While the Arsenal senior team have seen their hopes of winning the Premier League crushed in the last week or so, the club’s U18s had a wonderful opportunity to raise spirits.
Jack Wilshere’s side have finished just below mid-table in the U18s Premier League but enjoyed a fabulous run to the FA Youth Cup final.
The former midfielder won it as a player and guided his team to a meeting with his former employers, West Ham, last Wednesday.
The Emirates Stadium played host to the final and it looked as though the trophy could be going to Arsenal inside the first quarter when the Gunners took the lead through Omari Benjamin.
Sadly, they were then undone rather swiftly by an impressive West Ham team who have won the league.
For the first time since 1999, the Irons were crowned youth cup winners, with the final score ending 5-1.
The Hammers caused constant problems for the Arsenal backline, of which the ever-impressive Michal Rosiak was among.
Who is Michael Rosiak?
The right-back has caught the eye a great deal throughout the 2022/23 campaign, and even if his team were thrashed in the final a matter of days ago, it wasn’t enough to deter the club from handing him a professional contract.
The announcement of that came on Saturday, with the teenager more than earning that deal.
Over the course of this season, the 17-year-old has scored seven goals and assisted a further seven, with all but two of those involvements coming from right-back. That is a remarkable haul, but it speaks volumes of the quality he possesses.
Hailed as “fantastic” throughout Wilshere’s side’s run to the final by academy expert Jeorge Bird, it was no doubt a stunning free-kick in the semi-final against Manchester City that got supporters talking.
However, although that David Beckham-esque set piece will no doubt be the most eye-catching aspect of his game, it is his capability to play as a modern inverted full-back that will be most appealing to Mikel Arteta and co.
The Spaniard has helped to revolutionise that role on the pitch through his use of Oleksandr Zinchenko, a player who is fielded at left full-back, he drifts inside to accompany Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey as an extra man in midfield.
Although the Ukranian will often maraud down the left-hand side, his skillset means he can dictate games from deep and provide an extra layer of defence.
Coincidentally, Rosiak is also capable of playing in the middle of the park, something that has no doubt helped him to perform admirably in that inverted role. The academy prospect may well be young, but he already looks tailor-made to thrive in the ‘Zinchenko role’, albeit on the opposite side of the pitch.
Indeed, Goal’s Charles Watts noted during the semi-final that City were “struggling to pick up Rosiak when he drifts inside.”
That bodes well for his future and with a gap opening up on the right-hand side of defence in the absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu, the teen could well earn minutes next season.
Upon signing his new deal, the aforementioned Bird suggested that first-team training sessions could be forthcoming for Rosiak.
That could be just what the Hale End youngster needs, with the opportunity to learn from Zinchenko first-hand potentially an invaluable experience.
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