As Arsenal put in a resounding 3-0 performance against London rivals Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal fans must have felt as though they were watching a side that is starting to click. Yes, we’ve said this year after year when it comes to Arsene Wenger’s team but Saturday’s performance against Conte’s men was nothing short of brilliant. Chelsea simply couldn’t resist or even contain Arsenal’s attacking prowess. It’s no surprise that Alexis Sanchez played a very crucial role in taking apart their long time rival and ‘bogey team’ as Arsenal fans would commonly associate with Chelsea. However, it was perhaps a shock to see Sanchez perform so resolutely from a role he is unfamiliar with.
It seems as though Arsene Wenger has found a new attacking setup that may make them the league’s most entertaining force once again. There is no doubting that Wenger has done it before, but a vast majority of Arsenal fans would agree with the fact that it has been so long since they celebrated a team that is worthy of Premier League champions, a team that is able to contend with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus for European glory. The patience within the Emirates faithful has been wearing thin as Arsenal Wenger has failed time and time again since his ‘Invincible’ season in which Arsenal were once considered the best team on the planet after that remarkable undefeated Premier League season.
Well, the ‘Invincible’ season was nearly a lifetime ago but its now or never for Wenger and his men; sooner rather than later, Wenger would be hanging up his ‘bomber jacket’ after just over 20 years in the hot seat at Arsenal instilling a identity and building a legacy. Various amounts of rumours are emerging that this may Wenger’s last bout as Arsenal coach and if these rumours are true then now is the time for Wenger to give his all in the job and come out with another Premier League title to his record.
One man who could be key to achieving that dream is the Chilean international, Alexis Sanchez. Over the weekend, he notched his 47th goal in his 100th Arsenal appearance, one fewer than the great Thierry Henry had scored in his first 100 appearance. Sanchez’ performance against Chelsea was reminiscent of the Frenchman’s time at Arsenal constantly tearing apart defences with his movement, skill, technical ability and goal scoring prowess. Yes, naturally Sanchez is a winger by trade but taking a look at his record for the club, why can’t Wenger place his trust in the Chilean up front? His partnership and understanding with Mesut Ozil was one to behold at the weekend, could we be experiencing the next Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry partnership?
Arsenal were electrifying against Chelsea. Antonio Conte is a manager schooled in Serie A where the philosophy is based around the art of defending and stifling attacks. However, his team simply could not live with the pace, skill and pressing of Sanchez and co. Arsenal were majestic particularly in the first half much to the delight of Wenger who in his post match press conference with Sky Sports stated:
“In the first half, we wanted to play this high pace, put them under pressure and play at the very high collective connection with the speed of passing. It’s one of those moments as a manager when you think: ‘Today is a great day.’ In the first half it was nearly perfect: Overall in the first half, we showed great quality. We played with style, with pace, with movement. That’s the kind of football we want to play.”
Asked whether the performance was one of Arsenal’s best in recent years, Wenger added:
“Coming out straight after the game, I’d be tempted to say yes. It’s one of those games where what we wanted to do worked very well. So yes, one of our best performances of recent years.”
Arsenal hadn’t played this well for some time – almost precisely a year in fact, when they inflicted the same kind of defeat to Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United last season. In both games, the Gunners blitzed an impressive three goals in the first half before a controlled and disciplined second-half performance enabled them to comfortably see the game out. In that game as well, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were key to Arsenal’s movement, pace and high intensity football. Van Gaal’s United could not live with them. The goals came about similar means too – pressing high up the pitch to force the opposition into errors and capitalising quickly on the opponents mistake and transitions in play. It’s rather compelling that Arsenal – so built upon a possession based style, their best performances in recent years have come at the result of a fast paced reactive attacking football.
Despite all this, there is a warning to Arsenal here. After an impressive performance against Manchester United, Wenger’s side failed to build on that performance and maintain that sort of form for the rest of the season, and that has been the problem for Wenger over the past years; his side impress on in patches of the season not for the whole season. And that is something Wenger must address – to keep this momentum going and to replicate the sort of football Arsenal displayed against Chelsea through unto the last day of the season, that is what the Arsenal fans want and that is what Wenger must deliver.
If they are to do that, then Wenger would need to keep Alexis Sanchez at the heart of his attack. After a slow start in his position, he is finding his feet in considerable style. He has made five Premier League starts, and has already scored 4 goals. For several years, Arsenal have been desperate for a quick and prolific frontman; their pursuit of Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette did not materialise in the summer not knowing that the answer to their problems has been staring them in the face all along.
Alexis’ goal on Saturday epitomised his true value to the Arsenal team and his potency from a centre-forward position. He never gives defenders a moment on the ball which was evident in the way he capitalised on Cahill’s hesitancy in possession, nipped the ball from him and raced clear to score a tremendous improvised chip over Belgian keeper, Thibaut Cortouis. He also showed his true value in Arsenal’s third goal, tearing away up the field as part of a quick counter attack with Mesut Ozil, his movement, diverting away from David Luiz and Gary Cahill to receive the ball from Ozil and them playing him in with a lovely lobbed short cross for the German playmaker to volley home via a fortunate bounce.
It feels as though Arsenal are moving on from the presence of Olivier Giroud, Sanchez provides probably a better alternative in the way he drops in to space to allow the likes of Alex Iwobi on the left wing (what a player he is) and the rejuvenated Theo Walcott to advance beyond the defence and a pose a threat on goal. Yes, Giroud’s link up play was impressive but his lack of pace was a concern for Arsenal’s attack and something Arsene Wenger thought he had to change going into this season. Without Giroud in the XI, Arsenal look a better opposition as the 4-1 win against Hull and Saturday’s win against Chelsea showed.
The formation Arsene Wenger uses allows Alexis Sanchez the freedom to roam, the freedom to drop in, find space and link up with the likes of Ozil, Theo Walcott and Iwobi behind him. Also Alexis is allowed the liberty to go out on the wing and leave the defenders without a striker to mark which leaves them guessing, this enables Theo Walcott the opportunity to nip in like Arsenal’s second goal showed – the lovely passing move which Chelsea could not live with was down to the movement and unpredictability of Arsenal’s attack.
The system is not just down to Alexis. The players around him are integral to this approach. With the Chilean often drawn deep and wide, it is vital that there are players around him who are prepared to run in behind and take up central spots. Walcott is excellent at that job, and the Englishman is enjoying a swift renaissance. There are tactical reasons as to why Walcott is flourishing; with Giroud up front, Walcott was just confined to a stationary position out wide and that is where he is limited. However, with Sanchez up front, the Chilean almost swaps positions with Walcott which draws defenders out of their position and allows the attack to find pockets of space to exploit.
When Arsenal smashed United last year, Walcott played as the central striker but he couldn’t maintain that form for the rest of the season, but perhaps he’ll enjoy more longevity on the right flank especially with the use of Sanchez up front. Behind Alexis and Walcott is Ozil and Alex Iwobi who are acting as the chief operators. The emergence and breakthrough of Alex Iwobi has seemed to really help Ozil, with the Nigerian in the team, Ozil no longer has to do all the work – their jobs in behind Alexis are now diversified. There are now two players in the attacking third of the pitch capable of unlocking a defence with a piece of skill or unparalleled vision.
Wenger now has a huge job on his hands to keep his stars fit throughout the season – something he has been unable to achieve in previous seasons. If Arsenal can manage to keep Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi and Santi Cazorla on the field and at the same time then there is no reason why they cannot mount a better challenge for the Premier League title. Few fans may argue Sanchez is not the answer up front but studying his record, he is indeed a proven goalscorer, a player who puts in maximum effort in every single match he’s played. Lets not forget, Wenger successfully converted Thierry Henry from a winger into a striker and look how that turned out.
Arsenal’s front four has a potent chemistry, especially with Alexis Sanchez at the heart of it. The system Wenger is deploying has provided Gunners with the speed, potency and unpredictability, and most importantly, the belief. If they continue to play like they did on Saturday, then Wenger’s 20th anniversary could be remembered as a special season for the Gunners faithful.
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