International round-up: How Arsenal stars performed on the global stage

As the final whistle echoes across the October international break, our attention shifts to the Arsenal’s contingent and their performances on the global stage.

Similar to September’s break, Arsenal boasted a significant presence in the international fixtures, with 16 players receiving call-ups to represent their respective national teams.

The majority of Arsenal’s stars participated in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers, which delivered a captivating dose of entertainment.

For fans eager to capture the Euro 2024 action first-hand, tickets to the highly anticipated tournament are available for purchase at seatsnet.com, allowing fans to book their trip to Germany in advance.

Arsenal players also featured in friendly fixtures and CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, and on that note, we take a closer look at how the Gunners fared on the international stage.

How Arsenal stars performed on the global stage

Declan Rice

After being handed a much-needed rest in England’s 1-0 win against Australia in the Wembley friendly, Declan Rice was called to action in the crucial qualifier fixture against Italy.

The midfielder was not at his sparkling best but played a crucial role in ensuring the Three Lions secured a place in next summer’s tournament with a 3-1 victory over the Azzurri.

The 24-year-old boasted a 93% pass accuracy, completing two long passes and also won his ground and aerial battles.

With England now qualified with two games to spare, Rice will shift his attention to Saturday’s blockbuster London derby against Chelsea.

Eddie Nketiah

Following his hardworking performances for Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah was handed his Three Lions senior debut by Gareth Southgate, entering the fray in the 73rd minute of the win against Australia.

Nketiah barely had time to affect the scoreline in his 17-minute cameo, but he will be hoping for a fighting chance in the remaining two fixtures to earn a place in Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Oleksandr Zinchenko provided an assist to help Ukraine to a 2-0 win against North Macedonia in Prague and keep their hopes of reaching Euro 2024 alive.

While he failed to register a goal contribution in the subsequent fixture against Malta, Zinchenko dictated proceedings from the middle of the park as his side raced to an emphatic 3-1 victory.

Ukraine’s positive results have propelled them above Italy into second place in Group C, although Zinchenko’s side have played one more game than the Italians.

Nonetheless, the Arsenal man will be hoping to help his side secure qualification and captain the Blue and Yellow nation in next summer’s tournament.

Jakub Kiwior

Jakub Kiwior was one of the stellar performers for Poland in their qualifier fixtures, averaging a 7.0 match rating across both matches.

He was a dominating presence in Poland’s rearguard, helping his side to a 2-0 win over Faroe Islands with a 92% pass accuracy, and a 100% success rate on aerial duels while winning one of his three ground battles.

He repeated the performance in the subsequent fixture against Moldova, but Michal Probierz’s side saw their qualification hopes take a hit after being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw.

Kiwior lasted 90 minutes in Warsaw, but the result leaves his team third in Group E, behind Albania and the Czech Republic, who both have a game in hand.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Having struggled for first-team minutes at Arsenal, Takehiro Tomiyasu arrived at the Japanese camp fresh and featured in both of his nation’s friendly fixtures against Canada and Tunisia.

The 24-year-old delivered a solid performance in Japan’s resounding 4-1 win against Canada then stepped it up in the following fixture, keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Tunisia.

Tomiyasu didn’t have much to do against the lacklustre African giants but still recorded a 92% pass accuracy, two interceptions, one out of two ground battles won and completed four of his six attempted long passes.

Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard captained Norway to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Cyprus, putting in an impressive shift, although he failed to register a goal contribution.

Norway’s hopes of qualifying from Group A suffered a huge blow following their heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against Spain, with Odegaard delivering one of his worst performances in the qualifier campaign.

The Arsenal man’s 6.2 Sofascore rating was his worst since his performance in the 2-1 defeat against Scotland in mid-June (6.4).

The 24-year-old was also the joint worst-rated performer in the Spain defeat. He won just four of his 12 ground battles, lost possession ten times and was also dribbled past twice.

He also failed to complete any of his four attempted dribbles and sent his only shot in the match wide off the mark.

While Odegaard’s performance was disappointing by his very high standards, Mikel Arteta will hope he can pick up the pieces ahead of Arsenal’s crunch fixture against Chelsea this weekend.

Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz was named in Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for international friendlies against the United States and Mexico but was only handed a 28-minute cameo appearance against the former.

The ex-Chelsea man won his 40th cap for Die Rekordmeister, replacing Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz in the 62nd minute, but failed to make an appearance in the subsequent 2-2 draw against Mexico.

The positive for Arsenal is that Havertz will return to the fold refreshed and ready to face his former side in the mouth-watering weekend fixture.

Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel Magalhaes was a prominent member of the Brazilian national team during their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, lining up alongside Marquinhos at the heart of the defence.

He failed to muster a clean sheet in both fixtures but was particularly dominating in the 1-1 draw against Paraguay, netting the goal that ensured Brazil emerged from the contest with a point.

Gabriel was also one of the better performers for the Selecao in the disappointing 2-0 defeat against Uruguay, recording three interceptions, and two clearances and was only dribbled past once.

Gabriel Jesus

Despite failing to register a goal contribution, Gabriel Jesus was also a high-level performer for Brazil, completing three of his five dribbles against Uruguay and winning eight of his 13 ground duels.

However, his display was not enough to stop Brazil from falling to a defeat that leaves them third in the group, level on points with Uruguay and five behind Argentina after four games.

Thomas Partey

With the Arsenal man not at full strength having just recovered from a lengthy lay-off, Thomas Partey was handed just 45 minutes of action in Ghana’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Mexico.

The 30-year-old’s playing time was increased to 64 minutes in the thumping 4-0 defeat against the United States, but he showed signs of a player lacking rhythm.

Mohamed Elneny

Having also just returned to full fitness following an extended spell in the treatment room, Mohamed Elneny was afforded just 45 minutes of action in Egypt’s 1-0 win over Zambia.

The 31-year-old then lasted the entire 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Algeria, putting in a decent shift in the middle of the park for the seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions.