Santa Claus hates Arsenal. There I said it. It’s the only reason I can think of as to why the Gunners suffer every Christmas season. Despite their 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, Arsene Wenger’s men were largely lacklustre, wasteful of their chances and not clinical enough in the final third.
We’ve said all of the above multiple times in the past but it sticks on. Arsenal are back to third on the table tied with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who are to play later but their performance to get there was poor.
We look at five talking points from Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion:
#1 Tony Pulis knows Arsene Wenger through and through
West Bromwich Albion started the game on the backfoot or at least it looked like it but they worked their way around the pitch superbly containing all of Arsenal’s threats. They sometimes had five players on the base of the box defending crosses and preventing through-balls.
Darren Fletcher, Claudio Yacob, and Christ Brunt did well to contain Arsenal’s two biggest strengths in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. The German and the Chilean were largely wasteful throughout the game often accused of trying too hard to pull something spectacular when the simple choice was the right one.
And Ozil learned of it in the 87th minute when he decided against walking the ball into the net and rather be more direct by finding Olivier Giroud in the box.
#2 Olivier Giroud would have been the enemy should Arsenal have dropped points
It's incredible how underrated Olivier Giroud is in the Premier League yet when he was tasked with answering those same questions tonight, his best impression was still a little unconvincing.
Giroud headed in the goal towards the end of the game and gave Arsenal the win, no doubt, but his inability to tuck away chances when presented on a platter – citing Lucas Perez’s excellent cross into the box here – will anger Arsenal fans. Even more so now given the delicate situation the club are in the terms of the table.
#3 Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil need a break
And not just a break from football but a break from unnecessary hatred towards them in recent weeks. Sanchez is a world-beater and doesn't let people tell you he's a 'Barcelona reject. He can change games on his own and can do so even better when Ozil is in the mood.
The two of them linked up all over the pitch once again tonight and their passing and breakaways are vital for Arsenal to play the kind of football they do under Arsene Wenger. For someone who's accused of being languid on the pitch, Ozil was sprinting all over and delivered the killer blow by doing what he does best: provide assists.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona man were at the heart of Arsenal’s massive 21 chances created in the match tonight. If Giroud was a little less rusty, it could have been a field day for the Gunners.
#4 Gareth McAuley and Jonny Evans deserve a lot of praise
Gareth McAuley is the Premier League’s oldest outfield player and his performance against Arsenal was that of a young, energetic defender capable of mixing it with the best of forwards in the league.
And his partner, Jonny Evans, was solid, too. McAuley made six clearances against the Gunners, intercepted two vital attacks and put his body on the line thrice to block shots on target. That commitment will surely make his manager smile.
Evans, on the other hand, was the defender who usually went forward a little more and his excellent reading of the game meant he made five important interceptions in his half, cleared the ball three times post attacks and remained the only player on the field with a 100% pass accuracy.
#5 Arsenal do not need reinforcements in January
Despite their shortcomings in this game, the Gunners have a strong squad going into the second half of the season and could avoid making signings in the winter transfer window. Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey are incredible in midfield.
Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck – who’s back in training – and Olivier Giroud provide a plethora of options for Arsene Wenger to pick up top. And for the first time in years, the Gunners have enough quality numbers at the back. Gabriel Paulista, Laurent Koscielny, Rob Holding and the soon-to-return Shkodran Mustafi are a solid two pairs and could do the job for the Gunners even against the best of teams.
And when needed – and back from injury – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott will give Arsene Wenger the kind of headache he loves. Even though they’re being linked with moves for multiple players across Europe, Arsenal are fine and could finally go through a window and not have the pressure to reinforce.
