Sporting CP vs Arsenal FC - Observations

It was quite an evening in Lisbon as Portuguese giants Sporting CP welcomed Arsenal at the Estádio José Alvalade in front of a raucous home crowd, and it was Arsenal who came through with the victory on the night as Danny Welbeck capitalized on a terrible mistake by former Liverpool center-back Sebastian Coates and gave Arsenal the winning goal in the 77th minute.

The game was pretty tight for almost an hour until Lucas Torreira came on for Mohamed Elneny in the 58th minute and Arsenal started building up some steam and showcasing great passing game and quick runners off the ball. Arsenal dominated possession for the entirety of the match(67%) and created some very good chances in the second half, but a mixture of bad finishing, indecisiveness an a couple of good saves kept the scoreline so narrow.

The game never looked out of their hand and despite not showing utter dominance as they have in the past few weeks in the league, they never really looked like losing and came away with a good result at a ground that can be tough for visitors. Here are my observations from the game.

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#1 Sporting has failed to replace the talent that's left

End will not be far away if no measures are taken now

Sporting was quite simply outplayed in every department despite not facing the strongest Arsenal lineup, they never even looked like taking the fight to Arsenal, and were quite simply toothless. They had a huge controversy last season as a mob of 50 'fans' attacked the club's players and coaching staff, leaving several players physically and emotionally scarred forever.

This led to a mass exodus of players, the likes of which include Gelson Martins, William Carvahlo, Seydou Doumbia, Rui Patricio (who's been a revelation in the Premier League so far) to name a few of the 26 names that departed the club earlier this summer.

That is a huge hit for any club to take, and Sporting for that matter have done quite well to stay afloat, but have not made the adequate purchases to replace the quality of talent that departed the club. Much can be said about what happened to the club, but it is sad to see such a drastic fall of quality after an incident that happened in the summer, but it's aftershocks will be felt at the club for years to come.

#2 Arsenal needs a dead ball specialist

Seems the most likely candidate for me. What about you guys?

Not since club legend (my opinion), Santi Corzola played his last game have Arsenal had a genuine set piece taker who can create moments of genius from a dead ball situation.

Tonight Arsenal had two or three free kicks from very dangerous positions near and around the edge of the box, but on both occasions, Arsenal players (Mkhitaryan and Torreira) sent in tame efforts at goal which were easily brushed away by the keeper.

Every elite side has a free kick specialist, and if Arsenal are to fulfill their ambition of re-entering the conversation of being the best club in England, they need to buy someone or someone from within needs to step up their game and start making more of the opportunities to score and create from fouls near the opponent box.

Not every team will set up in a way that Arsenal can dominate, and in those games, the need of a dead ball specialist is more evident than ever, as it's always nice to have someone who can create a moment of magic and make something from nothing. *I miss you Santi Corzola*

#3 Arsenal needs full-back cover

Monreal is by far the best left back at the club, and he's 32.

Tonight in Lisbon Unai Emery fielded a very changed lineup due to injuries and in order to rest crucial players. Monreal and Saed Kolasinac were both ruled out of the game before kick off with hamstring injuries, and the timeline of their returns are quite uncertain as the club has not imparted with too much information about it so far; which meant it was a chance for someone else to fill in and Emery went with... Granit Xhaka.

Whilst the Swiss captain is a very very good player and is quite underappreciated for the qualities he does bring to the team, what he cannot do is play at left back. He's not the quickest, and his defensive instincts are hit or miss. Tonight he lined up against the flashy Nani who's way past it, but despite that, some of Sporting's best attacking plays came down the right flank which was manned by??? You guessed it. Granit Xhaka.

He was caught out quite a few times and had to be rescued by teammates on more occasion than one, which isn't really his fault because he was playing a role he is not used to. Monreal is not getting any younger, and Saed Kolasinac is solid but hasn't made the best of impressions since signing for free from Schalke in Arsene Wenger's final summer.

This is a key area that Arsenal need to invest in this January as the full backs have a very crucial role in Emery's system, and they really looked lacking on the left flank due to the absence of an attacking full back's presence.

#4 Arsenal lack width up front

Henrikh has failed to showcase the form from his last season at Dortmund since his departure and must step up for the side.

When fit, the fullbacks Monreal and Bellerin bomb forward to act as proxy wingers during attacking transitions and help others to drift into spaces created in the centre and exploit the gaps created in the backline.

But Arsenal midfielders looked bereft of ideas on who to pass forward to tonight as Lichsteiner whilst being solid even at 34, is not Bellerin, and while he still gets ahead, he doesn't play the same role and is more defensive than his junior, and Xhaka did not make too many attacking forays deep in opposition territories, and this revealed how much Arsenal lack width up front.

A drifting Aubameyang and Welbeck offer a solid option, but the club needs a serious upgrade on the flanks if they are to be serious contenders against sides like Liverpool, Chelsea etc. as Mkhitaryan has shown to be a very patchy player who cannot be relied on to make a weekly impact, and one injury to Alex Iwobi would leave the club in serious jeopardy with no other player of the same ilk is available to play the role he does in the side. Iwobi needs competition and cover ASAP.

#5 Liverpool will be just the test this side needs

This could be the best fixture between these two sides in a very long time, we are in for a treat.

Liverpool has been one of the top 10 clubs in the World since the start of last season, and are one of the best attacking teams in all of World football right now. Their front three is absolutely phenomenal, but this season they've added defensive stability to their game and with the signing of Allison Becker, and I personally believe Arsenal could be facing the team that might go on to win the league at the end of the season.

This will be a very stern test for Unai Emery's men and could solidify their top 4 credentials if they come away with any points from this fixture.

Lacazette and Aubameyang going up against the league's best center-back will be an enticing prospect, and if they link up as well as they have against lesser opposition, Liverpool could even end up being blown away by 'Emery ball'.

Tonight's fixture will certainly give Klopp and his men a lot of ideas about how to capitalize on the gaps left at the back by Arsenal, and if the Gunners do come away with any points, expect Lucas Torreira to put in the shift of his life.