Arsenal continued their remarkable run of form with a 2-0 victory over FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League to send them joint top of Group A. The Hard Tackle lists out some key talking points from a comfortable European encounter for the Gunners.
A lot has changed at Arsenal since their opening day capitulation at the hands of Liverpool. Defensive and attacking reinforcements coupled with the return of stars from their international lay-off has had the Gunners performing at their best once more. Arsene Wenger, who celebrated his 20th year in charge of the club with a memorable 3-0 victory over Chelsea during the weekend, will be pleased with how things are progressing at the moment.
The Hard Tackle discusses some of the talking points from a comfortable outing at home against FC Basel for the Gunners who notched their first victory of the 2016-17 Champions League campaign.
Revitalized Theo Walcott
Just how good has Walcott been off-late? The England international is finding some of the form that had his name on the lips of a number of big clubs once upon a time. Walcott has been subject to a relentless bout of criticism for his lack of output in the final third. However, partnering alongside Alexis Sanchez seems to bring the best out of the 27-year-old. It was the Chilean that set up both of Walcott’s goals and it’ll be interesting to see if Wenger persists with this formation at the expense of Olivier Giroud and new signing Lucas Perez.
That said, Walcott looks a completely different player at the moment with his runs down the flank causing the opposing defence constant trouble and worry. His finishing has been good, evidenced by his strikes last night and against Chelsea during the weekend. The forward has now scored 5 goals and registered an assist in 6 outings in all competitions for the Gunners and with confidence riding high, Walcott will be keen oo maintaining his level of performance over the course of the season.
Consistency has been the primary complaint surrounding the 27-year-old and the England international will be hard-pressed to deliver with Giroud, Chamberlain, Perez hot on his heels competing for a first-team spot.
With Mustafi in, is Mertesacker’s future bleak?
Shkodran Mustafi has looked the part since his £35 million move to Arsenal during the summer and has quickly acclimatized to life in the Premier League. His partnership with Koscielny shone brightly during the Gunners’ victory over Chelsea as well as last night’s performance.
That said, it’ll be interesting to see if Mertesacker gets a look into the squad once he returns from injury, given that Mustafi was signed as a replacement. The 24-year-old is younger and significantly quicker than Mertesacker at the back and even reads the game as well as his fellow German. His work ethic and ability to command the defence and proceedings in-front of him has seen him quickly warm up to Arsenal supporters.
Other defenders like Gabriel and Rob Holding have also performed well whenever called upon by Wenger, meaning that it’s highly unlikely Mertesacker will walk straight back into the line-up once he recovers completely. The boss, on the other hand, will be pleased with the luxury of choice he has been afforded at the back. Hardly a month ago, his side was suffering from a supposed ‘defensive crisis’ when young Rob Holding and Calum Chambers were forced to take the mantle of holding the back-line together against Liverpool.
Arsenal break the “Basel-curse”
Basel may not be a household name in Europe, but they have gained a reputation over the years for being a menace to English teams in the Champions League. Neither of the three erstwhile giants of English football in Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool managed to secure three points against the Swiss side when faced with them in the Champions League. The last six encounters over English sides has seen Basel come away with 3 draws and 3 victories.
1 – Basel have only lost one of their 10 Champions League encounters with English clubs (W4 D5). Resilient.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 28, 2016
However, Arsenal broke the curse last night with their 2-0 victory over the Swiss side that eventually placed them on top of Group A. They still have a tough trip down to Switzerland in November and Wenger will want his side to repeat their exploits from the Emirates last night during the away trip as well. Arsenal were very poor against Paris Saint Germain in their opening game of the Champions League campaign and will have to improve on their performances away from home if they are to have a say in the competition this time around.
Ozil and Sanchez are paramount to Arsenal’s growth
Both Ozil and Sanchez have already proven their worth for the Gunners and with their contracts up in 2018, Arsenal will have to secure their futures at the club. There was plenty of speculation surrounding the duo during the transfer window with big clubs like Bayern Munich and Juventus apparently keen on acquiring the service of either of the players. Sanchez has already scored 5 goals and assisted 5 others this season, with Ozil contributing with two strikes to his name. The latter has been tasked with being the creative mind behind Arsenal’s attacks and he has well and truly done his job.
Arsenal won the game 2-0. (Photo credit ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
The Gunners can ill-afford to lose a player of Sanchez’s or Ozil’s quality just when they are onto something special at the Emirates. It’s been a recurring theme for Arsenal who tend to lose key players to rival clubs that frequently peg them back in their efforts to challenge for silverware. Securing either of their futures will feel as good as a new signing for Arsenal. Even if it means they will have to splash the cash in their attempts to keep them at North London, it’ll be an investment well worth it considering what the two stars bring to the club.
Xhaka brothers enjoy contrasting fortunes
The Xhaka brothers lined-up opposite each other for the first time at club level only few months after they faced off against each other on the international stage at the Euros in France. It would also be Granit’s first clash against his former team since he left the club for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012. Although the Arsenal midfielder wasn’t the star on the night for the Gunners, he most certainly out-performed his brother Taulant.
Arsenal won the game 2-0. (Photo credit GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
The younger of the Xhaka brothers endured a torrid night in defence for the Swiss outfit as his team were at the receiving end of a torrent of attacks from Arsenal all evening. It would be fair to state that the final scoreline of 2-0 made for flattering reading for Basel as they were outrun in all areas of the park and struggled to live with the question marks Arsenal threw at them with their constant attacks on goal.
