Arsenal: Five Key Observations from the Club’s win over Watford

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Arsenal thrashed Watford 4-0 after drubbing Everton 2-0 in their previous league outing. The second league victory in a row married with Tottenham Hotspur’s result at Anfield on Saturday night has reduced the difference between the north London rivals to four points whilst the Gunners also boast a game in hand.

In addition, Arsenal’s slender title hopes were also kept alive, though they have only seven games to go. Here are five observations from the lopsided Emirates Stadium meeting between two London clubs.

 

Elneny: first-team regular

Starting his fourth consecutive competitive game, Mohamed Elneny cemented his place with a fine performance in which his passing especially stood out.

With a mind-boggling accuracy of about 96 percent, he completed 122 passes — the most by any player in the Premier League this season — against the Hornets.

Looking lively and willing, he was seen everywhere on the pitch, especially on the right flank, where he exchanged passes and built a threatening partnership with Hector Bellerin and Alexis Sanchez.

Alongside Francis Coquelin, he formed an impervious layer in front of the back four — the double pivot combined to make six interceptions and four clearances — as the away side funnelled their attacks down the flanks only for the Arsenal fullbacks to thwart those.

 

Ozil: Chemical X

Mesut Ozil’s assist tally has stalled at 18, but his contribution remains invaluable as evinced by his perfectly weighted long ball to Joel Campbell in the stoppage time that eventually led to Arsenal’s fourth goal.

Seen performing more flicks than he usually does, the German appeared to thoroughly enjoy his game, though he could have scored a goal himself after Iwobi had hit the woodwork.

Ozil essentially is the Chemical X to the Power Puff Girls in Arsenal, apparently.

 

Iwobi: embodiment of confidence

Scoring his second goal in his second league appearance, Alex Iwobi has written himself into the Arsenal folklore. Thanks to his ability to switch between the four forward positions, he offered a different dimension to the Arsenal attack.

His performance oozed confidence, given his nutmeg on Etienne Capoue in the first half prior to the latter’s substitution

In addition, his link-up play with Danny Welbeck gave nightmares to the Watford back four as the duo often went close to beating Heurelho Gomes. He was unlucky not to score his second when he hit the bar five minutes into the second half with a perfectly taken shot.

If he continues to produce such performances, goalscorer Theo Walcott may find first-team opportunities a distant dream.

 

Sanchez: back to his best

By scoring the opener and setting up Iwobi’s goal, Alexis Sanchez has now been directly involved in eight goals in eight starts — including international friendlies — since March.

Prior to Swansea game, however, he had had a direct hand in only two goals in seven starts following his return from injury.

Creating five chances for his side, the Chilean even won the MOTM award for his fine display, which exuded fight and passion.

With Arsenal looking to pull off a Leicester-esque surprise in the title race, his resurgence could be the driving force.

 

Delightful partnerships

Arsenal failed to perform as a unit when the results were not as convincing as they should have been, but their recent performances have featured delightful partnerships all over the pitch.

Welbeck and Iwobi worked the left channel to perfection whilst Gabriel Paulista and Laurent Koscielny had a flawless display at the back.

Elneny and Bellerin worked wonders on the right wing, as Ozil offered final touches to the masterpiece Arsene Wenger and his lads had been creating.

Arsenal were pleasing on the eyes and also produced the perfect result to make the evening more wonderful for their supporters.

 

Written by Praveen Paramasivam

Follow Praveen on Twitter @49Praveen

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