Arsenal were back to their fluent best with a crushing 4-0 victory over Watford as they continue to cling onto their slim title hopes.
The Gunners exploded out of the blocks and took the lead on four minutes when Alexis Sanchez followed up to prod the ball home after his initial header was saved by Heurelho Gomes.
The early goal rattled the Hornets as the home side dominated proceedings, carving out chance after chance. With half time in sight, Arsenal doubled their lead when youngster Alex Iwobi swept home from close-range after a superb team move.
Hector Bellerin then added a third just after half time when his shot took a wicked deflection that beat the outstretched hand of Gomes, before substitute Theo Walcott rounded things off by netting Arsenal’s fourth goal.
The four-goal rout was the Gunners’ most complete performance for quite some time having gone three matches without a win at home. It begs the question: where was this sort of clinical performance during the months of February and March when the title was there for the taking?
Watford on the other hand have now won just twice in 13 league games including five defeats from their past six outings.
POPULAR ARTICLES
EPL – What We Learned – Arsenal 4 Watford 0
EPL – Tactical Analysis – West Ham United 2 Crystal Palace 2
West Ham fan captures the incredible Dimitri Payet free kick [WATCH]
With their top flight status virtually guaranteed for another season, their performances have dipped dramatically, but they can be thankful for their stunning pre-Christmas form that saw them climb to seventh at one stage.
Formations
Arsene Wenger continued with the same lineup that brushed aside Everton a fortnight ago with Gabriel partnering Laurent Koscielny in the centre of defence and Mohammed Elneny continuing at the axis of Arsenal’s midfield alongside Francis Coquelin. In attack, Iwobi and Sanchez flanked Mesut Ozil with Danny Welbeck the focal point up top.
Quique Sanhez Flores made three changes from the side that was defeat by Stoke City with Sebastian Prodl, Ben Watson and Almen Abdi replacing Miguel Britos, Jose Manuel Jurado and Valon Behrami in the starting XI.
Early goal a killer for Watford
Prior to yesterday’s thrashing, the Hornets had been one of the most miserly teams in the Premier League, conceding just 32 goals and proving to be a tough nut for opposing teams to crack.
Sanchez Flores’ plans to frustrate Arsenal in similar fashion to their victory in the FA Cup suffered a huge setback inside five minutes when Sanchez was found by a pin point cross from Iwobi that was parried away by Gomes straight into the path of the Chilean who was left with the simplest of tasks, of slotting the ball home.
It was the ideal start for the home side which has been guilty on far to many occasions this season of starting matches in sluggish fashion and allowing its opponents to settle and get a foothold in the game.
That killer instinct has been sorely lacking from Arsenal for large portions of the campaign, but they were ruthless in the final third on this occasion and that fast start allowed them to play the remainder of the match on their terms.
Wenger has finally found the appropriate balance, but it is too late?
No goals conceded and six goals scored from their last two games suggests that Arsenal have found the right balance between defence and attack.
After months of disjointed performances from Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey, January signing Elneny has blossomed playing alongside Coquelin, as the two seem to compliment each other perfectly.
The destructive Frenchman thrives on having a deep-lying playmaker by his side, and with the absence of Santi Cazorla, Elneny has taken the mantle of that creative outlet to ensure the Gunners maintain possession in a fluid manner.
The Egyptian showcased just how comfortable he is on the ball, completing 122 of his 127 attempted passes at an astonishing 96% success rate – the most of any player in a Premier League match this season.
While keeping his distribution reasonably simple, the 23-year-old was able to play the ball swiftly across all areas of the pitch, enabling Arsenal to play at a high tempo that was key in their ability to dismantle what is a usually stubborn Watford defence.
The tactical understanding between Eleney and Coquelin has solidified Arsenal defensively also as they are yet to concede when the newly acquainted duo have started together at the fulcrum of the Gunners midfield.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing but it really beggars belief why Elneny was not given more league opportunities during the winter months when Arsenal were in desperate need of alterations in central-midfield.
Youthful Iwobi continues to flourish
From a fan’s perspective, there is a sense of pride when they witness a youngster progress through the club’s youth ranks into the first team, and it is no different with Arsenal fans seeing Iwobi make his mark at senior level.
The 19-year-old has been slowly integrated into first team calculations this term, and with two goals from his first two league starts, he has the potential to become one of Arsenal’s finest academy graduates.
With the likes of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain flattering to deceive, the Nigerian has shown his more experienced team mates how it is done, showcasing clever movement, an assuredness in front of goal and a terrific attitude that has been reflected in his rapid rise into the first team.
Iwobi found Sanchez with a lovely cross to set up the Gunners’ first before the Chilean returned the favour, finding the teenager who tucked the ball away with aplomb, as the master and his protege combined brilliantly throughout the 90 minutes.
The emergence of Iwobi has been a breath of fresh air in the final third alongside Sanchez and Danny Welbeck after a catalogue of laborious performances in which just 19 goals have been scored at the Emirates all season prior to Saturday’s thrashing.
Conclusion
You could have mistaken Arsenal’s performance of a team steamrolling its way to the league title. While they were sublime yesterday, it does make you wonder why they have not been able to put together a showing of this ilk more often and whether they can only play at this level when there is no attached pressure of being the championship pacesetters.
The additions of Elneny, Gabriel, Iwobi and Welback have meant the Gunners are a much more balanced side containing an increased portion of speed, efficiency and movement that they have been deprived of for large chunks of this campaign.
Watford are in a major form slump as they failed to replicate their FA Cup sixth round heroics in their last visit to North London. It is the first time they have been put to the sword all season but they are now looking like a team that is limping to the finishing line. They were simply outclassed yesterday and they will need to seek much needed improvement with a trip to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final just three weeks away.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
