FEATURE | Three things we learned as Lille were swept aside by Arsenal

FEATURE | Three things we learned as Lille were swept aside by Arsenal It was second in Ligue 1 versus second in the Premier League, as Lille OSC travelled to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Champions League. Les Dogues would be content with a low-tempo first half as they went into the break at 0-0. Arsenal would come out with a bit more purpose in the second half. The siege would finally break with Jurrien Timber scoring in the 64th minute, and then the floodgates would open. Eberechi Eze would make it two and Bukayo Saka three.  Maxima Goffi steps into Tiago Santos’s shoes It had been such a good start to the season for Lille right-back Tiago Santos. Last season had been difficult as he struggled to find his rhythm after returning from a lengthy spell out following an ACL injury. However, we were seeing signs that the fullback was back to his former brilliance. His season would come to an end on Saturday afternoon following a reckless tackle from Amir Richardson, which saw Santos suffer another ACL tear .  Maxima Goffi was the player to come in off the bench for Santos in the 1-0 win over Le Havre, and he was back in the line-up tonight. The 18-year-old mostly acquitted himself well (at least in the first half) in a game that was mainly spent on the back foot. He did give an unfortunate deflection in the second goal, but to blame him for the goal when Nabil Bentaleb was caught in possession would feel harsh.  With Loun Srdanovic bought in from FC Servette in the summer, it appears as if Goffi has won Ancelotti’s trust for the role  Lille’s lack of control finally bites them It had been a lingering concern for Lille ( as we talked about in the Ligue 1 Review this week ) that a lack of control in matches in Ligue 1 was making them push their luck. Results were often better than performances, and part of that was down to Les Dogues being unable or unwilling to maintain possession. Against an elite pressing team like Arsenal, Lille’s limitations with the ball were rudely exposed in the second half.  Arsenal penned Lille in, winning the ball easily around the final third. And every time they won the ball, they would surge forward, challenging a defence that looked increasingly shell-shocked from the relentless siege.  Age catching up to Lille’s midfield? The sale of Ayyoub Bouaddi left Lille needing to restructure their midfield this season. Ancelotti has relied heavily on a pairing of the 31-year-old Nabil Bentaleb and the 36-year-old Benjamin André as his double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Tonight Lille looked to go with a 4-3-3 shape, with Ngal’ayel Mukau joining the elder statesmen. There was a sense as this game wore on that Bentaleb and André did not have the juice left in their tanks to compete against a team like Arsenal over ninety minutes.  André was caught flat-footed in Timber’s opener, while Bentaleb struggled to complete a successful pass in the second half and was eventually subbed, albeit the damage had already been done in a seven-minute blitz and Lille were three goals down. How do they fix this? It’s not quite sure, but perhaps in the Champions League, Ancelotti will have to drop one of the 30-year-olds.  GFFN | Nick Hartland