Friday, September 15, 2017

Arsenal Win Second on the Bounce (3-1 Over Cologne)

After the humiliating losses to Liverpool and Stoke and the two-week international break, Arsenal have righted the ship with two straight wins on the bounce, though the real test comes Sunday at Stamford Bridge. First, they dominated Bournemouth in a 3-0 victory Saturday then followed that up with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over a game Cologne tonight. Both matches saw them dominate possession (to the tune of 72 percent possession and 16(7) shots to 10(4) against Cologne) and both included three goals from very different sides. However, they have played well at the Emirates since last March and it is their patchy road form that must improve if they are to improve on last season’s fifth place finish in the league.

Three thoughts on the Cologne game and a By the Numbers Summary of the Bournemouth game last weekend:

1.    Sanchez Looks Set to Play Key Role
At times, Sanchez continues to look like a player that would rather be elsewhere. And yet, his brilliant goal in the 67th minute gave Arsenal a 2-1 lead and it appeared to wake him up, as he ran all over the pitch for the remainder of the game, providing several opportunities for his teammates to build on the lead while almost sneaking in a cheeky chip at the far post from an acute angle late on. His commitment and productivity will be key to any chance Arsenal will have in the league, the Cups or Europe and it is clear he can link up well with one of the best bargains of the summer, in Kolasinac, who scored the equalizer and appears to be a player that can contribute on both ends of the pitch.

It seems all but inevitable that Sanchez will leave at the end of the season, if not during the Winter transfer window, and that Ozil might well follow him out the door. Sanchez will be all but impossible to replace, but if Arsenal plan well, they can find a decent replacement, blood their younger talent, continue to eradicate the dead weight and move forward. With his help, it could be back in the Champions League next season. Or he can start to dream of his preferred destination to the Northwest and Arsenal’s season could collapse, leaving the team in tatters for what is likely to be Wenger’s last season. Let’s hope it’s the former …

2.    Defense Still Looks Shaky
Rob Holding showed real promise last season in limited participation, but he seems to have developed some bad habits including poor passing from the back, pushing too far forward and getting caught out, reckless challenges around the box and getting beaten to balls in the box. His performance in the first half was largely forgettable and while Cologne didn’t capitalize with its chances after the opener, he too often left the other defenders exposed. It is particularly important that he show defensive discipline with the sluggish Mertesacker by his side. And Monreal, while an asset for the Gunners for several years, is just not good enough to play in the back three. One issue appears to be his height, but another is his tendency to get beaten down the right channel a little too often for comfort.

If Arsenal is to truly rebound in the league and challenge for a Top Four place in the new Top 6 (or 7), they will have to solidify their defensive deficiencies, and much will depend on the consistency of Koscielny, improvements from Mustafi and slotting in a reliable third centreback when they play the back three that worked so well at the tail end of last season. It is unclear who the best option is for that third slot, with each of the alternatives having clear deficiencies. Mertesacker’s lack of pace can be covered by Kos and Mustafi in most cases, but is still an important liability. Holding still has work to do to stake a place and Monreal just doesn't seem as reliable as he has been in the past. If they move back to a back four, Kolasinac provides their best offensive threat, allowing Sanchez to move further forward, as was the case in the second half against Cologne, and Bellerin’s pace provides strength on both sides of the pitch. But Wenger will have to show flexibility and be willing to leave Monreal on the bench if it helps shore up the back.

3.  Europa League Might Provide Perfect Platform to Create Competition
Theo Walcott continues to confound, missing several chances to score and finding himself offsides a bit too often in the Europa League tie Thursday, though at least one of those calls was wrong. Jack Wilshere played for the side for the first time in over a year and it showed, with the midfielder heavy with his touches and average with his passing. Ospina’s poor clearance and positioning gave Cologne their 9th minute opener. And youngster  Maitin-Niles showed his age (20) starting out at left back.

On the other hand, it was good to see Mertesacker back in the side, in what will be his final season. Holding clearly needs time to develop his skills and discipline and this might be the perfect platform to cultivate his talent. Iwobi, as well, took a step backwards last season and needs game time to try to find the form that was close to scintillating a couple of years back. Elneny also needs game time as an important substitute and spot starter this season and the Europa League should give Giroud the starts he is unlikely to experience much in the league.

Overall, it was a good first game in the competition for the Gunners, continuing what was a largely positive week for England in Europe, with City, Chelsea, Tottenham and United all winning, Liverpool drawing 2-2 and only Everton losing in a rather humiliating 3-0 loss to Atalanta. After the Chelsea match Sunday, Arsenal have a nice run of winnable fixtures across competitions, with Doncaster in the League Cup, BATE in Europe, Brighton and Watford in the League and then Red Star Belgrave on the road, before a visit to a struggling Everton. If they can get a positive result at Stamford Bridge, or in the matches that follow if they do fall short, they could well build momentum heading into a tough early November schedule.

4. Arsenal-Bournemouth by the Numbers

0 - Goals for the ageless Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe at the Emirates. He almost got off the snide Saturday, though his header early in the second half hit off the post. In his career with Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham and Bournemouth, he has played against Arsenal 24 times in the league, winning 4, losing 12 and drawing 8, though he has only scored three times in those 24 games (1 each for West Ham, Tottenham and Sunderland). He is also scoreless in four league cup matchups. 

2 in 2 - Lacazette's goal return for Arsenal, after scoring 37 in all comps last season in France. Makes you wonder why he didn't start against Liverpool ... while we’re at it - Kolasinac provided the assist for the opener (his second to Welbeck in three games), but he too started on the bench two weeks ago. Wenger madness? We’re used to it.         

5-0 - on the back of a convincing 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal, Liverpool decided to return the favor to City, though giving up a full quintet of goals. Four of those five came after Sadio Mane got confused and thought he was in a UFC contest with new City keeper Ederson, giving him a cleated kick to the face. Klopp complained about the red, but come on!

6 in 6 - heading to the Championship, Nottingham Forrest has conceded 6 set piece goals in 6 matches, which might make Liverpool feel a little better. Many might think of Arsenal, but they actually led the league in fewest set piece goals conceded last season with 6.

43% - Welbeck, after two forgettable games on the bounce where he missed 4-5 chance in the 1-0 loss to Stoke and was largely invisible in the Liverpool thrashing, came through with a goal and assist in the first half Saturday, then the third for Arsenal in the 51st minute with a inch-perfect finish across Begovic to the far corner. That's 3 in 4 for the English international in the league, while also scoring for England during the international break. It was his first brace since December 13, 2013 (for United at Aston Villa). His three goals for Arsenal are 43% of their 7 total, only behind the 50% for James Vardy at Leicester (3 in 6)

59% - Possession for Arsenal in the game Saturday, alongside outshooting Bournemouth 17(9) to 7(2).

89 - Granit Xhaka is leading the league in total passes completed after four games, at a clip of 89 a game, with an 82 percent completion rate. He hasn’t scored yet this season, but has chipped in with two assists in four. Not bad for a player criticized ceaselessly last season after his move from the “other” Borussia.

91st - Bournemouth's position in English football when Eddie Howe took over. After two good seasons in the Premier league in the wake of the march upward, he is experiencing early trouble with his side, who have one goal and no points from four games. 


99 - Super sub Olivier Giroud has been stuck on 99 goals for four games now.