When I started writing about Arsenal five years ago, I thought I had something distinctive to say about the club. Having read and been inspired by several blogs for years, I believed I had identified a way to contribute something different to the discussion.
In particular, the business and management of the club, from its corporate strategy to its financial performance to its brand strategy to its management of its human capital, were aspects that I could shed some light on.
I’ve thought a lot and helped others think about such matters over the course of my career. Examining and synthesizing them for such an admirable enterprise as Arsenal Football Club seemed like a worthwhile undertaking.
Today, I’m not going to say that assessment was wrong – this is supposed to be a match preview, not a navel-gazey blog post. But too many of us are paying attention to the business and management of the club at the expense of the actual sporting endeavor.
This week provides an excellent example. Instead of relishing the emergence of Eddie Nketiah, the 18-year-old savior of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup run, the story turned to the conduct of the Annual General Meeting of Arsenal Shareholders. Which, capitalism being what it is, meant absolutely nothing.
What will mean something is the Gunners’ next Premier League match, against Swansea City at Emirates Stadium.
May I suggest, though, that this meaning has little to do with Arsenal’s prospects for the near term, as the team tries to establish consistent performance before some challenging November fixtures? Or with its ultimate position in the 2017-18 Premier League table? Or with the futures of star men Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil? Or with the collective desire of 14 professional athletes who would never have reached the pinnacle of their profession without desire?
Those will doubtless be storylines peddled by paid and amateur analysts during and after the match. And they will largely miss the point of sport.
To me, an observer who's ruminated on the bigger picture for some time, the point now is the enjoyment of sublime athleticism, the appreciation of genius, the surprise at the unexpected. The minute developments or actions that I have never seen before and will likely never see again.
If you view the story through that composite lens, you’ll avoid the jaded, hackneyed, “same old Arsenal” perspective that seems to drive some people near insanity.
You also might appreciate the speed and guile of the Gunners’ attackers against a Swansea defense set up to stymie them, the subtle orchestration of midfielders Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey, the dynamism of wingbacks Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin, and the timely aggressiveness and attention to transition of the team’s defenders and goalkeeper.
Trends to Watch
See above, in particular the timing of Ramsey’s runs to join the attack. Last weekend against Everton, the Welshman synchronized his moves almost perfectly with those of Özil, Alexis, and Alexandre Lacazette. Swansea may be more diligent opponents, but the interactions of Arsenal’s four attackers can be unstoppable.
How the Match Plays Out
This was not a straightforward affair last season, owing primarily to the unjustified dismissal of Xhaka. I expect him to avoid such a fate on Saturday and to dictate the play from the base of Arsenal’s midfield. Farther forward, the Swans may be more resolute than Everton was. Still, I don’t see them resisting the athleticism, skill, and synchronicity of Arsenal’s attack.
Players to Watch
Arsenal. Mesut Özil. After his display at Everton, the German playmaker looks primed to dominate matches with his skill and vision. As Swansea set up to thwart him, he’ll need to move and think just as quickly.
Bournemouth. Lucasz Fabianski. The former Arsenal man between Swansea’s sticks has a worldy in him; he also has a clanger. He’ll be busy.
Earlier this week, the German publication Kicker published
an interview with Arsenal playmaker and record signing Mesut Özil. In
it, Özil stressed his readiness to sign a new contract with the club.
The
only sticking point, he said, is the uncertain management situation.
With manager Arsène Wenger’s own contract set to expire in June, one of
the team’s star men has simply asked the club for an indication of who
his boss will be if he commits his prime years to Arsenal.
“The club knows that I am here especially because of Wenger, who brought me, whose trust I enjoy,” Özil said. “The club also knows that I firstly would like clarity on what the manager is doing.” (See Arseblog’s full English transcript here)
In
one sense, Özil’s declarations are reassuring: He seems content with
his life and work and reluctant to jettison that for greater riches
elsewhere.
On the other hand, his doubt is troubling. It suggests
one of Arsenal’s greatest assets is as much in the dark about the
manager’s position as the rest of us. A reasonable inference from Özil’s
plea is that the club’s executives have not shared the outlines of a
succession plan with him.
Given the discretion with which Arsenal
conducts business, we shouldn’t be surprised that all the details
haven’t emerged. We won't see a five-person managerial short list, for
example.
But we don’t even have reassurances, a succession
philosophy, or indications of a decision structure to hint that the club
is prepared for the possibility of life after Wenger.
The outlines of a plan
Three
years ago, we lived through a similar scenario. Until Arsenal secured
the FA Cup that spring, Wenger’s future remained much in doubt.
The
risks of that state of affairs did not disappear; they were only
deferred. As a result, the observations I made in my October 2014 piece “Arsenal After Arsène” are still germane.
In
particular, we should look at the steps Arsenal have taken to prepare
for the managerial transition. Have the Board and club executives
implemented practices that would produce an effective succession?
According to executive recruiting experts David Larcker and Stephen
Miles, organizations should, among other actions:
- Add succession expertise to the board, particularly the search committee chair
- Develop a robust succession architecture to cover needs from immediate emergencies to a five-year horizon
- Use external advisors to assess candidates and work closely with the board
- Prepare to shuffle the current management team if any members block the development or advancement of others
- Expose promising internal candidates to the board
Although
the club won't engage in all these activities in the open, we can
expect the Board and Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis to reflect on these
needs and to describe their preparations broadly.
Not only have
Arsenal’s leaders failed to substantiate their thinking and actions on
the matter, they have not answered the critical question—who is
primarily responsible for the appointment.
Supporters, observers,
and the media don’t know, despite the experience of 2014, who’s leading
the club in this critical respect or how the leadership is approaching
the decision. More troubling, the players don’t know.
The shortcomings of an insider Board
These
developments, or lack thereof, do not inspire confidence that the Board
has overcome its one obvious flaw. That’s the narrowness of experience
and perspective of its members.
Six men. All white. Three grandees of the club. A father and son pair with no football background. And the CEO.
Even
if we acknowledge that some members of this group have participated in
bold, forward-thinking decisions in the past, the Board’s homogeneity
and its implications are unavoidable.
First and foremost, the lack
of breadth and diversity. A substantial body of organizational research
indicates that the most effective decisions emerge from groups with a
broad range of experiences and identities.
Not only do those perspectives bring new ideas, the very inclusion of difference sparks more careful decision making. (See “Better Decisions through Diversity” from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.)
As
Katherine W. Phillips wrote in Scientific American in 2014, “Diversity
is not only about bringing different perspectives to the table. Simply
adding social diversity to a group makes people believe that differences of perspective might exist among them and that belief makes people change their behavior.” (“ How Diversity Makes Us Smarter”)
There have been no additions to the Arsenal Board since Wenger’s last contract renewal. No apparent changes of behavior, either.
As a result, the club doesn’t inspire confidence that it can make the optimal preparations for Wenger’s departure.
The task that awaits
These preparations are vital to the club’s future because a monumental challenge faces the next manager.
During
his 20-year tenure, Wenger has evolved into something of a Chief
Football Officer. He’s an executive with both strategic and daily
tactical responsibilities.
Both aspects weigh on him. He has said,
for example, that he considers the financial well-being of all the
current staff when he is making decisions about major outlays on new
players.
“What matters to me is that when you have a club with 600
employees, you make sure you can pay everybody at the end of the
month.”
That was his response to a question last August about Arsenal’s perceived hesitation in the transfer market.
In addition, very little seems to happen on the sporting side without Wenger’s okay. For an indication, read the engrossing account
of 2014 loanee Kim Källström. Arsenal’s physicians diagnosed him with
fractures in three vertebrae as he was on the verge of moving to North
London.
After the medical assessment, Källström remembers, Wenger said:
’The
transfer window shuts in a few hours. It’s impossible to find a
replacement. Either I take you or no one.’ Surprised, the others turn to
the big boss. No one knows how he’ll continue, but they know that his
words are law. It’s evident that he has not anchored his decision among
the rest of the staff. He decides. ‘You’ll stay, heal, and train. I’ll
take you when you’re fit.’
When this one figure who
has made so many decisions, the one to whom so many people have
deferred, departs the scene, Arsenal faces a cultural and structural
upheaval. Wenger’s replacement will have to coach the entire
organization through that challenging transition.
Indeed, even
taking into account a restructuring of Wenger’s responsibilities, the
new manager will have to be comfortable with an executive’s perch.
Wenger described the evolution of his responsibilities at length in a conversation last March:
I
remember I was manager at the top level [in 1983]. It was me, 20
players, and a part-time physio. Today, we are in 2016, I have a real
team around me, a team of assistants, specialists of all
kinds—statistical analysts, video analysts, scouting, physios, doctors,
dieticians. So my job today has, of course, changed.
And I get so
much information, that the problem of the modern manager is more to
select the three, four [pieces of] information about the multitude he
gets which are really significant.
Today you are much more in selection mode and decision mode.
Today you have other problems, to manage your own team of consultants … That creates human problems as well.
Here,
Wenger is talking about his responsibilities in terms most executives
would find familiar. He has to identify meaningful points amidst a flood
of information and make important decisions on the basis of that
selection.
Add explaining those decisions with equanimity to
agenda-driven writers and broadcasters, demanding supporters, highly
compensated players, colleagues within the club, and its leadership, and
you have a colossal undertaking on an almost daily basis.
Given
the magnitude of this work and its effects on Arsenal’s success, those
in position of authority should be better prepared to handle life after
Wenger than they seem to be.
When Arsenal's offense hums, playmaker Mesut Özil orchestrates it.
But neither he nor the team got into a rhythm in Saturday’s 1-1 draw
with Manchester United. The Gunners’ inability to register a shot on
target until Olivier Giroud’s equalizer in the 89th minute seems like clear proof of the team’s ineffectiveness on the day.
Combine
that reality with the hosts’ crisper passing and effective defending,
and you get a rather unpleasant display for Arsenal fans. A pleasing
result, no doubt, but not with the aesthetic quality we would like to
see.
Pause from the monocause
As ever in
this era of reductive outrage, many observers laid the responsibility at
the feet of either Özil or Aaron Ramsey. The attacking midfielders
carried the creative potential in this particular starting XI; the other
members of the front six tended to the direct (Alexis, Theo Walcott) or
the risk managers (Francis Coquelin, Mohammed Elneny).
It’s true
that neither Özil nor Ramsey created a chance for a teammate. Between
them, they completed only one pass in the opposition penalty area. And
neither took a shot.
So at one level you can see why Arsenal’s two talents took criticism for the pedestrian display overall.
But those complaints, true to our age, oversimplify complex developments.
Kelly Wood’s defense of Ramsey, “Aaron Ramsey! He is Great,”
hammers the Ramsey critics effectively, so I won’t restate her points
here. What I will do instead is try to understand the dynamics that
brought on this performance, particularly from Özil.
So, what’s Özil’s scenario?
First,
the statistics don’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. Özil
completed 58 passes against Manchester United, just one fewer than his
season average. His passing accuracy of 86 percent was only one
percentage point lower than his norm so far this year.
The
difference was where Özil did this work. Instead of combining with
Alexis and Walcott on the edge or in Manchester United’s penalty area,
the German playmaker operated much closer to midfield. The heat maps on whoscored.com
show Özil frequenting the middle third. That was a change of his sphere
of influence, given that he’s one of the Premier League’s most prolific
final-third passers.
Not only did this shift of activity take
Özil away from where he’s most dangerous, it jammed him into an area
where others were operating. In particular, Alexis dropped deep from his
center forward position to receive the ball—note the overlap with Özil
on the heat map.
Rather than creating triangles to facilitate
quick passing, the Gunners’ close proximity to each other in midfield
allowed Manchester United’s midfielders to clog the spaces.
There was another team on the pitch
That was central to Jose Mourinho’s brutal design.
The
Manchester United manager set out to deny Özil opportunities on the
ball. The German genius often found himself surrounded by three
opposition players—center backs Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones pushing up
and midfielder Michael Carrick shielding passes into him. When he
ventured to the left, right back Antonio Valencia and a central
midfielder usually had him cornered.
Loosening these defensive
shackles proved difficult. It required guile and skill from Özil's
midfield teammates or a dangerous distraction elsewhere.
For all
their positive qualities and contributions, Coquelin and Elneny could
not provide the craft to free Özil. The central pair focused on breaking
up the hosts’ attacks and making the simple pass out. These two
responsibilities were difficult enough, what with the harassment they
received from Ander Herrera.
To find the well-marshalled Özil, they needed more daring.
Creative
responsibility wasn’t their brief, though, as manager Arsène Wenger
admitted afterward. “I knew it would be a bit more of a physical battle,
so I chose players who have experience and fight,” he told Arsenal.com.
Method to the midfield
There’s
a logic to this approach. Many factors weighed against Arsenal in this
match, even if this wasn’t the most fearsome Manchester United lineup of
all time.
Early kickoff. Return from the international break. The
Mourinho hoodoo. A 10-year league victory drought at Old Trafford.
Injuries to dynamic players like Hector Bellerin and Santi Cazorla.
In
that context, you can understand a more circumspect approach from
Arsenal. Wenger was right that midfield robustness was important; it’s
just that his charges didn’t cope superbly with the aggressiveness of
Manchester United in that area of the pitch.
They handled it well
enough to get a draw. If the players’ post-game comments are a true
indication, they’ll be honest in their assessment of the performance and
optimistic that better outings lie ahead.
After an eventful international break, Arsenal host Southampton on
Saturday. It will be the first home match since the ignominious,
season-opening loss to Liverpool. That seems long ago.
The
Emirates Stadium will see a substantially different squad this weekend.
Not only are the team’s top players—Alexis, Mesut Özil, Laurent
Koscielny—now ready for action, they will be joined by recent arrivals
Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Pérez.
As a result, manager Arsène
Wenger has a deeper pool of talent and experience to plumb for his
starting lineup. Wenger admitted as much in his pre-match press
conference, saying “It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve had a team of what you can call men ready to compete.”
Southampton will, as always, test how ready these Gunners are.
Although
three league matches aren’t enough to determine patterns of play and
statistical trends, it does seem that new Saints manager Claude Puel is
departing from the style of his predecessor Ronald Koeman. As Adrian
Clarke explains in his “Chalkboard” segment on the Official Arsenal Weekly Podcast,
Puel has installed a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond of Oriol
Romeu, Steven Davis, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Dusan Tadic.
This
presents two opportunities to Arsenal. The Gunners can gain numerical
superiority in the midfield and weave their way around their
counterparts, using the skill and vision of Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla,
and Özil to full effect. They can also exploit openings created when
Southampton’s fullbacks advance to provide width to the attack. The runs
of Alexis and Theo Walcott could be especially dangerous in this
respect.
Whatever the path forward, the key will be finishing the
chances the Gunners create. That was obviously the downfall in this
fixture last season, when Arsenal took 22 shots, put 11 on target, and
drew a blank. In two of three matches so far this season, scoring has
not been a problem—while Southampton have failed to prevent their
opponents from scoring each time out. Perhaps we can expect a different
dynamic from this encounter.
Arsenal’s defense will most likely
have a different look. Mustafi will probably take over from Rob Holding
beside Koscielny, giving the Gunners an experienced, aggressive central
defensive tandem. Mustafi’s decision-making will be tested right away by
the wily and speedy Saints attackers Nathan Redmond and Shane Long.
In
all, there should be plenty of new developments to hold the interest in
this one. Let’s hope the conclusion differs from those of recent
Arsenal-Southampton meetings, of which only one of the past six produced
an Arsenal win.
Key Matchup
Granit Xhaka
against Dusan Tadic. These two will determine which team dictates play.
Tadic provides the creativity for Southampton, while Xhaka patrols the
opposition’s creative zone and launches Arsenal. How each fulfills his
respective offensive role while hindering his opponent will influence
the course of the match.
Where to Worry
The
biggest Arsenal concern is integrating new arrivals and recent
returnees. How well do Mustafi and Koscielny gel at the center of the
defense? Is Olivier Giroud ready to lead the line again, and can he
destabilize the powerful Southampton defenders José Fonte and Virgil Van
Dijk? Or will the more mobile Pérez be introduced right away, and, if
so, how will he cope with the Premier League’s physicality?
Match Verdict
A
protracted tactical contest in the midfield swings Arsenal’s way thanks
to the mobility, variety, and intelligence of the Gunners’ front line.
Players to Watch
Arsenal. Mesut Özil.
This team is so much more threatening with the German playmaker in the
lineup. He’s a genius at manipulating space and buying time to make the
killer pass. He can also get himself into promising scoring positions,
as he did in the most recent league match against Watford and in this
fixture last season.
Southampton. Fraser Forster.
The Saints’ #1 suffered an arm injury on England duty, but Puel says he
should be ready for Saturday. Forster stood on his head in this fixture
last season, and a similar performance would frustrate Arsenal and its
fans.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger faces a fascinating set of decisions as he prepares for the 2016-17 season.
Although
much attention at this time of year goes to player acquisitions and
departures, the plans for existing players are just as interesting. In
particular, how can Wenger and his staff get the most from Mesut Özil,
Aaron Ramsey, and Alexis Sanchez?
The complications of success
The
three were the standout performers on the international stage this
summer. Alexis earned the player of the tournament honor for Copa
America champions Chile; Ramsey took Wales to the Euro semifinals and
himself onto the all-tournament team; Özil pulled the strings for the
German Euro semifinalists yet inexplicably missed out on the accolades.
They
all excelled in free roles in their teams’ attacks, moving into and out
of dangerous positions behind the lead strike force. They can’t do the
same for Arsenal. There’s just not enough room, time on the ball, or
exemption from defending. (See Tim Stillman’s recent column, “Arsène’s Agenda,” for a look at the Özil-Ramsey relationship.)
A
further challenge is that none of them will be ready to start the
season on August 14. Each will be taking a break before returning to
Arsenal, with the second league match—against champions Leicester
City—looking like their earliest reasonable action.
As a result,
pre-season and early match dynamics may not reflect Wenger’s intentions
for his three best attacking players. Ultimately, here are some ways the
manager might shift the personnel or system to maximize their
contributions.
Playing in the band
It’s of
course difficult to separate individuals from the structure that guides
their actions. As an exercise in analysis, I'd identify three main
developments in the team that will influence the impact of Özil, Ramsey,
and Alexis.
First, the arrival of Granit Xhaka has the potential
to reorient Arsenal’s approach. His distinctive mix of skills and
aggression can enhance partnerships in the midfield and change the flow
of the attack. (See my article “Which Midfield Mix Will Work for Arsenal.”)
One
particular beneficiary of Xhaka’s arrival should be Ramsey. His new
Swiss teammate has the ability both to patrol the base of midfield and
to keep the ball circulating. This means that Ramsey could take a freer
role than he could with, say, Francis Coquelin; he could concern himself
less with initiating the transition and protecting the defense.
That is, if Ramsey takes up a midfield position beside Xhaka.
The
second important development in the playing contingent, the return of
Santi Cazorla, will influence Ramsey’s role. Cazorla can serve as
another transition instigator and has allowed Özil to thrive in the
past. The German’s outstanding start to the 2015-16 season, when he set a
record-setting assist pace, was possible because Cazorla orchestrated
the play from deeper and gave defenders another playmaker to worry
about.
But instructing Cazorla to take up this role again would
probably displace Ramsey from a position in the center, where he
excelled for Wales. A knotty problem.
The third personnel-related
factor affecting the star trio’s contribution is the center forward’s
style. Olivier Giroud is a particular kind of center forward; he’s an
effective target man, deft passer, and clever operator near goal. These
qualities have made him a great foil for Ramsey, who attacks with vigor
from midfield: Watch Ramsey’s epic FA Cup winner from 2014 for an
example.
What Giroud isn’t is a speedy killer, the type of mobile,
clinical striker that Alexis might thrive with. Although analyses
suggesting that Alexis and Giroud can’t jibe are poorly founded, we have
often seen Alexis at his best playing with quick center forwards like
Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck offers a flexibility that
would serve Alexis, Özil, and Ramsey all well. He darts into channels
and opens space that all three can exploit and is an indefatigable
defensive presence who helps recover the ball in dangerous areas.
Stylistically, Welbeck is an excellent fit; he’s just out for a long
period with injury and historically not the most clinical finisher.
Possible formations
Given
the players at Wenger’s disposal right now, which formation makes
Arsenal most effective? Offensively at least, the setup would emphasize
the attacking talents of Alexis, Özil, and Ramsey. The three options
examined below might accomplish that objective. Others, such as the
4-4-2 or 3-5-2, don’t seem to appeal to the manager.
4-2-3-1
The
fallback structure in recent seasons has been the 4-2-3-1. Although it
balances midfield presence, playmaking, and defensive cover, that setup
may not bring about the maximum offensive production from the three.
It
certainly works to Özil’s strengths because it gives the playmaker the
most license. And there’s a case for an attacking midfield of
Alexis-Özil-Ramsey, which played a large part in Arsenal’s top
performances of 2015.
If the attacking midfield becomes even more
fluid, the 4-2-3-1 could still serve Arsenal well. The speed of movement
and thought among the three confuses defenders and creates openings.
The catch is that turnovers leave Arsenal’s fullbacks exposed because
their forward support has moved away from their flanks.
4-3-3
The second
option is a 4-3-3. In this, one can see Xhaka with Ramsey and Cazorla
in a midfield three. Ramsey could thrive with such skilled and clever
midfield partners, using their varied transition play to get himself
quickly into dangerous forward positions.
The
4-3-3 has promise for Özil as well. It allows him to drift into
promising spaces, where he can play a killer pass, which has been his
general operating mode for Germany. Whether this arrangement works for
Özil in Premier League play, given the defensive implications, is a
question.
The fundamental problem with such a formation, though,
has to do with the strengths of Arsenal’s available center forward
options. Giroud would not be as effective if he had to make quick moves
into the gaps between opposition defenders or if he had to lead the
Arsenal press. These seem like core striker responsibilities in a 4-3-3,
more aligned with Welbeck’s strengths.
4-1-4-1
Third,
we might see a resurrection of the 4-1-4-1. It’s a slight variation on
the 4-2-3-1 that Wenger tried early in the 2014-15 season.
This
formation seemed to suit Alexis because his energy and quickness allowed
him to cover offensive and defensive space on the flank of the advanced
midfield four. He could also get forward quickly and support the center
forward.
Xhaka’s arrival makes this setup workable. He could hold
the base of the midfield and distribute long passes to the wings or
shorter ones to Ramsey and Özil in two attacking midfield roles.
The
gap in the 4-1-4-1, given Arsenal’s current roster, is the other wide
attacking midfield position. At the moment, the candidates would be Theo
Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, and Joel Campbell. Does
any of those players have the combination of skills to elevate the
team’s play consistently?
More experienced and insightful figures
than myself or other bloggers will be assessing this question and others
as the season approaches. Perhaps Wenger and his staff will reveal some
of what they think about the intriguing possibilities when pre-season friendlies start at the end of next week.
Arsenal won its first league match in five outings, defeating Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
First-class
goals by Mesut Özil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, separated by just 90
seconds of the first half, proved enough for the Gunners to secure their
first away league victory in almost two months and to position them for
a push at leaders Leicester City when the two sides meet next weekend.
Here are three things we learned from the match.
Mesut Özil brings calm
Knowing
they needed a win to keep pace with Leicester and recognizing they
hadn’t delivered one since downing Newcastle on January 2, the Gunners
were edgy at the start. Their passes seemed rushed, their touches were a
bit off, and their one look at goal, via Alexis Sanchez, lacked
quality.
Özil calmed everyone down.
His finish ended a
passage of play that displayed several Arsenal players’ strengths. Aaron
Ramsey, afforded time and space about 30 yards from the Bournemouth
goal, looked to his right, then lobbed a pass toward the back post.
There, both Alexis and Olivier Giroud attacked the ball, Giroud winning
it and heading just outside the six-yard box.
Özil ran onto the
ball and, as it bounced, clobbered it with his right foot into the roof
of the net. An absolute no-doubter that gave Arsenal the comfort of an
early lead.
In addition to that goal, Özil settled the play with
his work on the ball throughout the match. He completed 52 of 56 passes
(93 percent), according to the FourFourTwo StatsZone app, including 22
of 25 in Arsenal’s attacking third. He also made 11 ball recoveries,
tied for most on the team with Ramsey.
Perhaps Özil recognized the
need for control and took fewer risks. That did affect his creative
output a bit, as he created just two chances for teammates, a low number
by his standards.
But his influence was critical and solidified his status as Arsenal’s most important player so far this season.
Aesthetics don’t matter at this point
Arsenal needed to earn points in the league table, not style points, from this match. That’s exactly what they did.
Conditions
didn’t favor an eye-catching display anyway. Bournemouth were energetic
hosts with experience knocking off top teams on the South Coast. The
Dean Court pitch was choppy, and a strong wind swirled around the small
ground. Late on, a squall blew in and worsened the elements.
These
factors did have an effect. Arsenal’s defenders had trouble judging
long balls, and iffy moments with the wind from Gabriel and Nacho
Monreal led to threats on Petr Cech’s goal. The Czech keeper had an
uncharacteristically bad day distributing the ball, as the wind caught
several of his throws and goal kicks and took them out of play.
Arsenal
played through these potential distractions and kept focus. When the
defense lapsed, Cech was ready to make several crucial saves. In other
instances, his teammates threw themselves in front of Bournemouth shots,
making six blocks, or chasing down their opponents, as fullback Hector
Bellerin did when Gabriel couldn’t deal with the long ball to
Bournemouth’s Marc Pugh.
It was far from a scintillating display, but in context it was precisely the effort and execution required.
Arsenal’s center backs are still adjusting
Laurent
Koscielny, captain on the day, and Gabriel, preferred again to Per
Mertesacker, were strong in some respects and less so in others. They
did the basic job of central defenders, keeping the opposition strikers
quiet, very well. Former Gunner Benik Afobe, leading the Bournemouth
line, did not get off a shot. Koscielny, in particular, ably marshaled
Afobe and was well positioned to deal with other threats.
Where he
and Gabriel struggled was in the effort to move Arsenal from defense
into attack. It’s been observed in many places that Santi Cazorla’s
absence in midfield has affected the Gunners’ transitions, and here
without Mertesacker’s knack for a pass from the back, Arsenal again
sputtered.
One passage of play in the first half showed the
struggles clearly. Gabriel retrieved the ball and came under a bit of
pressure from Bournemouth. He sought a way out via Mathieu Flamini in
midfield, but Flamini just passed the ball right back to Gabriel.
Gabriel then tried right back Hector Bellerin, who could do little more
than find Flamini in the center of midfield again. Flamini went back to
Gabriel, who had no choice but to lump it up field and out of play.
Sequences
such as this have been all too common in recent weeks. There are signs
that Arsenal are looking for other ways forward, such as from Monreal to
Alexis, which was the team’s second highest passing combination on
Sunday, or, thanks to Alexis’s return, more energetic efforts to win the
ball closer to the opposition’s goal. Arsenal will need to explore
these avenues as opponents continue their clear approach of putting
pressure on the Gunners’ center backs and central midfielders.
Extra time
Oxlade-Chamberlain
showed a flash of genuine quality with his goal. It might not have been
as eye-catching as Özil’s, but his strike was very difficult. His first
touch of Ramsey’s pass got him away from the defender, but his angle on
goal was narrowing quickly as he ran slightly away from goal. He
released his shot at the last possible moment, created decent power, and
placed it precisely.
This was evidence of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s
athleticism, and we’re all hoping the confidence he gains from scoring
his first league goal since September 2014 will enhance his
contributions to Arsenal’s title challenge.
Arsenal's 3-1 victory over Sunderland on Saturday was welcome if not vintage.
Olivier
Giroud's headed goal put the Gunners in front midway through the second
half, and Aaron Ramsey's scrappy finish in injury time sealed the
team's first league win since October 31. The result moved Arsenal back
to second place, two points behind surprise leaders Leicester City.
Although
the outcome was positive, particularly given the injury-enforced
changes in the lineup, the performance will give manager Arsène Wenger,
his staff, and the players much to contemplate as they turn to the busy
December schedule.
Here are three things for us all to consider based on Saturday's match.
Arsenal's leads seem precarious
For
the third consecutive league match, Arsenal scored the first goal. Such
early leads would frequently be decisive, because they allow the team
with the advantage to focus on thwarting the opponents and launching
counterattacks.
Arsenal have not been able to capitalize of late,
however. Just as they had done at West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City,
the Gunners failed to hold their lead through the half. Joel Campbell's
clean strike of Mesut Özil's sublime pass was negated by a Giroud own
goal just before halftime.
The specifics were different in each
match, but a common thread is defensive instincts that, in the moment,
were not precise enough. In this case, Laurent Koscielny's move to nip
the ball from Sunderland's Duncan Watmore along the touchline wasn't
necessary and proved a split-second late. The subsequent free kick saw
Giroud attempt a clearance with the wrong foot, given his relationship
to goal; the equalizing goal was the result.
In truth, level terms
looked shaky at times on Saturday, too. Arsenal's midfield was bypassed
far too easily, leading to clear chances for Sunderland attackers
Watmore and Fabio Borini. The new midfield partnership of Mathieu
Flamini and Aaron Ramsey didn't support the defense enough, especially
when one of the fullbacks had made a foray forward.
Arsenal will need to address this weakness before sterner tests ahead.
Arsenal's difference makers again made the difference
The
shakiness didn't undo the Gunners because, in Özil and Petr Cech, the
Gunners could call on world-class players to see them through.
In
the absence of Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez, Özil took on more
responsibility for the Arsenal attack. The German playmaker attempted
107 passes, 15 percent of Arsenal's total on Saturday. As a point of
contrast, the previous match in which Arsenal's first choice lineup
attempted at least 600 passes was against Stoke City; Özil's attempts
made up 10 percent that day. (Stats from FourFourTwo's StatsZone app)
He
misfired on 22 passes, a week after failing on just one pass at Norwich
City. But his influence was profound. He had the highest number of
passes in the attacking third, created five chances for teammates, had
more successful dribbles, and suffered the most fouls.
Özil's
brilliant assist for Campbell's opener was his 12th in 14 league games
this season. That's an absolutely blistering pace. He has twice as many
assists as the next highest providers in the league.
At the other
end of the pitch, Cech continues to prove his worth. He made three
crucial saves, two of what StatsZone calls "big chances" when the
attacker has only the keeper to beat. Cech also scrambled away two other
potential own goals.
The goalkeeper is shoring up Arsenal's defense and its position near the top of the Premier League table.
Aaron Ramsey's energy was telling
Last
week's injury to Santi Cazorla meant that Aaron Ramsey, himself only a
week back from an injury layoff, returned to the center of Arsenal's
midfield. It's the position he prefers and one in which he thrived
during the 2013-14 season.
Despite Ramsey's time on the
sidelines--and perhaps despite the sleep deprivation accompanying his
new fatherhood--his energy and influence grew as the match went on. His
runs overloaded dangerous areas and helped move Sunderland's defenders
from their posts.
The assist for Giroud's goal came from one such
occasion, when Ramsey shifted left to adjust to left back Nacho
Monreal's dribble infield, received Monreal's pass, and found Giroud
just in front of Sunderland's Younes Kaboul. He closed the deal by
getting into the box and bundling home Calum Chambers's deflected shot.
Overall,
Ramsey was almost as involved as Özil in the attacking third,
completing 39 of his team-high 114 passes there. He also attempted seven
shots and created four chances for teammates.
We'd perhaps like
to see a keener focus on the defensive side from Ramsey--he tried and
failed his one tackle attempt and made just one interception--but as a
second game back from injury, in a different position, with a different
partner in midfield, Ramsey's influence was sizable.
Extra time
Arsenal's
movement from outside to inside created the first two goals. For the
first, Campbell ran outside wingback DeAndre Yedlin and was open for
Özil's pass. For the second, Monreal carried the ball from outside to
inside, scrambling Sunderland's defense just enough for Ramsey and
Giroud to find space.
These attacks from the flank proved more
productive than attempts to play through Giroud against Sunderland's
three central defenders. It's something to watch as Theo Walcott returns
to the side from injury.
Arsenal’s difficult November came to a close with a 1-1 draw at Norwich City on Sunday.
For
the second week in a row, the Gunners could not hold a 1-0 lead into
halftime. Mesut Özil’s lovely opener gave Arsenal the advantage for just
13 minutes, before Norwich’s Lewis Grabban nabbed a 43rd-minute
equalizer.
There was additional discomfort with injuries to key
players Laurent Koscielny, Alexis Sanchez, and Santi Cazorla. Their
absences may prove more damaging than the result in the long run.
Here are three things we learned from the match.
The manager was betwixt and between with Alexis
Arsenal
manager Arsène Wenger has been sending the message that Alexis might be
overworked. You can understand why: The Chilean whirlwind has hardly
rested in two years: 43 games with Barcelona in 2013-14, the 2014 World
Cup with Chile, 51 matches with Arsenal in 2014-15, the 2015 Copa
America, and 20 appearances for Arsenal so far this season. That doesn’t
even include international friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.
The
payment finally came due in East Anglia on Sunday. Alexis chased the
ball in the Norwich penalty area, didn’t quite get to it, then grabbed
his hamstring.
Because Wenger went public with his deliberations
over continuing to field his star, he opened himself up to critics. The
manager clearly recoiled at the criticism during his post-match press conference:
“Nobody is scientifically developed enough, not even the press, to
predict exactly when a guy would be injured. I must say that with all
humility we are not in position to predict that.”
It’s easy to say
in hindsight that the manager should have given Alexis a rest, but
given his impact, the other attacking options available, and the need to
improve Arsenal’s form in the league, one can understand why Wenger
sent him out on Sunday.
Indeed, it was Alexis’s energy and quick
thinking that created the Arsenal goal. He pounced on a heavy touch by
Norwich’s Gary O’Neil and swiftly swung the ball left for Özil to beat
the onrushing John Ruddy.
Arsenal will go as far as Mesut Özil takes them
Arsenal’s
top signing has to carry this team now. Due to Alexis’s impending
absence, Özil will have to provide and produce if Arsenal is to have a
successful season.
It’s a heavy individual burden in a team sport,
particularly one like football whose dynamic favors defense over
creativity. There’s no Premier League player I’d choose to entrust with
this responsibility over Özil, though.
He has delivered
impressively so far. The German playmaker has 11 assists and four goals
in the Premier and Champions leagues this fall. According to whoscored.com,
Özil has made 58 key passes in league matches this season. That’s 11
more (23%) than West Ham’s Dmitri Payet, who ranks second on the list.
Although
his assist streak came to an end on Sunday—and his key passes were
below his season average—Özil distributed the ball dangerously and
effectively. He completed 67 of 68 passes (98.5 percent), including 33
of 34 in Arsenal’s attacking third.
Then there’s his newfound nose
for goal. Özil said after scoring against Dinamo Zagreb in the
Champions League that he doesn’t need goals to fuel his ego, but perhaps
his team ethos makes him realize that the group needs him to contribute
goals as well. He made his mark in that respect again on Sunday and led
Arsenal with five shots in total.
Expect that trend to continue.
Arsenal could not overcome Norwich’s tactics
Norwich
manager Alex Neil drew some lessons from watching Arsenal’s last two
matches. He saw West Bromwich Albion stifle the Gunners by packing as
many defenders as would fit into their own penalty area, and he
witnessed Dinamo Zagreb delay Arsenal’s attack with a high press.
The Canaries combined those approaches on Sunday, and Arsenal did not have a compelling answer.
Norwich
put just enough pressure on Arsenal’s main ball distributors, Cazorla
and Per Mertesacker, to slow the Gunners’ transitions from defense to
attack. Then, as Arsenal advanced, Norwich crowded its penalty area and
forced the Gunners to find a way through. They couldn’t.
In
reaction, Arsenal sent the ball wide and looked for fullbacks Nacho
Monreal and Hector Bellerin to stretch Norwich’s defense laterally. The
pair attempted a total of 40 passes in Arsenal’s final third, according
to FourFourTwo’s StatsZone app. That was more than Wes Hoolahan and
Robbie Brady, Norwich’s forward-looking midfielders, tried between the
two of them in their final third.
Arsenal weren’t dangerous from
these positions on the flanks. The Gunners sent 28 crosses into the
penalty area, but only connected on five of those. That was the same
number of successful crosses that Arsenal put up at West Brom, where
they attempted 23.
We can make a reasonable guess about the tactic
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce will employ when his team visits
Arsenal on Saturday.
Extra time
If you're a
Premier League player in a game being refereed by Jonathan Moss and
you're nearing the pitch boundaries, you'd best watch your back. Moss
officiated Arsenal's encounter with Stoke City last January, when Marko
Arnautovic caused Arsenal's Mathieu Debuchy a separated shoulder by
shoving him into the advertising hoardings. He was also in charge on
Sunday, as Norwich's Ryan Bennett pushed Alexis into a camera well. In
neither case did Moss take action.
This international break is even less exciting than most, what with
just four competitive ties in Europe among pedestrian national sides,
World Cup qualifiers far in advance of the actual competition, and a
host of friendlies. The main benefit of the current hiatus is the
opportunity to assess Arsenal’s start to the season and the club’s
prospects.
Arsenal have played 12 matches in the Premier League
and return to action on Saturday with 26 points, the same as league
leaders Manchester City. Will the Gunners be there in May?
A more favorable feeling
Because
the dynamics of each campaign are different, obsessing over parallels
with seasons past isn’t especially productive. Still, there might be
lessons supporters and the players can draw from the 2013-14 league
season, for example, when Arsenal topped the table after 12 matches.
“The second half [of that season], we dropped,” left back Nacho Monreal told Arsenal Player.
“So we need to learn about that. The team is different now. We have
different players—more competitive. I think the level of the team is
better now.”
It’s hard to argue that point. The additions of
Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech and the acclimatization of Mesut Özil
brought three game changers to the side; recruitment in the summer of
2014 gave the squad needed depth; and the emergence of Francis Coquelin
and Hector Bellerin added to the dynamism in the playing style.
Much has also been made of the team’s camaraderie and mindset. As Cech observed from his many successful seasons with Chelsea,
You
never win things without being focused, without being right in the
training ground. So far, I have to say that the team are focused on what
we are doing every day, and I have to say, this is the key.
The
results, at least in the League, provide the evidence. Arsenal have
what it takes to compete with the top sides. The 3-0 demolition of
Manchester United, still the team with the league’s best defensive
record, is a clear sign of the Gunners’ ability to dominate a match at
the summit.
They’ve also summoned the quality of winning when
they’re not at their best, such as the 2-1 victory over an energetic
Everton side, and have been able to grind out draws that in years past
may have turned into losses.
The sample size is small, but two
performances after taxing Champions League ties illustrate a possible
difference between the seasons. In 2013, Arsenal traveled to Germany,
endured the indefatigable pressing of Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund
side, and escaped with a 1-0 win. Four days later, a drained Arsenal
team lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. This season, the
Arsenal team, exhausted by a 5-1 battering in Munich and seemingly
overwhelmed by illness, injury, and Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield
press, rallied to secure a 1-1 draw with Tottenham and finished that
match its more likely winners.
A comparison of results
Beyond such anecdotes, do the numbers indicate that this team has reached a higher level of competitiveness?
In
total, the 26 points from the first 12 matches (W8 D2 L2) is two fewer
than the Arsenal of 2013-14 compiled over the similar opening period.
The difference, really, is that of one draw in 2015 that was a win in
2013.
Given the strength of the two schedules, though, that’s a
good outcome. At this point in the 2013 campaign, the median position of
the Gunners’ first 12 league opponents was 11.5; this season, it’s 9.5.
Indeed, in 2013, nine of Arsenal’s first 12 opponents found themselves in the 11th to 20th
league positions after 12 matches. Arsenal won seven of those nine
matches, drew one (at West Bromwich Albion), and lost one, the opener
against Aston Villa. That’s a total of 22 of 28 points, or 79 percent,
from matches against the league’s poorer sides.
Among the first 12
opponents this season, by contrast, only five occupied a bottom-half
spot after 12 matches. Arsenal won four of those matches and lost one
(at Chelsea), amassing 12 of 26 points, or 46 percent, against teams
below the current league midpoint.
The majority of Arsenal’s
points, then, have come against teams in the top half of the league.
There have been two decisive victories against teams in the top four,
two wins and two draws against teams in positions five through 10, and
the opening day loss to West Ham, currently sixth in the table.
In
short, although the points total is slightly lower this season, the
results are more encouraging, considering the competition.
Relative performance to date
How do these early results look in comparison to those of the other main title contenders?
The
degree of difficulty in Manchester City’s schedule has been much lower
than Arsenal’s, yet City haven’t accumulated any more points. The median
league position of its opponents after 12 matches is 12.0.
They’ve played every team in the bottom six except 19th-ranked
Sunderland and built their goal differential advantage with a five-goal
win over Newcastle (#17) and a four-goal win over Bournemouth (#18).
At
this point, the other main challenger for the title appears to be
Manchester United. They’ve amassed 24 points from their first 12
matches, against opponents with a median position of 9.5. That’s
identical to Arsenal’s strength of schedule.
The breakdown of
matches against top-four opponents, those in positions five through 10,
and those in the bottom half of the table is identical for Arsenal and
Manchester United. The performance gap between the two is small, but so
far Arsenal have fared better against the top four, winning two and
losing none to Manchester United’s one draw and one loss.
Other
statistics, such as expected goals (xG) and the difference between
expected goals for and against, put Arsenal squarely in contention for
the Premier League title.
The preliminary conclusion
More
than two thirds of the season remains, and developments both
foreseeable and unforeseeable will influence the final outcome. Health,
particularly of Özil, Alexis, Coquelin, and Santi Cazorla, is probably
the most important factor.
Injuries and other factors may favor
the Gunners in ways they haven't in years past, or they may not. It’s
that unpredictability that drives interest in sporting endeavors.
The
most we can therefore do is give a “qualified yes” answer to the
question “Is this Arsenal’s year?” Anything more definitive would just
ruin the fun anyway.
Arsenal fought back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw with Tottenham in the 161st installment of the North London Derby.
Mesut
Özil again provided the crucial pass, finding substitute Kieran Gibbs
with a cross at the far post. Gibbs got enough of the ball to bundle it
past Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris, negating Harry Kane’s first half strike
for Spurs and Tottenham’s superiority during the middle section of the
match.
Here are three things we learned from the contest.
Arsenal now have the players to deliver the points
Although
Spurs controlled much of the play, Arsenal had enough quality to make
the key moments count. Özil and goalkeeper Petr Cech, players with
international pedigree, exerted their influence at the right times to
prevent defeat.
The German playmaker delivered an assist in his sixth consecutive league game and his 10th
in 11 league appearances. The former is an unprecedented feat for a
player on one Premier League team. His assist total could have been even
higher, but for some slightly wayward finishing by striker Olivier
Giroud. Overall, Özil created seven chances for teammates, according to
the FourFourTwo StatsZone app.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
hailed his silky midfielder’s progress and contribution after the match.
“He was outstanding again,” said Wenger.
“He has grown into a very great player as he has added commitment,
leadership qualities, and responsibility, and I’m very pleased with his
development.”
Another experienced hand earned widespread praise
for keeping the Gunners in this match. Cech had to stop goal-bound shots
by Christian Ericksen and Toby Alderweireld in the match’s third
quarter; otherwise, Arsenal would have trailed by two goals with little
prospect of recovery.
The save of Alderweireld’s shot was
especially important. The Spurs’ defender got himself free to receive a
corner kick and directed a strong header at goal. Cech’s positioning and
reflexes were exactly what they needed to be for the moment; this
intervention gave Arsenal the chance of equalizing.
As Wenger put it,
“He has shown again how important he is and that maybe goalkeeper is
maybe the most underrated position in football, because there is a
moment he can keep you in it. If you go 2-0 down, it’s bye-bye.”
Thanks to Cech and Özil, Arsenal did not have to depart this match with nothing.
A depleted Arsenal can survive—and nearly thrive
The
Arsenal injury list consisted of seven players, three starters among
them, prior to the match. That was actually a slight improvement from
earlier in the week, due to the returns of Laurent Koscielny and Mikel
Arteta to the squad.
But the strain was still significant.
Midfielder Santi Cazorla, whose partnerships with Özil and Francis
Coquelin are so important to the team’s flow and defensive solidity, was
suffering from dizziness and nausea and could hardly kick the ball
straight. Wenger replaced him at halftime.
Offensive dynamo Alexis
doesn’t seem right, either. He’s been playing with some combination of a
groin strain and fatigue for a month, and his knack for goals has left
him.
Right back Mathieu Debuchy, himself a replacement for the
injured Hector Bellerin, took a knock in the second half and had to come
off just after the Gibbs goal. As a result, the team spent the ultimate
period of the match with Mathieu Flamini, inserted for Cazorla in
midfield, at right back and Gibbs at left wing.
Yet this ragtag
bunch looked the more likely winners in the end, even though Spurs had
fielded its first-choice lineup playing to the top of its capabilities.
That’s an indication of this team’s desire and potential.
Mathieu Debuchy should stop talking
Anyone
who pays the slightest attention to Arsenal knows that Mathieu Debuchy
is dissatisfied. The Frenchman suffered the misfortune of two long-term
injuries last season, his first at the club, and encountered the
emergence of the phenom Hector Bellerin. As a result, Debuchy, who wants
a spot on the French national team for the European Championships on
home soil next summer, found himself on the Arsenal bench.
When
Debuchy has gotten the opportunities to regain his place, he hasn’t made
the most of them. To a certain extent, that’s understandable: It’s hard
for many professional athletes to perform at their best with sporadic
playing time.
But rather than knuckling down and improving his
performances, Debuchy has made strong public hints of his desire to
leave Arsenal for playing time elsewhere. That’s not optimal public
relations work from a player who’s been involved in the team’s worst
outings this year. To use a term from hockey, Debuchy has a plus/minus
of minus-9, capturing the losses to West Ham, Dinamo Zagreb, and Bayern
Munich.
A better approach than voicing his discontents would be to
capitalize on the slight progress he made on Sunday. Debuchy succeeded
on nine of 10 tackles and displayed an improved awareness of his
position relative to those of his teammates. He’ll need to show
improvements like these when he gets further opportunities if he’s going
to catch the eyes of any suitors or French manager Didier Deschamps.
Extra time
Francis
Coquelin does not surrender. With his comrade Santi Cazorla playing at
peak peaked, Coquelin was practically alone in Arsenal midfield as
Tottenham pressed. The Frenchman held his own, making nine ball
recoveries, tied for most in the match, and succeeding on six of eight
tackles. He also committed no fouls. Without Coquelin’s clever, stalwart
play, Spurs would likely have enjoyed a comprehensive and
insurmountable advantage.
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.
Headed goals separated by 90 seconds by Oliver Giroud and Laurent
Koscielny and another late save from Petr Cech secured Arsenal's
hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton.
Although the Gunners enjoyed
more possession and created more danger than the Toffees, the
indigestion was still there among Arsenal supporters as the visitors
came close several times to drawing level. Stout defending saw off the
challenge and sent Arsenal, perhaps temporarily, to the top of the
Premier League table.
Here are three things we learned from the match.
This Arsenal side can dig deep
Arsenal's
third intense match in a week's time required considerable fortitude.
The conditions were unpleasant, to say the least. Rain made the ball
slick and the pitch slow.
Everton played with the energy and
intent of a team with something to prove after the 3-0 home defeat to
Manchester United last week. Their physical and mental readiness wasn't
affected by midweek European action, either.
The Gunners,
meanwhile, were four days removed from a grueling, emotional win over
Bayern Munich, which came after a patient but taxing victory at Watford.
Arsenal
showed the effects of this schedule--the fullback pair of Hector
Bellerin and Nacho Monreal in particular seemed to flag--but in the
moments that mattered, the concentration and performance reached a high
level.
Central defenders Koscielny and Gabriel were especially
effective during critical passages of play, intercepting threatening
passes for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. We'll not soon forget
Gabriel's late tackle away from the Belgian and primal scream that
showed his desire to finish the job.
The intervention of Cech was
also crucial. His 86th-minute scamper to block Gerard Deulofeu's open
shot prevented the dangerous but divey Spaniard from yet again snatching
a point for his team at the Emirates.
A goalkeeper with that kind of focus must provide both an example and confidence for the rest of the team.
Cazözil is a distinctively spectacular midfield combination
Maybe
this match didn't teach us about the skill and influence of Arsenal's
two midfield geniuses. Most knowledgeable supporters and observers
already recognized the special qualities of Santi Cazorla and Mesut
Özil.
Against Everton the duo's mastery was on full display.
Each
notched an assist with perfect passes into the dangerous area in front
of Tim Howard's goal. Those were two of the ten key passes, five each,
that Cazorla and Özil made during the match.
That's strong
evidence of their incisiveness. In the attacking third, Cazorla
completed 28 of 33 passes (85 percent), while Özil connected on 30 of 34
(88 percent). Unbelievable efficiency in the most crowded part of the
pitch.
The pair also worked together to propel Arsenal forward.
According to FourFourTwo's StatsZone app, Cazorla and Özil were involved
in the match's two top passing combinations, finding each other a total
of 36 times.
The offensive flow that Arsenal achieves owes to the influence of these two remarkable players.
Arsenal's match management is a work in progress
It's
a test of the physical, mental, and psychological, individually and
collectively, to succeed consistently at the high level at which Arsenal
competes. Naturally, the players and the team don't earn perfect grades
on every such examination.
On Saturday, Arsenal showed it has
room for improvement in managing the dynamics of a match. Instead of
consolidating its lead by placing priority on defense just before
halftime, the Gunners kept moving forward. A perhaps ill-advised shot by
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helped Everton launch a dangerous
counterattack, from which an unlucky deflection brought Ross Barkley's
goal.
The thought could have been to score a third goal before the
break in order to demoralize Everton and put the game beyond much
doubt. But the risk associated with that decision, especially against a
team so effective in open spaces as Everton, probably outweighed the
reward.
What's encouraging is that the lesson did not prove
damaging. And the match showed Arsenal's capacity for another type of
victory.
Extra time
If
Arsenal add set-piece goals to the repertoire, they'll be devastating.
The Gunners have three goals from corners, crosses and throw-ins in this
Premier League season, half as many as the top performers in that
category, Leicester City, West Ham, and Crystal Palace. (Stats from Opta
via Squawka.com)
We know how effective the Gunners can be on the
counterattack, with intricate passing moves, and with individual moments
of brilliance. The high expected goals stats are evidence of that.
Delivering more set-piece goals would make Arsenal a diversified, and
difficult to stop, offensive force.
