As the home fans trickled out after another rout at the Liberty Stadium, one can only feel for the new Swansea manager, Paul Clement. Numbers don’t lie and on the basis of those numbers, one could have only hoped for the best for the Welsh club.
Having conceded 45 goals already, Arsenal knew that the key to this game was patience and persistence. The London club was under pressure having picked up a solitary point in their last three Premier league away games. Injuries to key players such as Hector Bellerin and Theo Walcott meant appearances for Alex Iwobi and Gabriel Paulista.
Swansea had made their own set of changes after their disappointing defeat against Hull City in the FA Cup. Llorente, Routledge and Fabianski made their return to the first team as they looked to turn the tables on their London neighbours. Nevertheless, as the game progressed it took a familiar turn as Swansea started shipping in goals.
Two own goals sandwiched between a strike from Giroud and Sanchez resulted in a 4-0 score line in favour of the away side. Arsenal now find themselves in third place with 44 points, while Swansea are rock bottom with 15 points.
Here are the major talking points from the game in Wales:
#1 Iwobi’s zealousness deserves recognition
The youngster has come up in leaps and bounds this season and at the Liberty Stadium, he wasted no time in showing his quality. Having started on the right, the Nigerian was a constant threat, twisting and turning the hapless full-backs.
In the early stages, Iwobi was one of the few players on the pitch, who didn’t seem to be sluggish. Looking to make things happen, the youngster finally found a way through in the second half. Having seen his shot blocked by some strong Swansea defending, it seemed to strengthen his determination.
And soon enough, his efforts were rewarded. The winger, coming in from the right, managed to fire off a shot. The resultant shot deflected off an unlucky Jack Cork before ending up in the Swansea goal to double Arsenal’s lead. And five minutes later, a similar set of events transpired but this time from the left side of the pitch.
Dancing his way into the box, Iwobi left Fernandez red-faced before composing himself to put the ball into the box. The unfortunate Kyle Naughton could only divert the ball into his own net to sum up Swansea’s dismal display once again. On the evidence of this display, it will be difficult for Arsene Wenger to leave the youngster out in spite of Walcott’s impending return.
#2 Swans need to quickly organise themselves
To be frank, this was a humiliating performance from the Swans. The change in personnel in the dugout, which the owners believe is the key to retaining their status in the Premier League does not seem to be taking them places.
Paul Clement, no doubt, has a firefighting exercise on his hands and alongside Makelele, needs to quickly shore up the Swansea defence. A younger Makelele is what this Swansea side needs and at times one could sense the helplessness of the Frenchman. Having worked with Clement earlier, the Frenchman must wonder where he has to start in order to stop the defence from conceding goals.
The Welsh side did give a good account of themselves, holding on for 37 minutes, but once the first goal went in the defensive jitters were back. Swansea were fortunate that the scoreline was restricted to four goals given the amount of chances Arsenal created.
#3 Gunners make most of Swansea misery
As mean as it may sound, Swansea were gracious and comical hosts on the night. While it was unfortunate for the Swansea defenders to put the ball in their own net, it was also Arsenal’s persistence that won them the game.
Ramsey didn’t show any mercy in the middle of the park as he snapped into tackles. Ozil, having been muted for much of the first half except for the downward header which resulted in the Giroud goal, came into his own in the second half.
Sanchez, who constantly burst through the middle after Giroud limped off with an injury, deservedly got his goal. That aside, a composed display from Gabriel at right back must bring a sense of relief to Arsene Wenger as well.
Wenger, speaking at the end of the game, summed up the Arsenal display quite succinctly stating, “The first half was very intense physically, they gave a lot in the first half and then our pace took over. They had problems containing us. In the second half, you could see we could create chances. Our transition and accuracy of passing were very good. We were fortunate with the goals, but the chances were there."
#4 Penalty call will haunt the hosts
In the 44th minute, referee Mike Jones made a huge call. Ki, the Swansea midfielder made his way into the box from the right and went down in the area under the challenge of Laurent Koscielny.
In real time, it seemed to be a clear penalty and an opportunity for Swansea to draw level at the end of the first half. But Mike Jones had other ideas as he blew the whistle and quickly moved towards Ki to book him for diving. Considering the nature of the incident and the circumstances surrounding the situation, it was a huge call to make.
Even the on-air commentators were uncertain about the incident after watching the replay as it was difficult to confirm the veracity of Jones’s decision. Paul Clement was adamant that Jones had got it wrong as he stated towards the end, “We had a big claim for a penalty. Looking back on it, it is a penalty.”
However, Clement will be more bothered about the marking and the reaction time of his players than the penalty call. The threat of relegation is a very real one for the Swans as games come thick and fast.
The Welsh side have now conceded four or more goals in three of their last five Premier League home games, and Clement needs to quickly turn this stat around before they run out of games and time.
#5 Unhappy Sanchez not the greatest sight for Arsenal fans
Pragmatically speaking, Wenger was right to take off the Chilean after he scored in order to preserve him for the upcoming games. But twice in as many weeks, the Chilean has shown his frustration, once after Arsenal dropped points against Bournemouth, and now on being substituted.
Understandably, the French manager is sure to present this incident as a matter of desire. But the constant display of discontent may affect the other squad members as well. No doubt, the desire of the Chilean is something that the Frenchman appreciates but no one player’s petulance is bigger than the club.
If Arsenal are to challenge for the title, a balance has to be achieved. Sanchez has already been involved in more goals than any other Premier League player this season with 14 goals and 7 assists. Arsene quickly needs to refocus the Chilean and calm him down before things get ugly.
The Gunners next welcome Burnley to the Emirates and fans would prefer a beaming Sanchez to a brooding one.
Having controlled the game to a greater extent in the second half, Arsenal’s pressure finally paid off as they waltzed to a victory. Sanchez must remember that there are going to be much tougher opponents to battle in the upcoming weeks and it is with an eye on those fixtures that Arsene is basing his current decisions.
