Match Report: Qarabag 0 – 3 Arsenal

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Qarabağ FK (0) 0 Arsenal (1) 3

UEFA Europa League, Group E, Matchday 2 of 6

Baku Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan

Thursday, 4th October 2018. Kick-off time: 5.55pm

(4-2-3-1) Leno; Lichtsteiner, Holding, Sokratis, Monreal; Guendouzi, Elneny; Kolasniac, Smith-Rowe Welbeck, Iwobi.

Substitutes: Bellerin, Lacazette, Özil, Martinez, Torreira, Mustafi, Xhaka.

Scorers: Sokratis, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi

Yellow Cards: Holding

Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)

Attendance: 68,500

Tonight we play the defending champions of the Azerbaijan Premier League, who sadly didn’t manage to qualify for the UEFA Champions League in the summer; after a process of elimination they now find themselves playing us in Group E of the UEFA Europa League. The team known as “The Horsemen” are currently occupying third position in their league, and normally play their matches at the 5,800 capacity Azersun Arena, but for the purposes of European competition travel to the 68,700 capacity Baku Olympic Stadium where we will be meeting them on the field of battle tonight. Qarabağ FK are 66th in the UEFA club rankings table (Arsenal are in ninth position), and have played 86 matches in various European competitions; their playing history of 32 wins, 22 draws and 32 defeats must surely speak for itself,

With some of our top players missing (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through illness, Aaron Ramsey because his wife is about to give birth to twins and Henrikh Mkhitaryan due to political shenanigans between his home country and Azerbaijan), we started the match in the best possible way, despite sporting a highly unusual and contrversial 3-4-3 formation. After just four minutes, a Mattéo Guendouzi corner was headed goalwards by Nacho Monreal; somehow Sokratis got in the way and clumsily guided the ball into the back of the net. Not ones to look a gift goal in the mouth, Arsenal kept going and for the next ten minutes or so, looked as if we were going to increase our goal tally. Not so. Qarabağ stepped up to the plate and not only ran at us, but their strikers were finding gaps in the midfield to break through, which caused a problematic situation in our defence. Emile Smith-Rowe was desperately unlucky not to score with a chance from a fluid movement that he initially started, but all in all we were mighty glad when the half-time whistle blew.

On our return for the second half, Nacho Monreal was substituted for Lucas Torreira and things started to step up a bit. Mr. Emery dispensed with this ridiculous 3-4-3 idea and went back to a more familiar formation which oscillated somewhere between 4-2-3-1 and 5-3-2 depending on the danger. Anyway, three minutes afer the restart, Emile Smith-Rowe scored his first goal for the club, and a well-taken finish it was too, with a tasteful flick from Danny Welbeck into the path of Alex Iwobi who glided the ball into space for Emile Smith-Rowe to tuck it away for the second Arsenal goal of the night. A few minutes later, the Arsenal Academy graduate made way for Mesut Özil, and on seventy minutes Alexandre Lacazette replaced Alex Iwobi as well. Although Qarabağ had some interesting ideas with regards to the interraction of the ball between their midfield players, all their clever play was in vain, when Mattéo Guendouzi put the match beyond doubt eleven minutes from time, to not only seal our victory but also ensure that we sit comfortably at the pinnacle of Group E in the Europa League, equal on points with our next opponents, Sporting Club of Lisbon, who we meet in the away fixture on 25th October.

Despite a very good and satisfying win, we have an extremely annoying habit (that doesn’t go away) of losing concentration at vital points in the match and simply gifting opportunities to the opposition, which if not addressed will come back to haunt us one day soon, probably against Liverpool in November, unfortuntely. Bernd Leno was exposed at times in the first half, and his skill plus agility managed to keep out Qarabağ adequately. Despite all this, the lads played well (particularly the Academy boys, Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith-Rowe), and our inspired substitutes from an ever-confident bench are starting to look just as strong as the starting eleven. After all, eight wins in a row across all competitions at the highest level in this day and age is nothing to be sneezed at, and the chaps must surely feel confident going into the London derby against Fulham on Sunday lunchtime. Can’t wait! Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as these early days are going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners.

Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Arsenal look to make it 8 from 8 as a strong squad travels to Baku

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8 wins in a row.

That is what The Arsenal are looking at if we beat Qarabag in Azerbaijan tonight (17:55ko in case you did not realise!)

It is a terrific run of form we are currently in.

The last time we won 7 in a row was at the beginning of the 2016/17 season when we beat Hull City, Nottingham Forest (League Cup), Chelsea, Basel, Burnley, Swansea and Ludograts. That run ended with a bore 0-0 draw away to Middlesbrough.

If we make it 8 wins in a row, it will be our longest winning run in all competitions since the 2007/08 season. That year we won 12 games in a row.

Some might point to average opposition, a League Cup win against Brentford and Arsenal being in the Europa League as reasons why we have won 7 in a row thus far. But you can only beat what is in front of you.

Looking at the previous 7-run winning streak, we only really played Chelsea. And whilst Basel and Ludograts were in the Champions League, they were not exactly competitive competition.

Likewise in the 12 game winning run of 2007/08; we beat Manchester City before the money (they lost their last game of the season 8-1 to Middlesbrough before before being taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group) and a Tottenham side that finished 11th.

To go on long winning runs, you need favourable fixtures – we saw the same with Liverpool winning their first 5 games of the season. They did not really play anyone decent, yet were being hyped up by all and sundry.

But you need to win your games, regardless of who you are playing.

In our current winning run,  Watford have beaten Tottenham and West Ham have drawn with Chelsea and beaten Manchester United. Arsenal won both games.

A 5 run winning run in the league is actually the current longest run of any club in the top 4 divisions of English football, yet not much about Arsenal is being mentioned in the press.

In September it was 6 out of 6.

Unai Emery has given the club a breath of fresh air. Surely after his sides performance in September, he has to be a shoe in for the Manager of the Month?

Qarabag are certainly not going to be a walk over.

Currently unbeaten in the Azerbaijan Premier League, of which they are defending champions, Arsenal are making a 6 hour 2,859 mile journey to Baku.

Chelsea beat them 6-0 and 4-0 in the Champions League last year, but they held Atletico Madrid to 2 draws, and only lost by 1 goal in each game against Roma.

Emery has selected a strong squad to travel out to Baku.

Sokratis is returning to the squad after his short injury, and will join up with Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal.

Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Alex Iwobi have also made the trip in what looks to be our strongest available starting XI.

The highest profile absentees seem to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Aaron Ramsey, who were not pictured in the clubs official photo release, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who has been left home for “safety reasons”.

Petr Cech has not travelled to Azerbaijan and will be out for up to a month with a hamstring injury. Other players currently sidelined are Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (fractured fibula) and Laurent Koscielny (Achilles).

Matteo Guendouzi, Mohamed Elneny, Eddie Nketiah and reserve goal keepers Dejan Iliev and Emiliano Martinez.

All in all Emery is given the side its best chance to make it 8 from 8 and take a huge step towards securing early qualification for the knock-out rounds.

Keenos

Arsenal need Man City balance

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Manchester City have assembled a truly incredible array of talent.

At one point during their game against Brighton in Saturday their was a goal mouth scramble.

Leroy Sane put the ball in, Sergio Aguero had a chance, Raheem Sterling followed it up before Bernardo Silva’s shot was cleared to the edge of the box, where David Silva was waiting to recycle the ball.

What this passage of play showed was how much attacking talent City have. And Kevin de Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez were not involved. That is £147m of talent there.

To take that into perspective, City not playing those 3 is the financial equivalent of Arsenal not starting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.

Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe don’t quite have the same ring to them as Aguero, Silva and Sane do they?

But this isn’t a blog about the difference in the financial strength of the sides. We know that already.

What was eye-opening was that City were able to have all 5 on the pitch in one go, and look incredibly balanced.

Meanwhile Unai Emery is trying to fit Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil and Aaron Ramsey into the same team and it looks anything but balanced.

City do have the advantage that there players have been together for a while now.

Aguero and David Silva joined in 2011 & 2010 respectively. Raheem Sterling is in his 4th year at the club, Sane his 3rd season. Bernardo Silva the new boy having joined in the ah summer of 2017.

They are also entering their 3rd season under Pep Guardiola.

It would be completely unreasonable to expect Arsenal to look as gelled and balanced as City with Unai Emery having only been at the club for 4 months. Players are still getting used to the system, how they are expect to play.

But to be competitive again, Arsenal need to look at City, aspire to be them.

The Manchester club ran away with the title last year, and are top of the league this year. Whilst we should not currently expect to compete with them, there is plenty we can learn.

Perhaps the most important thing Guardiola does to ensure balance is have round pegs in round holes.

Aguero is a striker. Sane a left winger. Sterling a right winger. Silva and Silva number 10s. He has players playing in their natural positions. This gets the best out of them and gives the side natural balance.

Compare this to Arsenal against Watford.

We have Aubameyang, a striker, playing left wing, then we have Mesut Ozil, a number 10, playing right wing.

It is square pegs in round holes, and no surprise we look unbalanced.

If we Emery is going to continue with 4231, we need to ensure that we are playing the right players in the right positions. Ultimately this will mean that we have to spend more on the right players.

The Spaniard has to stop trying to show horn Ozil and Ramsey into the same team.

City do it with the two Silva’s (with de Bruyne coming in when fit), playing just Fernandinho behind them. But they can afford to do this when they have 70-80% possession, like they did against Brighton.

Playing Ozil and Ramsey central, behind a striker is not an option at the moment. Emery knows this, hence playing one out wide. Unfortunately this means we do not get enough out of Ozil.

In the Premie League, Ozil averages a goal or assist every 157 minutes. He is one of the best creative players in the league, no matter what the fat lad down the pub says.

Emery clearly recognised that long term, his side can not have both Ozil and Ramsey in it. It is the primary reason why the contract for Ramsey has been taken off the table.

If he was willing to sign to £120k, as a squad play – understudy for Ozil who does miss a few famed – I am sure everyone would be happy.

But a 4 year deal on a reported £200k a week would not make sense. He would easily be our second highest player, but not a regular first teamer.

If £200,000 a week was on the table, this means Arsenal have £52m over 4 years in their budget to play with. If we do sell Ramsey for £20m in January, this increases io £72m.

This works out at £18m a season of salary and amortised transfer fees.

In basic terms, we could go out and buy a £46m winger. We could pay him £125k a year, and our yearly expenditure would stay the same as it would if Ramsey signed his new deal.

£47m and £125k a week. That is. It too far off the Lacazette figures.

If, like me, you back Sven Mislintat, and see what he has already done with the likes of Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi (combined cost £47m), you will be getting very excited.

A new winger will just give us more balance than the current set up. £47m gets you a Sterling or Sane. A young player already performing at a high level at a lower club, but has the talent to become one of the worlds best.

This solution, however, is at least 4 months away (January) and more realistically 9 months away (June). In the short term, we have to get the balance from within.

That means dropping Ramsey, moving Ozil into the middle, and playing with Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Alex Iwobi wide right. Both of these players we still wider a lot more than what Ozil currently does. They will also give Hector Bellerin a bit more protection.

The left side is a bit more complicated, as Arsenal do not currently have a natural left winger.

At the moment it is a straight choice, Aubameyang or Danny Welbeck. The Gabonese striker is clearly the superior player and is ahead in the pecking order.

He is a square peg in a round hole, but we do not currently have any round pegs. This does not leave Emery with many options but to play Aubameyang out wide. It is not suitable and adds to our imbalance as he looks to come inside.

At the moment we are wasting both the talent of Aubameyang and Ozil playing them as wingers.

With Iwobi and Mkhitaryan capable of doing a job wide right, the Ramsey money and the focus of Mislintat should be on securing a threat on the left.

Much of the list of options remains the same as the summer. The likes of Leon Bailey, Ousmane Dembélé, Christian Pulisic and Anthony Martial.

It is Martial that interests me the most.

At 22-years old, it is easy to forget how young he is. A year younger than Raheem Sterling, a month older than Leroy Sane. He is as good as both of the Manchester city players; and I think that we could secure him for that £40million mark. And as early as January if we push.

I think it is unrealistic to expect us to compete with City any time soon.

Look at Liverpool. This is Klopp’s 4th year with the Merseyside club. Whilst they have started the season off well, I expect City to pull away and win the league by double figures.

City have a settled side and a great manager. And when you see them linked with Kylian Mbappe, it highlights their financial clout. They spent £67m on Mahrez in the summer as a squad player.

Whilst I do not expect to compete with them, for this season at least, we should cast an eye over at what they are doing and how they get their team set up so balanced.

Keenos