Match Report: Arsenal 1, Watford 2

Arsenal produced a performance to match the dismal London night, losing to Watford 2-1.

After racing past Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday, the Gunners could not get out of the blocks on Tuesday night. It cost them dearly.

Within a quarter of an hour, Watford had a two-goal lead. The first came via an Aaron Ramsey deflection of Younes Kaboul’s free kick. Although the effort came from well outside the area, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech could not adjust in time.

Just three minutes later, Ramsey was in another unfortunate place. The Welshman failed to control a Gabriel throw-in. Watford’s Etienne Capoue nicked the ball, juked Francis Coquelin and Shkodran Mustafi, and forced a pointblank save from Cech. Troy Deeney was there to poke home the rebound, and not for the first time this season, Arsenal faced a deficit against a team much lower in the table.

The response was tepid at best.

Arsenal strung passes together but failed to mount any threat on the Watford goal. Watford’s 4-1-4-1 formation packed the midfield and prevented the Gunners from moving from their own half into attack.

That showed in Arsenal’s passing statistics at halftime: Mustafi and central defensive partner Laurent Koscielny were the team’s top two passers of the first 45 minutes. In addition, the top passing combination, which for Arsenal often involves a midfielder and playmaker Mesut Özil, was Mustafi to Koscielny.

As the half went on, Watford actually looked more likely to get a third than the Gunners did to climb back into the match. Indeed, Cech had to come up with a save from Daryl Janmaat’s shot to keep the gap at two goals.

Overall, the Hornets had nine shots, six on target, in the first half, while Arsenal had none on target and only three total.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, serving the second of his four-match ban in the stands, seemed to acknowledge his team’s ineffectiveness. Contrary to his norm, Wenger introduced Theo Walcott for Olivier Giroud at halftime, having already used one substitution to replace the injured Ramsey.

Walcott’s quickness did make a difference. He had two looks at goal in his first six minutes of action and forced Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes into a decent save.

In the 58^th minute, Arsenal’s pressure finally had an impact. Alexis Sanchez got past Watford left back Miguel Britos and found Alex Iwobi at the far post. Iwobi caressed the ball back across goal and in to halve the deficit.

The Gunners went on to dominate possession and opportunities. Watford were content to break up play, so Wenger and his pitchside colleagues Steve Bould and Neil Banfield discarded all caution. Coquelin came off to be replaced by Lucas Perez.

That left a central midfield of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Iwobi, neither with a long record of patrolling that area.

Perez joined the forward line and contributed to Arsenal’s intensifying efforts to breach Watford’s defense. The Spaniard’s shot off the bar late in normal time was as close as the Gunners came to equalizing.

Their 17 shots in the second half--but just three that tested Gomes after Iwobi’s goal—did not produce another comeback.

Things to ponder

Here are a few observations from this disappointing showing:

• The substitutes did make Arsenal more dynamic. Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, and Lucas added quickness and intent to a heretofore plodding approach.
• The pairing of Coquelin and Ramsey never got a grip on this encounter. They struggled in the packed midfield and offered little in transition to attack.
• Indeed, questions will intensify about Arsenal’s midfield options. Ramsey’s exit after 20 minutes and the ongoing absences of Granit Xhaka and Mohammed Elneny leave the terrain to Coquelin and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The latter did not look entirely comfortable after a second-half tackle.
• Wenger faces another difficult decision in the forward areas. Although Giroud enjoyed very little service, he was largely ineffective when he did come near the ball. Will he retain his starting slot at the expense of the speedier Walcott, Perez, and Danny Welbeck?
• What started as a hopeful week now looks ominous. Chelsea could not hold its lead against Liverpool, meaning a Gunners’ win would have brought them within six points of the league leaders. With a Stamford Bridge date on Saturday, the gap could have been just three. But Arsenal now face a nine-point disadvantage, and it’s hard to see Chelsea giving up that much ground.

AFC Bournemouth 3, Arsenal 3: Three Things We Learned

For the first time in the Premier League, Arsenal rallied from three goals behind to grab a point from an eventful 3-3 draw at Bournemouth.

Again, Olivier Giroud provided the decisive touch. His deft header in stoppage time capped a furious final 20 minutes. Though it might not be enough to sustain Arsenal’s title challenge, the result avoided what looked to be an embarrassing defeat.

Here are three things we learned from the match.

Alexis will not surrender

The Gunners needed a hero. Up stepped their Chilean leader.

With his team trailing 3-0 midway through the second half, Alexis kept driving his teammates forward. He dribbled at the Bournemouth defense. Attempted more through balls and crosses. Harried Bournemouth players when they had the ball.

Alexis’s goal to get Arsenal off the mark was all desire. He ran past Bournemouth right back Simon Francis just as Giroud was flicking on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross. He got to the ball at point blank range and buried his header past keeper Artur Boruc.

The stats bear out the dynamo’s influence: No player created more chances for teammates (three) or attempted (38) or completed (25) more passes in the final third.

In the absence of playmaker Mesut Özil, Alexis ran the show. And he dragged his teammates along with him.

This group deals with adversity in a novel way

This match could easily have ended as one of Arsenal’s most humiliating defeats in recent years. Just two days removed from their previous, victorious, outing, the Gunners looked vulnerable from the start.

Although the end of the festive period often produces such a strained dynamic, manager Arsène Wenger's starting lineup seemed to point to a more solid setup. Francis Coquelin returned to the midfield and should have created a better shield with Granit Xhaka. Aaron Ramsey, usually more defensively aware than other forward options, got only his third league start.

However, a defensive lapse led to Bournemouth’s first goal. Ramsey failed to cover Bournemouth left back Charlie Daniels. The late, ineffective intervention of Hector Bellerin gave Daniels a sight of goal he didn’t forsake.

Surrendering the opening goal—bad, but not insurmountable. The early deficit didn't revive the Gunners, whose scuffling play continued.

Then, referee Michael Oliver delivered two decisions that went against Arsenal. The first was a penalty against Xhaka, who tangled with Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser just inside the area. Callum Wilson shot straight down the middle for a 2-0 Bournemouth advantage.

Later, Oliver ignored a more egregious foul that Fraser himself committed, which left the Bournemouth man one-on-one with Arsenal keeper Petr Cech. 3-0.

Add an injury to Coquelin and the exit of captain Laurent Koscielny, and you’d be forgiven for fearing the worst.

But Arsenal did not cave. Alexis’s goal energized the team, while substitute Lucas Perez’s cracking volleyed finish across Boruc provided a realistic hope of avoiding defeat. A red card to Francis for an overly aggressive tackle on Ramsey enhanced the opportunity.

This Arsenal team delivered a message, of sorts, when they took this chance when many of their predecessors would have wilted.

Petr Cech rescued his performance--and this point

Rarely can you credit a goalkeeper who sees his net bulge three times in a match. In this case, though, Arsenal’s Petr Cech deserves some recognition.

The veteran faced six shots on target and saved three. None was more critical than his stop of Harry Arter’s drive in stoppage time, after Arsenal had pulled level.

Goalkeeping experts can decide whether Cech’s inability to get close to any penalties this season—he’s faced six—should be a concern. He will also be disappointed that his string of two shutouts came to an end and perhaps upset that he didn't do better with Bournemouth's two goals from open play.

Still, at the end of an intense nine-day period, with pride on the line, Cech stayed focused and stood tall.

Extra time

On the heels of an outstanding performance against Crystal Palace, Arsenal’s fullbacks would probably prefer to forget this game.

Bellerin, normally such a weapon, struggled to get involved in the offense. He completed just 34 passes (76 percent of those he attempted) and had just 64 touches, second lowest among Arsenal’s outfield players in action the full 90 minutes.

On the defensive side, Bellerin had problems as well. He failed on both his attempted tackles, he picked up a first-half yellow card, and all of Bournemouth’s goals emanated from his side of the pitch.

After the match, Wenger said his right back was playing with a minor injury.

Nacho Monreal didn’t have a banner game on the left, either. The Spaniard, 30 years old next month, looked off the pace so soon after his previous outing. He might not be able to bear such regular exertions; the club’s inquiries about left back targets suggest as much.

RC Lens 1 Arsenal 1: Three Observations

Arsenal’s first activity of the season was a lively 1-1 draw with RC Lens in Friday’s friendly at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

If the point of a pre-season encounter were the outcome, we’d focus on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s equalizing goal in the 81^st minute and the mistake by Calum Chambers that led to Mathias Autret’s first-half opener.

But the result isn’t the objective of these matches; instead, manager Arsène Wenger will focus on how the match improved the team’s fitness and whether any players displayed a readiness to make an individual impact in the coming season.

Here are three observations of Arsenal’s progress toward those objectives.

Lens gave Arsenal a proper workout

The French Ligue 2 side, set to open the season next Friday, put in a performance full of energy. Lens moved the ball quickly, and without they ball they put consistent pressure on Arsenal’s midfield and center halves.

This level of activity forced Arsenal to think and move quickly from the outset. The Gunners’ decision-making was acceptable, especially for a first outing, but as one might expect the execution was spotty. On a number of occasions someone would attempt a pass through Lens’ back line, only to discover that a forward teammate had run into a different area.

In midfield, misplaced passes were noticeable, as Arsenal could not achieve the precision needed to avoid Lens pressure.

Meanwhile, the defensive line Lens chose, relatively high by the standards of lower-league teams Arsenal face, gave Gunners’ forwards room to run. Theo Walcott was particularly active in the first half in his attempts to exploit the space.

The absence of a true playmaker, such as Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, or Santi Cazorla, created the opportunity for a more mobile attacking midfield, and Alex Iwobi and Jeff Reine-Adelaide in the first half and Joel Campbell and Oxlade-Chamberlain in the second used the occasion to shift positions quite a bit. They’ll all feel like they exerted themselves.

The backup fullbacks started to state their case

Mathieu Debuchy and Kieran Gibbs, both definite Premier League starters a couple of years ago, found themselves sidelined last season by injury and the impressive performances of Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal. It seemed the pair recognized the need to impress this pre-season, putting in noticeable effort and making an impact.

Playing the first 45 minutes, Debuchy sought out Walcott on the right flank with several clever passes and charged forward himself on a number of occasions. He was aggressive defensively as well, eventually picking up a rare friendly yellow card.

Gibbs, who replaced Monreal at halftime, delivered one of the match’s best individual performances. He limited Lens’ effectiveness on his flank and protected the young center half Krystian Bielik. Going forward, Gibbs showed clever movement, a deft touch, and an eye for a pass. His cutback for Campbell led to a shot on target.

The prospects for Debuchy and Gibbs—either to secure more playing time with Arsenal or to land a move to a starting position elsewhere—won’t have been harmed by their efforts Friday.

Ox looks in fine pre-season form

Oxlade-Chamberlain has a knack for the eye-catching pre-season goal. In last summer’s Charity Shield against Chelsea, he netted the winner by curling the ball in with his weaker left foot. On Friday, he gathered Serge Gnabry’s pass on the right and chipped it delicately into the upper left corner of the Lens goal.

That equalizer was a reward for a sturdy second-half performance. After a halting season of injury and iffy form, Oxlade-Chamberlain showed he’s ready to take on opponents, including the mammoth Lens center half Abdoul Ba. He also synchronized well with Campbell, Gnabry, and Alex Iwobi as Arsenal moved forward.

Although we shouldn’t draw any tactical conclusions from this initial runout, it was interesting to see Oxlade-Chamberlain exchange positions with Iwobi in central midfield as well. That will be a crowded area in the Arsenal squad, with Ramsey, Cazorla, Wilshere, Mohammed Elneny, and Granit Xhaka all potential starters.

Still, if playing there improves Oxlade-Chamberlain’s vision, decision-making, and confidence for the season ahead, the team will benefit. His physical preparation looks quite advanced already.

Extra time

Francis Coquelin is another player who looks ready to fight for a role. He knows Arsenal have already made a major acquisition for his position, bringing in Xhaka from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The French defensive midfielder, one of the first names on the team sheet throughout 2015, again has to prove his worth.

On Friday, he got to work quickly. Coquelin made two full-blooded but fair tackles in the first 12 minutes and was one of only two Arsenal players, with captain Per Mertesacker, to complete the full match. He was a little messy with the ball and understandably tired by the end of 90 minutes, but Coquelin showed he’s up for the challenge Xhaka’s arrival presents him.

Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal succumbed to the title holders as Barcelona took a 2-0 Champions League victory at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Lionel Messi’s two second-half goals, the first on a counter-attack in the 71^st minute and the second from the penalty spot 12 minutes later, sealed Arsenal’s first-leg fate and, in all probability, a sixth-consecutive exit at this stage of the competition.

It’s not worth wallowing in or overanalyzing a loss to such a talented, accomplished, and dominant side, but here are three things we can take away from this match.

Arsenal lacked the required precision

Against opponents of this caliber, Arsenal had to be almost perfect in both planning and execution. The overall approach—to defend with diligence and coordination and to take opportunities on the break—kept the Gunners level through three quarters of the match.

In the early stages, Arsenal actually posed a threat, suggesting that manager Arsène Wenger thought an early goal could have been decisive or, barring that, an assertive stance might give Barcelona some doubts about its own defensive solidity.

This plan worked reasonably well. Through 65 minutes, the two teams had the same number of shots on target.

Then the execution wavered, just for a moment, all the ruthless attacking trio of Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez needed.

A headed clearance from the Barcelona area goes left, with all 11 Arsenal players inside the Barcelona half. Right back Hector Bellerin, midfielder Francis Coquelin, and center half Per Mertesacker converge on Neymar, who avoids all their attentions and passes to Suarez on the touch line. Laurent Koscielny is there with Suarez but fails to prevent his return ball to Neymar. From that point, the gig is up.

As Wenger said after the match, there were several ways to stop or slow that move, and the Gunners took none of them. More precise thought and action by Mertesacker, Coquelin, and Koscielny, in particular, might have snuffed out that particular attack. If that came at the expense of a yellow card, well, that would have been a worthwhile sacrifice under the circumstances.

The second goal resulted from another sequence of imprecise decisions and actions, these by Mertesacker and substitute Mathieu Flamini. Messi, as he does, exacted the punishment.

Arsenal’s goalmouth contagion shows no signs of subsiding

Most everyone expected that Arsenal would get few chances to score against this dominant Barcelona side. The directive, then, was to put away those opportunities that did come. The problem was that this objective ran against the Gunners’ recent attacking habits.

They finished goalless for the fifth time in the last eight matches.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had the most obvious chance, when Bellerin’s shot rebounded to him right in front of goal in the 22^nd minute. With Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen already prostrate, Chamberlain kicked straight at the keeper when it may have been easier to score.

That was one of Arsenal’s three “Big Chances,” according to FourFourTwo StatsZone. The others fell to Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey. Giroud forced a decent save from ter Stegen with a contested header in the 60^th minute, while Ramsey couldn’t poke home the equalizer from Danny Welbeck’s knockdown.

The suffering was more widespread in Arsenal’s scoreless FA Cup draw with Hull City last weekend, when eight Gunners took a total of 15 shots inside the Hull penalty area. Someone needs to overcome this grippe soon.

Hector Bellerin is the real deal

Bellerin’s emergence isn’t news. But on the biggest European stage, against the most formidable European opponent who happen to be his former employers, the young Spanish right back excelled.

When he came face-to-face with the tricky Neymar, Bellerin held his own. He was also able to wriggle out of pressure and made mostly sound decisions to clear the ball or to work it to a teammate. Bellerin’s speed also enhanced Arsenal’s counter-attacking threat, as in his blocked shot that fell to Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The stats reveal Bellerin’s solid performance. He succeeded on three of four tackles, made both the clearances he tried, and logged seven ball recoveries, tied for the most on the team with Koscielny. Bellerin also got past his man with four of seven dribbles, second on Arsenal behind Alexis, who was six of nine.

Extra time

Danny Welbeck is making a strong case for a regular starting spot. The forward, just three matches back from injury, played almost 20 minutes on Tuesday after 67 minutes three days earlier and brought a combination of speed and strength that troubled Barcelona. He outwitted and outran Javier Mascherano for one long ball, and his strong yet adept header to Ramsey nearly produced the equalizing goal.

It may not matter whether Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury forces him to the sidelines; Welbeck, his own fitness permitting, should get a run in the team.

Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 2: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal produced a controlled performance that dispatched Aston Villa 2-0 on Sunday in Birmingham.

First-half goals by Olivier Giroud from the penalty spot and Aaron Ramsey from a sweeping counterattack sent Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table, pending the outcome of Monday’s Leicester City-Chelsea encounter.

Here are three things we learned from the match.

Arsenal’s depth can deliver

Arsenal, depleted by injuries and suffering especially the losses of starters Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, and Francis Coquelin, faced its third test in eight days. The Gunners won all three and outscored their opponents 8-1.

Granted, there will be tougher opposition than Sunderland, Olympiacos, and Aston Villa in the next few weeks, but you can only beat the team that’s facing you. Arsenal have done that and rebounded from a rough November.

Sunday’s accomplishment is nothing to be sniffed at, even though Villa sit at the bottom of the league table. Arsenal returned from Athens in the wee hours of Thursday morning, then had to recover and travel again in advance of the early Sunday kickoff at Villa Park.

This could have created an uncomfortable scenario, as manager Arsène Wenger admitted after the match: “I was a bit anxious today as we had given a lot on Wednesday and came back very, very late on Thursday morning. I know that Villa was fighting to survive and it was maybe a set of important points to win against a team low on confidence.”

Arsenal came through it comfortably and became the only English team to run this kind of European gantlet successfully this week. Of the five Premier League teams playing in European competitions—Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea in the Champions League and Liverpool and Tottenham in the Europa League—only Arsenal won away in Europe in midweek and away in the league at the weekend. Meanwhile, Manchester United lost both its away contests, and Liverpool and Tottenham suffered late in their league matches on Sunday and dropped points.

In this context, the ability and determination of Arsenal to get the result against Aston Villa, particularly with a starting lineup still acclimating to each other and to different individual roles, are evidence of the side’s title potential.

Arsenal’s speed kills

When Arsenal’s attackers see green in front of them and kick into high gear, few defenders can keep up. With Ramsey deployed in the center of midfield, Theo Walcott on one flank, and Mesut Özil in the playmaking position, the Gunners can flash into action and pose an immediate threat.

This dynamic led to both Arsenal goals. For the first, Walcott got past Villa’s lumbering Alan Hutton and gathered a long pass from midfielder Mathieu Flamini. Hutton bumped then grabbed Walcott and sent him to ground in the penalty area. Giroud slotted home from the spot.

The second goal showed the aesthetics and athleticism that the Gunners can offer. Ramsey tackles the ball away from Idressa Gueye about 25 yards from the Arsenal goal. Giroud recovers it, passes quickly to Özil, who finds Walcott just off the center circle on the left. Ramsey’s on his feet by then and at top speed, in a sprinting phalanx with Özil and Giroud.

Walcott takes one touch and sends a beautiful pass through to Özil, who is by this point about 25 yards from the Villa goal. Joleon Lescott, the lone defender still in the play, goes to close down Özil, so the German simply squares it to Ramsey to put into an open net.

Here’s how Ramsey described the passage of play, in his typically understated fashion:

It was nice to be there to finish the move. It was a great move from us. We saw them losing [the ball] as an opportunity to get forward and it was a great ball by Theo in the first place. Then the vision of Ozil to play me in for a simple tap in was delightful as well. I’m delighted that I could finish it off.

These two bursts of speed proved sufficient to secure the victory over Villa. A few subsequent surges, such as Walcott’s run off Giroud in first-half injury time, a foray by substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Ramsey’s incredible dispossession of Lescott all the way on the Villa goal line in second-half injury time, could have added another goal with a bit of luck or composure.

Taken together, these moves show the threat Arsenal’s speed presents. Even without Alexis.

Ramsey returns as a midfield dynamo

Observers of Arsenal have long acknowledged that the central midfield position brings out Ramsey’s individual strengths. His energy, inventiveness, vision, and nose for goal, among other qualities, really emerge in the middle of the park.

Wenger hasn’t always deployed Ramsey there, largely because the overall balance has required his services elsewhere.

Against Villa, the Welshman made a case for basing the balance on him in central midfield.

He started and finished the play for Arsenal’s second goal. He was also the Gunners’ top passer, completing 71 of 78 for a 91 percent rate, according to the FourFourTwo StatsZone app. Ramsey was active on defense as well, making more ball recoveries (nine) than any other Arsenal player and succeeding with five of six tackles, both game highs.

It’ll be interesting to see Ramsey’s collaboration with Flamini develop—it isn’t perfect and might not work as well against top teams—and to examine the questions Ramsey’s performances raise for the club’s transfer priorities. Will they, for example, encourage Wenger and his staff to identify other midfielders who can further bring out Ramsey’s strengths? That should generate much discussion into the January transfer window and beyond.

Extra time

Nacho goes solo.

The way the Gunners were set up on Sunday and after 20 minutes against Olympiacos on Wednesday meant that left back Nacho Monreal had hardly any support. Walcott on the left flank doesn’t have the keen defensive instincts of Alexis or Joel Campbell, while the midfield pairing of Ramsey and Flamini doesn’t shift laterally to protect the fullbacks as much as Coquelin and Cazorla do.

As a result, Monreal found himself covering a Villa attacker, often Scott Sinclair and the fullback Hutton. Several dangerous Villa attacks resulted.

Arsenal will likely need to adjust as they prepare to face Manchester City’s more effective strike force next Monday.

Bayern Munich 5 Arsenal 1: Three Things We Learned

Bayern Munich swamped Arsenal 5-1 on Wednesday, putting the Gunners’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout phase for the 16^th consecutive season in considerable doubt.

With Bayern’s dominant, three-goal first half, this result was foregone by halftime. The night’s meaningful question was what would happen in Athens, where Olympiacos trailed Dinamo Zagreb and gave the Gunners hope that they might still control their European destiny.

Olympiacos scored late to win, though, meaning Arsenal must win its final two matches, including at least a two-goal win on the group stage’s last night in Athens, and trust Bayern to beat the Greek team, to move on.

That’s the big conclusion of the night. Here are three other things we learned.

Arsène Wenger has the Premier League in his sights

The Arsenal manager invariably speaks about his focus on the next game and how it’s the most important. There was a hint of something else prior to this match, though.

Wenger kept star defenders Laurent Koscielny and Hector Bellerin out of Wednesday’s action, allowing them to recover from “small” injuries in advance of a major Premier League test against Tottenham on Sunday.

That decision is worth noting.

It suggests the manager and his staff sense an opportunity to compete for the league title and that they’re willing to put the European campaign aside to enhance that domestic opportunity. Doing so requires wisdom and restraint, particularly because Wenger has long coveted the top European trophy.

No doubt he expected a less damning result in Munich, but as long as he and his players can put it in the vault, this continental setback won’t be any more consequential for their league prospects than was the 3-2 loss to Olympiacos. We shouldn’t forget that that defeat immediately preceded Arsenal’s 3-0 destruction of Manchester United.

The first goal was the killer

The early moments of the game were actually promising for Arsenal. The Gunners had a shot in anger in the opening minute, passed crisply when they had the ball, and forced Bayern into shots from distance.

Hope of another upset was largely snuffed out by Robert Lewandowski’s 10^th-minute header. The Polish striker slipped the attentions of Gabriel, who was alone among the Arsenal back line in dropping deep when Thiago had the ball near the right corner of Arsenal’s penalty area. Lewandowski’s well-placed effort gave Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech no chance.

This early goal meant Arsenal could not absorb the Bayern pressure as the Gunners had so successfully done two weeks ago. They had to seek a tying goal, creating the space and time on the ball that Bayern was designed to exploit. The only question was how ruthlessly they would do so.

Having lost to Arsenal, the German giants weren’t inclined to let up. That intensity—plus Arsenal’s sub-par defensive effort and ill fortune with officiating—sealed the Gunners fate on the day.

Arsenal’s first-choice defense is a well-oiled machine

Replacing Bellerin with Mathieu Debuchy and Koscielny with Gabriel shrank Arsenal’s margin of error. Indeed, the changes caused enough instability for Bayern’s talent to thrive.

A poorly synchronized back line left Lewandowski onside for the opening goal, and Debuchy’s tendency to drift into the center gave Bayern’s dangerous wide men the run of their left flank. The Frenchman wasn’t even effective at clogging the middle, failing to clear a pass that then fell to Thomas Müller, who fired off Per Mertesacker and into the net for Bayern’s second goal.

On Arsenal’s left, Bayern finally found a way to isolate left back Nacho Monreal, using runners from midfield to occupy Arsenal’s central midfielders Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla. This often left Monreal trying to cover two men on his own, Philipp Lahm and Müller or substitute Arjen Robben, because left forward Alexis was understandably focused on attacking. As a result, Bayern always had an outlet and frequently produced uncontested passes into more dangerous areas.

It was quite a contrast from the defensive performances Arsenal’s preferred lineup has delivered this season. The unit of Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, and Monreal has won all of its matches while conceding just three goals, one at Crystal Palace and two at Leicester City. Crucially, though, the group has played together in just five of Arsenal’s 17 matches in the Premier League, Champions League, and Capital One Cup.

The ability to field that unit consistently might well determine Arsenal’s fortunes in the Premier League.

Extra time

Fair play to Mathieu Debuchy and Olivier Giroud, who kept plugging despite the obvious outcome of this match. Debuchy scampered back to rob Robben of a goal after the Dutchman had rounded Cech, and Giroud produced an exquisite chest control and lashing finish. Such moments were all the more noticeable because they were rare.

Swansea City 0 Arsenal 3: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal emerged 3-0 winners over Swansea City in a match suitably bizarre for the day.

Although the Gunners looked out of it for most of the first half, second-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, and Joel Campbell secured the victory. Koscielny's goal, prompted by a borderline foul on/error by Swans and former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, and the score by Campbell in his first Premier League start were oddly fitting on Halloween.

Here are three things we learned from the match.

Mesut Özil is the Premier League's most dangerous man

We're still early in the Premier League campaign, but it's becoming clear that Arsenal's playmaker and record signing can push the Gunners to contend for the title. In the 10 matches Özil has played, he's tallied nine assists and created 47 chances, according to Squawka.

As 7AM Kickoff has pointed out in his "By the Numbers" articles for Arseblog, Özil has a real chance to deliver more than 20 assists this season. He's on an unreal pace of 0.96 assists per 90 minutes so far.

He picked up two more assists on Saturday, finding Giroud with a corner in the 49th minute, then working an intricate move with Alexis Sanchez on the left before fizzing a pass across the box to Campbell for the final Arsenal goal.

Özil also started the sequence that led to Koscielny's goal. When no Swansea player closed him down on Arsenal's right, he spotted the chaos in the Swansea penalty area and sent in the cross that Ashley Williams failed to clear properly. Fabianski, Giroud, and Koscielny were all waiting for the ball to come down, and Koscielny came away with it.

At the source of all these passages were Özil's ability to recognize the way to cause Swansea the most danger and the skill to execute the decisive play. It's a deadly combination.

Joel Campbell keeps the balance

A major question leading up to the match addressed the right attacking midfield position in Arsenal's 4-2-3-1 formation. With six more likely candidates for that role injured, manager Arsène Wenger gave a league debut to Campbell, who, despite some credible performances on loan and on international duty, had never shown he could reach the level required at Arsenal.

Campbell's calm finish, if not his celebration, certainly showed he belonged, but more than that, he slotted seamlessly into the existing Arsenal framework.

The Costa Rican helped move the attack forward, exchanging tidy passes with right back Hector Bellerin and the central midfielders. With Swansea understandably focusing on the threat Alexis posed on Arsenal's left, Campbell proved willing to take a shot when he had a sight of goal.

He also hustled to reach the right defensive positions. That was especially important due to the danger posed by the tricky Swansea winger Jefferson Montero. Although Montero caused a few nervous moments, Bellerin and Campbell managed the threat admirably.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Arsenal team could proceed as normal. In light of the successful recent performances, allowing his teammates to stick to their roles and strengths was Campbell's most important contribution.

Arsenal can survive risks and wobbles

This was as shaky a 3-0 victory as you're likely to see.

Particularly in the first half, Arsenal seemed vulnerable. The choice to use a high defensive line seemed overly risky given Montero's wiliness, the ability of Jonjo Shelvy and Ki Sung-Yeung to pick a pass, and the Gunners' struggles against Swansea last season.

The high line nearly proved calamitous midway through the first half, when Shelvy found Bafetimi Gomis and sent the striker clean through on Petr Cech's goal. Only the experience of Cech and the speed of Bellerin prevented Arsenal from going 1-0 down.

Giroud's goal early in the second half steadied things somewhat, but, even then, Arsenal made some odd choices. The defense was less coordinated and diligent than you'd expect from a team looking to protect a lead and counterattack. A few times Swansea players found space just outside the Arsenal area and took a crack at goal or nearly worked a teammate free.

Still, Swansea managed just eight shots on goal and only two in the penalty area. When the three Swans' shots did work Cech, he was more than ready.

The sixth clean sheet in 11 league matches--and the lowest number of goals conceded in the league--are evidence of the stability Cech has brought to the Arsenal defense.

Extra time

Hector Bellerin doesn't just have a future; he has a present. As one-half of the league's best fullback tandem, the young Spaniard has brought quick interventions, sound positioning, and a real offensive threat to Arsenal's right side.

Against Swansea, he figuratively busted a gut to prevent Gomis from scoring and later literally busted one, throwing himself into the post to clear André Ayew's offside effort off the line.

Bellerin's contributions already and his clear talent warrant a long-term contract.

Leicester City 2 Arsenal 5: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal produced a swashbuckling 5-2 win at Leicester City on Saturday.

The performance doubled the Gunners' goal output for the season and ended Leicester's unbeaten opening run. Combined with the midweek win over Tottenham in the Capital One Cup, Saturday's victory represented a strong response to disappointing losses in the two preceding contests at Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea.

Here are three things we learned from the match.

Don't get into a shootout with Arsenal

In truth, we could fill a report with accounts and analysis of the various ways Arsenal scored--incisive counterattack, deft crosses, individual skill off a set play, precise timing of a fullback run. That's testament to how rampant Arsenal's offense was in this match.

Allowed space by Leicester's high defensive line, Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez swooped into dangerous areas again and again. Leicester's midfield failed to put pressure on Santi Cazorla and Mesut Özil, giving those two pass masters many opportunities to pick out the runs of their teammates farther forward.

The numbers (from Opta via the StatsZone app) reveal the consequences.

Arsenal had 26 shots, an amazing 22 inside the Leicester penalty area, and only missed the target with one (not including the 14 blocks Leicester made).

Cazorla completed 71 of 77 passes (92 percent), created five opportunities for teammates, and assisted on Walcott's opening goal. Özil connected on 54 of 59 passes (also 92 percent), also created five scoring chances for teammates, and delivered a delicious cross for Alexis's second goal.

Leicester tried but could not match the Gunners' effectiveness in attack. The Foxes took 16 shots of their own, 11 in the Arsenal penalty area, and opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Jamie Vardy latched on to a long clearance, outran Per Mertesacker, and finished past Petr Cech into the far corner.

This set the tone for a wide-open match, which played to Arsenal's strengths.

Alexis loves Leicester

The King Power Stadium in Leicester will hold fond memories for Alexis when he ends his time in the Premier League.

Arsenal's star man got his first league goal there last season and ended his early season drought there Saturday with goals of opportunism and top quality.

His first was a welcome, straightforward finish, thanks to Walcott's clever run to the near post, which took two Leicester defenders with him. When Hector Bellerin's cross was redirected by that three-player melee, Alexis found himself with the ball in front of an open goal. The easiest of putaways got him off the mark for the season.

For his second, he received another pass from the marauding Bellerin, passed to Özil across the top of the Leicester penalty area, timed his run to escape all the defenders, then redirected Özil's cross past the onrushing Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

He capped the hat trick with a screaming low shot from outside the penalty area, an opening he generated himself with a deft flick of Nacho Monreal's throw-in past Leicester's Ngolo Kanté.

These were a worthy payoff for Alexis's combination of creativity, desire, and skill that took him to such heights in his inaugural Premier League campaign.

Nacho Monreal may be the best left back in the Premier League

It's a variation of the rags-to-riches story. Monreal joins Arsenal in January 2013, primarily due to the injury of starting left back Kieran Gibbs. The Spaniard does not thrive under the circumstances but gradually learns the requirements and tricks of a Premier League defender.

Watch the recent interview on the club's website for Monreal's thoughtful reflection on his career.

He's now made 94 appearances for Arsenal; his latest was an absolutely top performance against the league's in-form attacking player, Leicester's Riyad Mahrez.

Mahrez came into the match with five goals and three assists in six games this season. Monreal shut him out on Saturday, so much so that Mahrez switched sides to try to find better opportunities on Arsenal's right.

Overall, Monreal made seven ball recoveries, succeeded on seven of the eight clearances he attempted, and won seven of eight aerial duels. He also assisted on Olivier Giroud's goal in second half injury time, taking advantage of the flagging Leicester defense to reach the by-line and cut the ball back for the Arsenal striker.

That closed Monreal's outstanding display and solidified his place as the top left back in the league at the moment. Name a better one. 
 

Extra time

This was Walcott's top showing as a center forward for Arsenal.

The conditions favored him: Leicester's lumbering center backs and assertive defensive line gave him the space to use his speed. He did that, connected with Cazorla's defense-splitting pass, and delivered a subtle left-footed finish for Arsenal's first goal.

On other occasions, Walcott created space for teammates with intelligent runs, such as the one that freed Alexis for his opening goal. And he held his own in the physical battles.

Arsenal 2 Stoke City 0: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal dominated Stoke Saturday but had to wait until Olivier Giroud's 85th minute header to secure a 2-0 home win.

The Gunners struggled in front of goal, with several shocking misses among the 27 attempts that did not find the net, but that's no revelation at this point. Here are three things we learned instead.

Maybe atypical goals should become the objective

When Arsenal's goal-scoring form wanes, the team often intensifies its efforts to execute the perfect pass-and-move action. We saw this in the last Premier League outing against 10-man Newcastle, which Arsenal won by virtue of an own goal.

There were a few occasions against Stoke when similar attacks were unsuccessful, most notably the one-two between Santi Cazorla and Mesut Özil that sent the German through with only Stoke keeper Jack Butland to beat. Özil tried unsuccessfully to coax the ball past Butland at the near post.

Arsenal succeeded, though, with different approaches. The first goal was a long-range counterattack, commenced by a Francis Coquelin tackle in the Arsenal half and served up by a wonderful long pass from Özil to Theo Walcott. Walcott exploited Stoke's relatively high line, found just enough space, and rolled the ball under the onrushing Butland.

The second goal came from a Cazorla free kick and an accurate header by Giroud, who had eased between two dozy Stoke defenders. The free kick resulted from muscular play by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who drew a foul from Stoke's Phil Bardsley in a threatening area.

Again, the source of the play was not an intricate Arsenal move. Perhaps this diversified approach to goal is worth more attention.

Gabriel brings the pain

The Brazilian earned his third consecutive start in the center of the Arsenal defense and gave as good as he got with Stoke's physical forwards. The highlight, of course, was his second-half tussle with villain Marco Arnautevic, the culprit in Arsenal right back Mathieu Debuchy's shoulder separation last spring.

This time, Arnautevic fared worse. He clearly initiated the set-to with Gabriel, throwing an elbow and then a forearm into Gabriel's face as they chased down a ball. Gabriel fended off the second blow and, in one motion, clocked Arnautevic across the face.

The arm of justice.

It was just the most notable of Gabriel's successful interventions. He and Laurent Koscielny marshaled Stoke's rare attacks well, save for one loose headed clearance by Koscielny. Their quickness and physicality give opposition forwards a tough time.

On these performances, Per Mertesacker faces a real challenge to break back into to the starting lineup, especially if Koscielny's passing continues to improve. The Frenchman was Arsenal's top passer against Stoke, completing 75 of 83 passes. (Stats via FourFourTwo's StatsZone app.)

Arsenal have two point guards to lead a transition offense

The selection of Theo Walcott at center forward, coupled with Stoke's decision to push defenders slightly higher up the pitch, created excellent conditions for Arsenal's two skilled playmakers to shine. Santi Cazorla and Özil did.

Playing deep in midfield, Cazorla shook off some indifferent recent performances and showed his quality, particularly in the first half. He spotted runs by Walcott and Aaron Ramsey and launched pinpoint long passes to each of his teammates.

In the second half, Cazorla was at his dancing best, avoiding the inevitable Stoke challenges, getting himself into dangerous positions, and launching four shots, two quite threatening. His assist to Giroud and a similarly precise free kick to Koscielny in the waning minutes were two of the seven chances he created for teammates.

Meanwhile, Özil made the decisive impact with his assist for Walcott's opening goal. That pass, so quickly made after Coquelin had won the ball, caught Stoke off guard because they had moved slightly forward, thinking the biggest risk was a more involved Arsenal build-up. It was the most eye-catching and important of the eight chances Özil created in the match.

Extra Time: Arsenal's fullback combination is tough to beat

When Stoke manager Mark Hughes sent Xherdan Shaqiri and Arnautevic out as his wide forwards, he handed the initiative to Arsenal's fullbacks Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal. They took it and ran.

Bellerin attempted 20 passes in the final third, completing 17 of them (85 percent) and creating four scoring chances for teammates. His cross to Walcott in the first half really deserved a better finish.

Monreal posted less impressive attacking numbers, but he identified the gaps in Stoke's defense and made runs to exploit the openings. His work in the air, winning three of three duels against an historically airborne opponent, suggests that he could also be a worthy outlet (as Bacary Sagna was) for the goalkeeper's kicks in Giroud's absence.

Newcastle 0 Arsenal 1: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal dominated 10-man Newcastle on Saturday but needed a Fabricio Coloccini own goal to secure a 1-0 victory at St. James’ Park.

A speedy attacking lineup, featuring Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, struggled to provide much more excitement than the more conventional group that had started the scoreless draw with Liverpool. The lack of stimulation largely resulted from Newcastle’s defensive stance after the 15^th-minute red card to striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

His expulsion and Arsenal’s long numerical advantage make it hard to draw any broad conclusions from the match. Still, we learned a few things about Arsenal; here are three.

Arsenal cede possession only in extraordinary circumstances

In the first 15 minutes of the match, Arsenal posed a real threat, primarily because Newcastle were aggressive offensively. When they weren’t committing fouls in an effort to win back the ball quickly, the home side sent players forward and presented Arsenal with the space to pass and move.

This dynamic changed with the Mitrovic red card. Newcastle then retreated, allowing Arsenal freedom over three quarters of the pitch and clogging the final quarter with ten defenders. Arsenal had two basic choices in this situation:

1. Control possession and try to pick apart the Newcastle defense
2. Cede a bit of the possession and exploit the space Newcastle had left open

It’s not a surprise that Arsenal chose option #1. It capitalizes on the Gunners’ quickness of passing and thought and is the less risky choice.

The problem is that it requires extreme precision because the opposition can foil the attack with proper determination and positioning. Those qualities have proven Newcastle’s strengths early in the season, for example in the excellent rear-guard action against Manchester United at Old Trafford the previous week.

Option #2 would have been a riskier proposition. Imagine the outcry—“We were up a man! Why did we let them have so much of the ball?!?”—especially if Newcastle had used the possession allowed them to threaten the Arsenal goal. For that reason, we witnessed the familiar sight of Arsenal making short passes from side to side around the Newcastle penalty area.

And the exceptions to that rule, such as those we saw at Manchester City and West Ham in the 2014-15 season, will continue to stand out.

Theo Walcott’s days on the right are over

Walcott got the nod over Olivier Giroud as Arsenal’s starting center forward, which manager Arsène Wenger explained had anticipated a different approach from Newcastle:

I expected more space for Theo Walcott. At the start, it looked quite promising, but after 15 minutes, it was a different problem for us. There was no space behind their defenders, the service through their lines was very difficult, and they defended well.

Walcott had two good looks at goal, failed to convert either of them, and did not get involved much otherwise.

But this isn’t about Walcott as a center forward. If he was struggling there, Oxlade-Chamberlain was just as ineffective on the right side of Arsenal’s attack. His touch seemed off, his passes went awry, and his efforts to win back the ball were halfhearted. Oxlade-Chamberlain failed both his take-on attempts, completed only 89 percent of his passes compared with the team’s 92 percent rate, and made only one tackle and one interception.

Under those circumstances, a plausible move would have been to introduce Giroud and move Walcott right. Walcott’s minimal defensive contribution wouldn’t have caused major issues because Newcastle wasn’t attacking much and Hector Bellerin was putting in a solid performance at right back. His quickness and knack for a cross could have opened the Newcastle defense in a different way from the right.

Wenger’s decision, though, was to substitute Giroud for Walcott after 70 minutes. That’s a hint that Walcott’s three-year campaign to play center forward has been successful, but at the price of any involvement on the right side.

No one is making a strong case to lead the Arsenal line

This might be an obvious point about an attacking contingent that’s scored just once in four matches. It’s worth emphasizing, because despite Arsenal’s improved shooting accuracy against Newcastle, it was still found wanting.

After three matches in which only 30 percent of Arsenal’s shots were on goal, the team got nine of 22 on frame in Newcastle. That’s a 40 percent rate of accuracy. Many lacked conviction, though, with Walcott’s two first-half attempts and Giroud’s late lob job standing out as especially weak.

Walcott and Giroud were the top candidates for the striker role entering the season, and neither has made the position his own. Will Wenger keep faith in the pair, give Danny Welbeck a shot when he returns from injury, or move Alexis to the tip of the attack? All seem reasonable options given the trends.

Unless, of course, all evidence to the contrary, Mr. World-Class Striker appears at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground by 1800h GMT on Tuesday, the close of the transfer window.

Extra Time: This is what happens when referees respond properly to bullying tactics

There’s no more irritating sight in sport than a manager fulminating against referees when his own team’s illegal acts are called out. Newcastle’s Steve McLaren is the latest culprit. He gesticulated, grew more red-faced than normal, and later complained to the media about the red card and the six other cautions issued his team by referee Andre Marriner. But any observer not bloodthirsty saw that the deliberate aggression was rightly punished.

Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal's scoreless draw with Liverpool was as intriguing and engaging a nil-nil result as you are likely to see. Each side enjoyed periods of dominance and came close to scoring the decisive goal. There was an unexpected--and unwelcome--lineup change; the action was both end-to-end and tight; the tactics from Liverpool's supposedly progressive manager were retrograde.

So plenty to hold the interest, just not a result to get excited about.

Here are three things we learned from the encounter.

Peter Cech is actually as advertised

After two uncomfortable performances in his first two starts for Arsenal, marquee signing Petr Cech showed his bona fides against Liverpool. He took a certain goal off the feet of Liverpool front man Christian Benteke, pouncing at the absolute last second, and he stretched every inch of his frame and wingspan to tip Philippe Coutinho's curling effort off the post. Those two saves bailed out a shaky first-half defense and avoided a disastrous result.

Cech also conducted the less eye-catching work flawlessly. He commanded his penalty area, punching or claiming crosses intended for Benteke. Like Wojciech Szczesny in the FA Cup Final, Cech did a lot to negate Benteke's aerial threat.

Cech's positioning was excellent as well, so several threatening shots went right at him. His success kicking away Roberto Firmino's first-half effort owed to perfect positioning and quick feet.

This might have been more activity than Cech has been accustomed to--as 7AM Kickoff noted in his "By the Numbers" piece for Arseblog, Cech hadn't made this many saves in a club match since May 2013. But Arsenal's new number one showed he is the difference-maker many portrayed him as when Arsenal acquired him.

Arsenal feels Mertesacker's absence more than Koscielny's

Most observers consider Laurent Koscielny the more indispensable of Arsenal's two center backs. A few even dubbed him Arsenal's player of the season in 2014-15 for his quickness, timely interventions, and control of opposition strikers.

His partner, the frequently derided Per Mertesacker, seems more vital to the team, though. For one thing, Koscielny has an able replacement in Gabriel, who showed on Monday that he possesses quickness and guile to rival Koscielny's. Gabriel also cottoned to Benteke's approach early on and limited his threat to the Arsenal goal in the second half.

Another reason that Mertesacker is essential is that his deputy, Calum Chambers, hasn't yet developed the calm or comfort with quick decisions that the big German brings. Although the 20-year-old was not caught out of position much, save his one unwise foray forward, Chambers's poor decisions with the ball brought on danger.

It's a huge contrast with Mertesacker. Arsenal's on-pitch captain and World Cup winner not only reduces the danger, he initiates many Arsenal attacks with his incisive passing. Without him, Arsenal struggles to move from defense to attack. In particular, it's hard to use deep-lying midfielder Francis Coquelin as a decoy to drag opposition midfielders out of position. This means more narrow passing lanes from Arsenal's defenders to their attacking teammates.

The consequence is more predictable passes, which Liverpool were primed to pressure. More responsibility and Liverpool attention fell on Santi Cazorla, and Arsenal saw the deception and speed of its transitions reduced. Mertesacker makes a critical contribution to this aspect of Arsenal's play, important to be effective at the Premier League level.

Alexis needs Ramsey's vertical threat

Debate has swirled around Aaron Ramsey's position on the right side of the Arsenal attack. The argument is that he doesn't offer the speedy, wide threat to stretch the opposition defense. Instead, he offers more of a horizontal threat, roaming from right to left between the opponent's midfield and defense.

Ramsey's activity was effective against Liverpool, as it had been against Crystal Palace: He generated four chances and made eight ball recoveries and four tackles.

The issue, though, is that Ramsey's movement from right to left reduces Alexis's liberty. First, when he moves toward Alexis, Ramsey brings defenders with him. And there are already more than a few paying attention to Alexis. Liverpool, for example, surrounded Arsenal's top scorer from last season with a fullback, center half, and midfielder, or with two midfielders and a fullback. This stymied him as he approached the corners of the penalty area where he's most threatening.

It also forced Arsenal to beat Liverpool with several short, quick passes in congested areas. There's little room for error in that approach, because one of many nearby Liverpool players or a slightly misplaced pass can foil the move. On the few occasions when Arsenal can find a way through, the finishing has to be expert. It was not on Monday, just as it wasn't late last season when Swansea and Sunderland held Arsenal scoreless.

If Ramsey were running from the center of midfield, though, he would distract the opposition midfield from its focus on Alexis and offer an option for Mesut Özil to make a decisive pass forward. He's also more of a dynamic target for striker Olivier Giroud's lay-off passes. No doubt manager Arsène Wenger will weigh this need against defense-minded teams.

Extra time: Officials still haven't grasped the offside rule

Ramsey's goal was wrongly waved off. Even if it were a borderline case, isn't the advantage supposed to lie with the attacking player? And if, as Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers quipped, "his shirt looked offside," it was his shirt sleeve, attached to his arm, not a part of his body that can trigger the infraction.

Community Shield: Three Things We Learned About Arsenal

Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Chelsea in Sunday's Community Shield capped a perfect pre-season in fine style.

The sun shone on Wembley, supporters were in mid-season voice, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain delivered a lovely goal, and Chelsea manager José Mourinho was irritated. In other words, success.

Although we shouldn't draw any definitive conclusions from the match, we can make some inferences to guide our thinking in advance of next Sunday's Premier League opener against West Ham. Here are three things that stuck out:

1. This team can adapt to the occasion

Arsenal showed it knows more than one way to achieve its objectives. As in last season's watershed victory at Manchester City, the Gunners conceded much of the possession to accomplished opponents, rather than taking a more assertive offensive approach. Chelsea had 57 percent possession to Arsenal's 43 percent. (Stats from Opta via whoscored.com.)

Manager Arsène Wenger praised this tactical move, suggesting in his post-match press conference that the players made this adjustment. "They were more concerned with protecting our lead against Chelsea rather than playing attacking football," he said. "We have to accept that, and I don’t think that’s giving up your philosophy, it’s a punctual fact that we wanted to win a game like that. I’m quite proud of that."

It wasn't a physical, rear-guard defense that suggested a huge gap in quality between the sides; Arsenal simply controlled the passing lanes with a midfield line that made the most of the energy of Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey. The setup started out like the 4-1-4-1 that manager Arsène Wenger had introduced early in the 2014-15 campaign, then after Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal it often looked like a 4-4-1-1 with Mesut Özil just behind Theo Walcott.

The personnel is already flexible, too. Santi Cazorla occupied the left of the midfield, a position he hadn't taken up for at least a year, and Ramsey returned to the center of midfield, his preferred spot but not one where he's regularly featured since the middle of last season. Top scorer Alexis will eventually return, and the players will shift again.

Indeed, adaptability -- both in the starting lineups and in the positioning of players in games -- could be a feature of the season. Wenger has the opportunity to vary his selections to fit the opposition because the players at his disposal, in just about every position, are of high quality.

2. This defense looks ready and savvy

Arsenal conceded just one goal in five pre-season matches, as a variety of defenders and goalkeepers, not including last season's eventual first choice David Ospina, shut down several dangerous opponents.

On Sunday, Chelsea managed two shots on target. They had two other real opportunities, Ramires's first-half header and Eden Hazard's rushed sky job in the second half, but Arsenal's efforts rendered Chelsea's offense largely ineffective. The midfield's work in the passing lanes stymied Cesc Fabregas, and when Chelsea did reach the spaces just outside the penalty area, where they were most dangerous last season, Arsenal crowded the space and blocked any progress.

Longer approaches were handled by Arsenal center-half Laurent Koscielny. He seemed in top form, shepherding Chelsea's front men and attending to any danger. Koscielny made 16 clearances and won four aerial duels, both top figures on the team.

With Koscielny, his central defensive partner Per Mertesacker, and goalkeeper Petr Cech, Arsenal have an experienced, knowledgeable defensive core. That's a strong foundation for a run at the Premier League title.

3. Arsenal didn't act friendly

This was an exhibition that Arsenal came to win. From the kickoff, the Gunners asserted themselves and did not shirk the physical, psychological, or tactical contests inherent in facing a Mourinho team.

That willingness became especially evident late in the second half. Wenger's substitutions were designed to shore up the defense: the more robust Olivier Giroud for Theo Walcott, deep-lying midfielder Mikel Arteta for playmaker Özil, and fullback Kieran Gibbs for Oxlade-Chamberlain. All three made an impact, with Giroud and Gibbs threatening the Chelsea goal and Arteta throwing himself into challenges, particularly with Chelsea substitute Radamel Falcao.

Also noteworthy was left back Nacho Monreal's canny professionalism. Twice in the first half, he got mixed up with Chelsea's Gary Cahill, once resulting in a bloody nose and then sending Cahill into teammate Branislav Ivanovic right at the Chelsea post. Later, Monreal outmaneuvered Falcao (admittedly not a move with a high degree of difficulty) to draw a foul that eased the pressure, and he made a late clearance to kill even more time.

Applying this savvy and effort in a so-called friendly shows how ready this team is for the season ahead. Given Arsenal's talent, that application can put Arsenal in position to defeat just about any opponent. In close matches against top sides, they're required. Add a moment of brilliance, like Sunday's from Oxlade-Chamberlain, and you've got a recipe for success.