The lead up to Thursday’s first leg of the Europa League round of 16 against FK Ostersunds might have focused an inordinate amount of attention on the situation surrounding the availability of the club’s top 2 strikers, but the match itself was a relatively straightforward affair for the favoured Gunners. Concerns over the plastic pitch and extreme cold were perhaps overblown, as the players managed to escape the match without any injuries or situations of note. The hosts were awfully gun-shy as the match started, and it took them almost 25 minutes of the first half to enjoy their first sustained possession of the match. Arsenal might have gotten lucky on 2 of their goals, but few could argue that they weren’t deserving victors on a night in which they walked out 3-0 winners.
Welbeck Not Threatening Anyone’s Place
The final scoreline may show a comfortable victory for the Gunners, but Danny Welbeck was hardly a reason why. He was largely quiet in his first start as the lone striker in several months, and the chances he was afforded were either near misses or completely wasted. It is not as if Arsenal won in spite of Welbeck’s performance, but he simply was not nearly as effective as the two star strikers left out of contention for the match in the injured Alexandre Lacazette and the cup-tied Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He is not nearly as adept as either veteran striker at linking up with his teammates, and the lack of fluidity in his passing game sticks out like a sore thumb when he leads the line.
Welbeck does a lot of things that managers love; he is a great teammate, hard working, physically strong, and still possesses pace to burn despite a checkered injury history. However, at 26 years old, he is well beyond the point a player typically develops their finishing ability, and as it currently stands, he is simply not clinical enough in front of goal to be a legitimate striking option for a club of Arsenal’s calibre. Welbeck represents one of those players that may have become a favourite or manager Arsene Wenger, but could be subject to the more ruthless assessments of Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat. Welbeck is by no means a poor player, but for a club that could be facing wage bill growth restrictions this summer if they once again miss out on the Champions League, they would be far better served using a younger, less expensive player with a higher upside in his limited role, rather than continuing on and perhaps extending a Welbeck’s contract. The incredible personality and humour that Welbeck possesses is a great thing to have around a club, but in the modern age of ruthless competition in the Premier League for top 4 places, Arsenal have little room in the team for players whose talents on the pitch do not quite make the grade.
Maitland-Niles, Back Home in Central Midfield, Impresses
It is quite a rare occurrence, but for once this season, the wishes of fans and Arsene Wenger’s match plan aligned with Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The youngster was hugely impressive when covering for Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac at left back, despite it neither being his preferred position nor his strong foot side, and fans have been clamouring to see him back in his natural role at centre midfield. On Thursday, he was massively impressive, using his incredible burst and dribbling ability to surge past would-be defenders in a way that would make Jack Wilshere proud. He was equally as effective in tandem with Mohammed Elneny, as the pair formed a relatively effective (especially in the first half) shield to the back line.
Maitland-Niles took the place of a Granit Xhaka in the side against Ostersunds, which brought a totally different dynamic to the midfield. Arsenal were extremely fluid in build up, with players following passes and moving about to create angles for passes in a way that was totally lacking last Saturday against Tottenham. While it would probably be a mistake to assume that his replacing Xhaka was little more than a rotation decision, his dynamism did little to dispel the desires of a large portion of the fan base that have consistently called on a Wenger to drop the Swiss international. Arsene Wenger appears to be much higher on Xhaka than those fans, as he is almost a lock on a starting berth when fit, but he has undeniably struggled at times this season with the pace of the Premier League. Whether Maitland-Niles is a permanent replacement for Xhaka, or simply a depth piece at the point in his career, it has become increasingly obvious that his future at the club is exceedingly bright.
Potter Destined For The Premier League?
It might have taken most of the first half for the Ostersunds players to gain the belief in themselves to play their game against a big club like Arsenal, but eventually they grew into the match and gave an effort that would make any manager proud. Nerves and bad luck might have helped Arsenal gain the early advantage, but Ostersunds continued to try and play their game, opting for a very Gunner-esque pass and move style. By the second half, the Swedish side were playing slick passing combinations while putting further pressure on Arsenal in their own end, which lead to further chances. David Ospina was far busier minding the Arsenal goal than Arsene Wenger would have hoped, and the Gunners were lucky to escape the match without conceding.
At the heart of Ostersunds’ rise to prominence in their homeland is Graham Potter, an Englishman who bravely elected to move his family to Sweden for the chance to help build something from very little. Potter’s rise to prominence sheds a light on the plight of many young British managers, who often toil for years in the gritty, unglamorous lower divisions of English football without ever getting a chance at a Premier League job. The financial incentive that clubs have to stay in the Premier League creates a situation in which clubs are not looking for the progressive, long-term solution at manager, but will almost always elect to hire the Sam Allardyces of the world, who specialise not in success, but in avoiding failure. The small, insular carousel of experienced, known-quantity managers leaves little room for fresh faces to come to the league. Paradoxically, whenever British clubs look outside the box for a solution, a foreign manager is typically hired.
Potter has grown a bit of a cult following among British fans of the continental game, and as a result, his name is now closer to the radar of Premier League clubs than it would have been at, say, a League One club. There have been many instances of quality managers who willingly choose a job that might seem crazy to observers (like Wenger and his Japanese managerial experience), but ends up providing them with valuable experience that informs their thinking down the road. Graham Potter is destined to manage in the Premier League one day, and his team’s impressive performance against Arsenal, especially if they repeat the display next week at the Emirates, might help expedite his journey back to England.
Ospina Preserves The Clean Sheet
Petr Cech may be in the midst of one of the worst spells of his career (despite a mostly good performance against Spurs), but his deputy, David Ospina, is quietly putting together his most consistent season in an Arsenal shirt. Previously in his career at the club, the Columbian shot-stopper had developed a bit of a habit for costly mistakes and stressful situations at the back, but this season he has minimised those gaffes and kept things simpler at the back. A very quick, if shorter, keeper, Ospina has always incorporated elements of a “sweeper keeper” role into his game, but this season he seems to be less adventurous in that regard. His positional play has improved massively since last season, and some fans are starting to back him to replace Cech as the club’s number one keeper.
In all likelihood, this will be Ospina’s last season with the club, as he will likely angle for a move away in pursuit of regular game time for the third consecutive summer. Both he and Cech are on the wrong side of 30 years old, and Arsenal will likely be searching for a younger player to groom as Cech’s successor. In truth, Ospina is always going to look better in Europe than in domestic matches, as he struggles most of all against the big, fast and physical Premier League clubs that get bodies in the box, unsettling Ospina in the process. He does not possess Cech’s length to attack crosses in the box, and a lengthy run of league games tends to expose this weakness in his game. However, Ospina is always capable of a performance like the one Thursday night, in which his great save on a last minute penalty (the first for an Arsenal penalty since 2014) preserved the clean sheet. Should his recent run of good form continue, Ospina could find himself integral to a deep run in the Europa League, just as we were able to do last season in Arsenal’s FA Cup run and eventual victory.
Enough Of A Cushion?
Arsenal will be beneficiaries of their early exit from the FA Cup next week, as they will not play again until the return leg against Ostersunds just 4 days before the League Cup final showdown with Manchester City. The Gunners will have their best chance at winning a trophy in the League Cup, and all eyes will be on Wenger as he decides how strong of a team to trot out for the reverse Ostersunds fixture. Balancing the need for a strong showing in that match with the desire to bring a rested squad to Wembley to face City will be crucial for the Gunners. With top 4 looking like a remote possibility, the better Arsenal can do in the remaining competitions, the better off they will be when building the squad this summer. With a 3 goal cushion and the second leg coming at home, Arsenal should have Ostersunds pretty much right where they want them, and it likely has given them the flexibility to rest key players for the massive test they face against the high-flying Pep Guardiola and his star-studded team.
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