Piero Hincapie should start for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest as stunning stats emerge
Piero Hincapie showed Arsenal fans why the club signed him on deadline day following a stunning performance for Ecuador against Argentina.
Arsenal signed Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen on deadline day despite having already acquired Valencia’s Cristian Mosquera.
With William Saliba picking up an injury at Liverpool, there is currently an opening in the Arsenal back four, though Mosquera’s assured performance from the bench at Anfield currently has him first in line to partner Gabriel against Nottingham Forest.
Hincapie’s performance for Ecuador though will have given Mikel Arteta a decision to make over whether he gives the 23-year-old his debut at home to Forest.
Piero Hincapie shines in Ecuador win and his stats are jaw-dropping
Hincapie started at left-back in Ecuador’s World Cup qualification match against Argentina, a position he can fulfil as well as centre-back.
Ecuador have only conceded five goals in 18 qualification matches and they limited Argentina to no shots on target during the clash.
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Defensive Contributions | 7 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Headed Clearances | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Dribbled Past | 0 |
Hincapie was solid defensively, up against Atletico Madrid’s Giuliano Simeone, a player he will come up against in the Champions League league stage with Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has Nottingham Forest dilemma
Arteta is blessed with strong defensive options, and Hicanpie looks to be another excellent acquisition from the Arsenal manager.
Hincapie’s best chance of getting into the Arsenal starting XI is at left-back and so far Arteta has preferred Riccardo Calafiori to Myles Lewis-Skelly in the position.
Lewis-Skelly was dropped from the England squad against Serbia, whilst Calafori did not feature for Italy against Israel during the international break.
At 6ft, Hincapie is a threat from set-pieces and also has the athleticism to support the attack down the left channel.
The left flank is currently up for grabs with Gabriel Martinelli’s place in the team further forward also uncertain.