Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth
Arsenal 3-1 Cologne
Arsenal returned to winning ways with a very comfortable win at home to Bournemouth on Saturday. It was a victory that will have restored confidence amongst the squad following the debacle at Liverpool, but in truth it was difficult to read anything into it, such was the poor performance of the away side.
Crucial changes from the starting line-up against Liverpool were made with Wenger electing to bring his new signings into the fold once more as Kolasinac and Lacazette returned with great success. While Lacazette got his name onto the scoresheet once again at the Emirates, Kolasinac also repeated his feat from the opening game of the season by assisting Danny Welbeck’s opening goal.
Bournemouth came into this game off the back of three straight league defeats and therefore an early goal was essential to kill the game off as quickly as possible. Had the Gunners struggled to open the scoring, Bournemouth would have grown in confidence, while doubts would have grown in the minds of the Arsenal players with the home crowd surely getting on their backs.
Danny Welbeck’s goal after only six minutes was crucial to how the match panned out. It was as a result of excellent approach play on the left hand side with the once again impressive Kolasinac delivering the perfect cross towards Danny Welbeck. The Englishman was poised to head the ball cleanly into the net, but his header seemed to bounce off his shoulder and somewhat fortuitously still managed to find its way past Asmir Begovic and into the net.
While any Arsenal nerves were settled by the early goal, Bournemouth’s were exacerbated and the away side failed to muster any attacking threat whatsoever, as they would go on to end the first half without even registering a single shot off target, let alone on target. In fact the first shot on target from Bournemouth would arrive as late as the 85th minute and therefore Arsenal’s defence were never really faced with any real test throughout the game making it extremely difficult to ascertain whether the Gunners have overcome the defensive fragility and naivety so easily exposed by Liverpool in their previous Premier League game. It is safe to assume however, that this will once again rise to the surface in the next league match away to Chelsea.
Arsenal’s attacking play was much improved against Bournemouth however. Considering the Gunners themselves had failed to register a shot on target against Liverpool, Arsene Wenger’s side did appear to be a more dynamic threat going forward albeit against weaker opposition. With Danny Welbeck working tirelessly as always and appearing to have added a clinical touch to his finishing which was so sorely missed in the defeat to Stoke, and Lacazette showing the predatory instinct of a true out and out striker, Wenger could be relatively pleased with how the attack is shaping up so far this season.
Lacazette’s finish as he was put through on goal, was simply exquisite. The former Lyon man did not hesitate at all as the pounced on the chance to double both Arsenal’s lead on the day and his goal tally for his new side. Lacazette was the embodiment of cool, calm and collected as he confidently bent the ball high and round Begovic, giving the goalkeeper absolutely no chance as the ball flew past him and high into the net. If Arsenal can ensure that Lacazette is supplied with plenty of good goal scoring opportunities then the Frenchman can be expected to be fighting for the golden boot award come the end of the season.
Danny Welbeck rounded off a great afternoon for both himself and the Gunners with a well taken second to give Arsenal a well-deserved 3-0 victory. The Englishman’s finish, across goal from a relatively tight angle suggested an increased level of confidence in front of goal which bodes well for the Gunners. If Welbeck could improve his finishing ability, he would almost be the complete player. The former Manchester United man already possesses the strength, speed and power to terrify opposition defences but has often looked shorn of confidence in front of goal. However it would appear that with a sustained run of games in the starting eleven, following two years blighted by injury, Welbeck is starting to regain that confidence and could well become a pivotal figure for the Gunners this season.
Welbeck was afforded a well-earned rest for Arsenal’s first foray into the Europa League in 17 years and it was certainly a lively affair given the fact that kick-off was delayed by an hour as some 20,000 Cologne fans descended onto the stadium in an attempt to gain entry. Although the away ticket allocation was only 3,000, several thousand Cologne fans had managed to purchase tickets amongst the home fans and once they had gained entry to the stadium many attempted to push their way through the line of stewards to join their fellow supporters in the away end of the stadium. Once the match eventually kicked off, it was clear that away fans had infiltrated every part of the stadium and it was somewhat fortunate that a rather jovial atmosphere ensued. Had fighting amongst both sets of fans ensued, it would have been virtually impossible for the police and stewards to regain control of the situation as the policy of segregating supporters had broken down completely.
However, the atmosphere inside the ground was actually one of the best ever experienced inside the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger made several changes to his starting line-up giving the likes of David Ospina, Rob Holding, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Mohammed Elneny, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud an opportunity to push their place for first team inclusion. Unfortunately only Maitland-Niles emerged from the game with any credit as Arsenal laboured to a 3-1 victory with a truly dispassionate performance which for most the game suggested many of the Gunners players believe themselves to be too good for the Europa League, something which is certainly not true. The first half performance in particular was extremely dour as Arsenal spent most of their time slowly passing the ball along the back line and going absolutely nowhere against a side that sits bottom of the German league having lost their three opening games.
Rob Holding, heralded last season for brilliant displays especially against Manchester City and Chelsea, in the FA Cup, has disappointed so far this season. Holding has appeared shorn of confidence and his decision making has suffered as a result. Against Cologne it felt as though he was committing a foul every time he attempted to tackle an opposition player and whenever he tried to carry the ball out from the back he invariably surrendered possession and was caught hopelessly up field. His substitution at half-time was no surprise and Arsenal fans will hope he can soon regain that confidence which saw him perform so admirably last season.
Behind Holding, Ospina produced a completely inept performance, with one particular nightmare moment resulting in Arsenal conceding the first goal. The Colombian raced off his line in an attempt to clear the ball but his clearance fell straight to a Cologne player who had time to turn and clip the ball into the empty with Ospina lost in no man’s land.
Arsenal’s performance did improve in the second half, with the introduction of Kolasinac adding an intensity to the home side’s play which was severely lacking in the first period. The Bosnian has made a positive impact on the side since arriving on a free transfer in the summer and managed to get his name on the scoresheet with an excellent finish to restore parity. Kolasinac’s well-timed volley flew past the goalkeeper and into the net, to give Arsenal fans belief that their side could still secure victory. Yet despite the equaliser arriving early in the second half and the home side beginning to dominate possession, the Gunners did not lay siege on the Cologne goal, with Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott peripheral figures in the game. The French striker just did not look interested at all and as a result had little or no impact on the match while Walcott was weak in the challenge, his first touch was repeatedly poor and the number of times he was caught off-side was just plain embarrassing.
While Alexis Sanchez did not exactly produce his best performance in an Arsenal shirt, the Chilean did at least improve in the second half and also has the excuse of still trying to regain full match fitness and sharpness having returned to the squad late following his summer excursions with Chile.
Despite this it was still Sanchez who gave Arsenal the lead with a sublime effort as he cut inside from the left flank to curl a wonderful shot around the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper absolutely flummoxed.
With Cologne offering very little in terms of an attacking threat, Arsenal also managed to add a third to their tally towards the end of the game. As the ball was played across goal to Theo Walcott, the Englishman summed up his performance on the night with a tame effort on goal which the goalkeeper inexplicably failed to hold onto. Hector Bellerin saw his opportunity to pounce and poked the ball home as Arsenal scored three goals for the second game in succession.
Following the victories against Bournemouth and Cologne, confidence amongst the squad should have improved but Arsenal fans will know better. The performance against Cologne from a largely second string side suggests that the squad is not as strong as Wenger would have us believe, while there are also several questions hanging over the starting eleven despite the win against Bournemouth. The next league game away to Chelsea will therefore be crucial in determining whether or not the Gunners are back on track, with many predicting another straightforward defeat in which the lack of cover for the defence from the Arsenal midfield once again undermines their chances of securing a victory or at the very least a positive result. Ultimately the failure of the Arsenal manager to address the squad’s weaknesses during the summer transfer window will come back to haunt him once again on Sunday.
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