Alex Iwobi is the Hector Bellerin of this season… The guy has symbolized renewed freshness in the side, taking opponents head-on and picking a pass out of the mainstream. Goal and assist aside, it’s his all-round play and involvement that strikes him out of the, say, marginalized Theo Walcott. Add to that his versatility and skill with the ball, and it’s unreal to think a player like him earns merely £800 p/week at a club like Arsenal.
Perhaps what adds to the feelgood factor around Iwobi is that, everyone at Arsenal has wanted a forward to blossom naturally within the confines of the club. It’s been quite a while since an academy player burst through the ranks and made a name for himself climbing up the club’s ladder. Even Bellerin was signed from Barcelona’s youth at the age of sixteen. Iwobi has been at Arsenal since primary schooling.
Thankfully, Alexis Sanchez is back… Granted, it’s only Watford in one of the most irrelevant Premier League matches Arsenal are going to get this season. But it was good to see Sanchez getting among the goals and creating them. It’s been no hidden secret that Alexis has been off-colour for chunks of this season. Whether that’s down to him being the victim of an annual Arsenal collapse, injuries or a general overload of football is open to debate. It may be a combination of all three factors.
Having said that, it’s good to see him getting back in his groove. The timing is conducive for him to rethink some stuff and get back to his best. He even has an extended summer break, due to not participating in the Euros. If not now, one can hope Sanchez carries his good form into the beginning of next season, where there are stakes.
Where was this performance before? Not to sound nit-picky, but three weeks ago a 4-0 win against Watford would have done a world of good. We had the players, we had the occasion and while I have my doubts on the FA Cup being some sort of platform for success, we certainly would have enjoyed a third consecutive win.
Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance, not less the showboating Mesut Ozil and Alexis exhibited among themselves. But I really must wonder – if performances as such will only come when the pressure and the spotlight is off us, is our Wengerball philosophy worth adhering to?
The number of convincing performances and results we’ve attained simultaneously have been few. There were the wins against Manchesters United and City. There was the Champions League wins against Bayern Munich, Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos. One might also include wins against Bournemouth, Everton (and today) where we felt genuinely comfortable – a team with a plan. Even in the 2-0 away wins to Villa and Bournemouth there were significant moments where we felt rocky.
How many wins is that – eight? We’ve played 47 matches this season. Only 17% of the games we’ve played in have we looked like a team with a plan and executed it well. For a team like Arsenal and the resources we have (and factoring in the state of the league at present), that’s not nearly good enough.
What about the title ‘race’? Well, what can we do? The title is nearly out of hands – Tottenham drawing to Liverpool changes little. At this moment, all we can do is keep winning, which should be easy to do under almost no pressure and nothing to play for. Garner as many points as we can, and feebly hope Leicester and Spurs drop points along the way, either through doping or whatnot.
Back next week then. Or before, if this doping scandal escalates. Take care.
-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]
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