirates ought not to do at the outset. How Arsenal took advantage – and it truly seemed as though the game was over when Santi Cazorla had all the time he wanted to drive the move that led to Arsenal’s second goal, scored by Mesut Özil. It really was all over when Alexis Sánchez bludgeoned in the third inside 20 minutes. United’s torpor in the early running was astonishing. Were they really playing in a big game?

3) United are leaden in central midfield

Arsenal were fired up, with Francis Coquelin pressing hard and Cazorla influential but United’s midfield, which included Wayne Rooney in a central, attacking role in the first half, appeared to be wading through treacle. Pace without the ball is hardly a strong point of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick – or, increasingly, Rooney – but it was the speed with which they moved the ball, especially in the first half, that was ponderous. Van Gaal’s plan B was to thicken up the midfield with the half-time introduction of Marouane Fellaini and to move Rooney out left but there was never any caution cast to the wind. United merely chiselled out a bit of a foothold in a game that had already passed them by.

4) Alexis Sánchez lights up the Emirates

When Sánchez plays like this, he is a joy to watch. Arsenal’s player of the season last time out started the campaign a little slowly, in the wake of his Copa América-winning exploits with Chile over the summer, but the rhythm is now back. Emphatically so. After his hat-trick at Leicester City the previous weekend, he was perhaps the only Arsenal player to emerge with any credit from the defeat by Olympiakos and he had the bit between his teeth from the first whistle here. His goals were both beautiful – the first a celebration of technique; the second a vicious thump – and he bristled with menace and intensity throughout the game. Arsenal need their talisman to be at the top of his game. The only worry was that he appeared to be holding his groin when he was substituted.

5) Anthony Martial the only positive for United

Perhaps it was the sense of sloth from his team-mates that magnified his contribution but even in a dismal defeat there were flashes from Anthony Martial that gave Manchester United at least one straw to clutch. The 19-year-old striker’s first touch and acceleration serve to quicken the pulse and instil worry in his would-be defensive shacklers, while there was also evidence of his strength and awareness. He rolled Per Mertesacker, took a wonderful touch and was only denied by Petr Cech at the end of the first half. Martial has pace to burn, as evidenced when he got to the by-line before the jet-heeled Héctor Bellerín to cross on 27 minutes. He looked like United’s only attacking hope.

Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín fast-tracked to Wembley after breakthrough season

The former Barcelona youth player has seized his chance to shine at right-back for Arsenal and now looks forward to his first FA Cup final.

As Héctor Bellerín boards the bus bound for Wembley on Saturday, it will be impossible for him not to reflect on the journey he made a year before. When Arsenal played Hull in last season’s FA Cup final the Spaniard got together with the club’s other young players, sporting their boyband civvies, pretty relaxed, and made his way there to sit in the crowd and watch. At the time Bellerín had made just one appearance for Arsenal – roughly 25 minutes as a substitute in extra time of a Capital One Cup tie at West Brom. Watching the first team parading around the silver, he felt a surge of desire to have that feeling himself some day. “It was an inspiration,” he says.

In one season he has been transformed from talented, eager-to-learn youngster who was probably looking at another loan into Arsenal’s first-choice right-back for this season’s Wembley showpiece. He never saw it coming so quickly. “If they had told me at the beginning of the season it would turn out like this I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says in the expert Catalan/cockney twang he has developed since moving to London four years ago.

Last summer, Arsenal spent more than £20m on players earmarked to slot in at right-back after the departure of Bacary Sagna. But the way Bellerín has so vibrantly seized his moment – comfortable on the ball, speedy enough to zoom into recovery tackles and keen to maraud forwards as a couple of goals to his name testifies – means Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers have their work cut out to elbow him out the team.

Bellerín carries the air of a character who loves to throw himself into any situation with a ready supply of enthusiasm and confidence. It was this aspect of his character that drew him towards Arsenal in the first place. Barcelona-born and educated at La Masia, he turned down his boyhood club’s contract offers at the age of 16, tempted by the same kind of overtures and opportunities as those that brought about Cesc Fàbregas’s development.

During the same summer that Bellerín and his friend Jon Toral arrived at Arsenal from the Camp Nou, Fàbregas made the return journey. Their paths crossed briefly. “He introduced me to the club, he welcomed me and Jon,” recalls Bellerín. “He just told me that everything we need at the club would be here for us.

“If I stayed there, I don’t know what I would have been. Some of my team-mates play second division, and they will probably get relegated. So being here, and playing Premier League and Champions League, I’m really happy I made that step. The success of Cesc Fàbregas, that he grew up here more than in Barcelona, was something that attracted me a lot.

“I’m the kind of person who likes new challenges and for me it was a new challenge. Some people prefer to stay home in their comfort zone. I felt the right thing to do was to come here. It was difficult at the beginning but I am really glad I made that decision. Here the work is paying off; the risk of coming to something new is paying off.”

A family man, his parents and sister have moved to London to be with him. His right arm is embellished with a detailed tattoo designed by his sister, with references to all his family members. Although Fàbregas famously hankered for a return to Barcelona after several years at Arsenal, Bellerín doesn’t for the moment have those instincts.

“If I wanted to be at Barcelona I would have stayed there,” he says. “My challenge was to come to England and I came here with everything.”

In his youth Bellerín admired the Barcelona players of the age. Who wouldn’t? “I was growing up as a winger, so obviously when Ronaldinho was over there and Messi started playing they were probably my role models, and Rivaldo, players who played up front. You can take loads of things from Xavi and Iniesta. And Puyol – his leadership was something I looked up to when I was a kid.”

He arrived at Arsenal willing to watch and learn all over again. He was not afraid to move position, aware that Arsène Wenger had full-back in mind for him. Adapting quickly comes with the territory in his career so far.

Last term he enjoyed a developmental spell on loan with Watford, who train just over the other side of the hedges that flank Arsenal’s London Colney pitches. “It was a bit weird to see my team-mates driving by,” he smiles. “It was a great experience for me, having Gianfranco Zola as a coach. He is a legend and taught me a lot. It helped me as a player and as a person as well.”

Bellerín’s performances in pre-season – when he broke the club’s speed record with a 4.41-second sprint over 40 metres, breaking a mark set by Theo Walcott – struck his manager, and Wenger opted against another loan move for the player.

Bellerín felt the same sense of amazement he now feels about Wembley when he made his full debut last September at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. The season before he was in the crowd for the same fixture. It was a meaningful but also very challenging night.

“That is probably one of the hardest stages in Europe and in the world,” he says. “So to have played those games so early for me, even though the performances probably weren’t as good, was a really good lesson for me as a young player.

“It just made me want to prove to people those were just accidents. You need to learn and be in those situations. And then after, when games go more in your favour, you can show people what you can do.

“That was something crazy, to see in one year I was going from the stands to the pitch. Hopefully this year Wembley can be the same. It will be such an achievement for me.”

Had events turned in a different way, had Debuchy not suffered freak injuries, Bellerín might have been off to the FA Cup final as a spectator again. He couldn’t feel more ready for centre stage.