Arsenal fans reveal what they really think about Christian Norgaard’s display vs Club Brugge
Christian Norgaard started in the centre of the Arsenal defence against Club Brugge on Wednesday, in what was a surprising move by Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal beat Club Brugge 3-0 in the Champions League, with goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli making it six wins from six in the competition.
The former opened the scoring in the first half with a stunning goal, the winger picking up the ball and driving past his defender before smashing in from 30 yards.
Arsenal fans demanded huge changes against Club Brugge, with injuries continuing to build up for Arteta‘s team.
Gabriel suffered an injury on international duty last month, and remains among several absences for the Gunners.
Arsenal fans stunned by ‘really solid’ Christian Norgaard
Arsenal signed Norgaard from Brentford in the summer, agreeing a deal worth around £10million for the midfielder.
The Dane was signed primarily to provide support for Martin Zubimendi, but found himself deployed at the back on Wednesday in the absence of Gabriel, William Saliba, and Cristhian Mosquera.
The 31-year-old has rarely played the position throughout his career, but stepped up in a big way.
| Christian Norgaard | vs Club Brugge |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 50/54 |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Blocks | 1 |
| Clearances | 4 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
Norgaard offered a calm presence at the back, constantly showing for the ball and spreading play as you would expect a midfielder to do, but defending strongly too.
The Denmark international made several key defensive contributions and committed just one foul throughout the game as Arsenal kept their fifth Champions League clean sheet of the campaign.
Fans of the Gunners loved the performance, with one noting that “Norgaard was surprising“, while another described the showing as a “masterclass“.
Another said that the Dane “may never play in midfield again“, claiming “that guy is a defender“.
One Arsenal fan tipped his hat and said: “Massive respect to Norgaard. Slotted in at centre back with minimum fuss.”
Another more analytical verdict read: “Great defensive instincts, physical, reads the game well and comfortable on the ball when facing play”.
Mikel Arteta hails Norgaard after Club Brugge display
Arteta was delighted to see his team bounce back after Saturday’s loss to Aston Villa. Arsenal had looked tired against Unai Emery‘s team, and there were fears that the disappointing result could creep into upcoming fixtures.
But there was nothing concerning about the Gunners’ showing in Belgium. Speaking after the game, the Spaniard picked out Norgaard specifically.
“We’ve done it with a lot of absences, especially in the backline and even this morning we lost two players,” Arteta explained.
“I love the way the team reacted to that, collectively, individually, for example what Christian Norgaard has done just talks about how much better he makes all of us with his attitude, with his commitment in the manner that he prepares and is able to perform. So yeah, overall a really positive night.”
Arteta will hope not to have to resort to such an option on too many more occasions this season, but he will be relieved to know that it is a safe one when required.