Arsenal would be better off selling Mesut Ozil (Getty Images)
Arsenal completed a remarkable comeback and romped home with a 3-1 scoreline against Leicester City on Monday at the Emirates. The 3-1 victory marked their seventh consecutive win in the Premier League and their tenth on a trot across all competitions.
The Gunners did not have the best of starts to the season, losing two in a row to Manchester City and Chelsea. However, those early season miseries have been overshadowed by some wonderful football that Unai Emery’s men have put together on the pitch, especially in the last few games.
The club was expected to undergo a long transition period when Unai Emery took over the reins from Arsene Wenger this summer. Even the staunchest of fans wouldn’t have expected their club to achieve such instant success.
Well, they have all been proved wrong. Arsenal definitely have a lot of positives to take from their performances so far and the manager should be proud of his team’s efforts, particularly regarding the fact that they did not take too long to acclimatise to his new philosophy.
Aaron Ramsey’s superb goal against Fulham where he started the move from the back and finished it off with a backheel after the exchange of some beautiful passes lies testimony to the fact that Arsenal have rediscovered their mojo of playing some amazing eye-catching football.
If that was not enough then Mesut Ozil’s stellar performance against Leicester City, certainly was. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished off a beautifully crafted move involving ten silky passes from the back, something that would have made Arsene Wenger a proud man.
As the Gunners close the margin on the table toppers with consistent displays, let us analyse why they have an outside chance of posting a challenge for the Premier League title.
The German wizard was perhaps the worst player for Arsenal in the first few games of the season, something that invited widespread criticism given that he is the highest paid player in their ranks. He looked completely off the pace and a glaring misfit for Emery’s pressing philosophy.
However, Ozil, 29, proved that he is far from a spent force even after announcing his international retirement. He eased himself into the season and grew in confidence with each passing game. The goals against Newcastle and Watford did a world of good to his confidence before he came into his own against Leicester City with a world-class display that spoke of sheer class.
With Ramsey’s exit an inevitability, Ozil’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Nigerian has been in Arsenal’s ranks for quite some time now. Arsene Wenger used him as regular in the Premier League last season but he didn’t quite perform to his potential.
However, the youngster seems to have taken his performance to a new level under Unai Emery. He has made 6 appearances in the Premier League this season and has played an important role in the Europa League as well.
The Nigerian has looked a lot more comfortable on the ball this time around and his decision-making and composure in the final third have improved a lot. Slotted into the team in a crunch game against Chelsea, he delivered with a goal and proved his consistency with some tireless and incisive running down the left against Fulham and Leicester City.
He has also registered a couple of assists in the Europa League and Arsenal can certainly rely on him to play an even bigger role as the season wears on.
Matteo Guendouzi started the first four games in the Premier League alongside Granit Xhaka in central midfield. However, the pairing didn’t really work out for the Gunners, particularly because Xhaka is not good at pressing the opposition and retaining the ball. Guendouzi, on the other hand, showed good aggressive pressing but lacked positional sense, thus putting pressure on his midfield counterpart.
Emery’s masterstroke to start with the Uruguayan not only added stability to the midfield but has also brought the best out of Xhaka. The 22-year-old has arguably changed the whole complexion of the team with his heroics in the midfield. In fact, he averages 1.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game in the Premier League.
Furthermore, he has turned out to be an effective ball distributor in central midfield, averaging 44.8 passes per game with a success percentage of 89.1.
With two top-class strikers fighting for a spot in the starting line-up, Unai Emery had a selection dilemma early in the season. He started with Aubameyang as the spearhead of the attack in the first few games but things didn’t really work out in favour of the Gunners.
As things stand, Emery has found a way to accommodate both the strikers in the eleven and that ploy has had a significant impact on the team’s performances. He has made use of Aubameyang’s versatility, slotting him in the left of his 4-2-3-1 formation and has also used him at times as a second striker.
The Gabonese international has already scored 6 in the Premier League, including braces against Leicester and Fulham, coming off the bench in both the games.
Meanwhile, Lacazette has also chipped in with 4 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League. With both the strikers in top form, Arsenal definitely look a more potent unit in the attacking third.