Arsenal produced a truly fantastic performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Many people doubted the Gunners before the game, but Mikel Arteta and his players were confident that they could get a positive result.
A stunning free-kick brace from Declan Rice set Arsenal on their way, and Mikel Merino made it 3-0 with a lovely finish later on.
Almost every single Arsenal player stepped up and delivered, but Erik ten Hag was impressed by one player in particular.
Erik ten Hag shares what he really thinks about Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber
Jurrien Timber has become one of Arsenal’s most important players.
The Dutch international joined the North Londoners from Ajax in the summer of 2023, and his performances in pre-season excited everybody.
However, Timber suffered a serious knee injury on his Premier League debut and missed almost all of last season as a result.
Since the start of this campaign, the 23-year-old has been absolutely incredible in both full-back positions – especially at right-back following Ben White’s injury.
Against Real Madrid, once again, Timber was outstanding and contained Vinicius Junior without any trouble on Tuesday night.
Speaking about the Dutch defender, Ten Hag, who previously managed him at Ajax, said in a conversation with De Telegraaf: “To be honest, I was watching Bayern Munich-Internazionale, but of course, I have seen the summary.
“This season, I have seen many games of Arsenal, so the lead role of Jurrien does not surprise me.
“You can send Timber, both the Timbers [Jurrien and his twin brother Quinten] by the way, for a message.
“Jurrien is a soldier. Ruthless, and he knows that in top football, it is ‘eat or be eaten’. That’s how he stands. He is proactive, doesn’t wait around.”
The one reason why Jurrien Timber is Arsenal’s Player of the Season
Timber deserves all the praise in the world for his performances at Arsenal this season.
The defender has played in both full-back positions, and he has performed tremendously despite hardly getting a break.
That is impressive on its own, but when you consider the fact that this is his first season back from an ACL injury, it becomes all the more special.
Several Arsenal players have been brilliant this campaign, but we think Timber deserves the Player of the Season award for stepping up for Arteta in a season when many felt his load would have to be very carefully managed.
