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So, with the weekend matches done and dusted, we take a look at what we can take away from the matches.
1) The win against Manchester United was no fluke
When West Brom stunned incumbent champions Manchester United 2-1 at the Theatre of Dreams, one could be forgiven the thought that it was a mere fluke. A disturbance in the force, so to speak. But the performance against the Champions warranted nothing short of the result. They went at United at every opportunity, and soaked up pressure when United’s attack, uninspired as it was, attempted to make a foray into their attacking third.
The performance against Arsenal, though, made sure the fact that no one would think that the victory at United was a fluke. They actually put up a better performance against Arsenal than they did at Old Trafford, and not even Arsenal fans would’ve been able to dispute the claim that a win for the Baggies would have been deserved. At the Hawthorns, West Brom looked sharp and incisive, not letting Arsenal build up too full a head of steam. Steve Clarke will take solace from the display his wards put on at the Hawthorns, and will look to more of the same.
2) Arsenal still have a long way to go
Arsenal have been the best Premier League team by far this season, both on the domestic front and in Europe. Their performances in the Champions League against Marseille and Napoli have underlined the ambition of the club. On the domestic front, apart from the opening day defeat at the hands of Aston Villa at the Emirates, Arsenal have been very impressive.
They have carried over the imperious form they showed at the end of last season, and have deservedly found themselves top of the pile after 7 games played. But still, there were glimpses of the old Arsenal, from the mid-2000′s at the Hawthorns on Sunday. Arsenal looked comfortable on the ball, and moved it around very well, but struggled to break down an organised West Brom defence, one that was ably complemented by the holding midfielders; but more on them later.
Their solitary goal came from a very good passage of play, but Boaz Myhill was beaten by the deflection off of Jonas Olsson rather than the shot by Jack Wilshere. Going forward, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud showed some very good interplay, but found the final ball into the area either blocked off, or not present at all. Arsene Wenger will need to analyse where his team needs to improve, but the points of improvement are not that many.
3) Morgan Amalfitano and Berahino are the ones to watch out for
Both the above mentioned players were the stars on the night West Brom beat Manchester United, and they were yet again the star performers against Arsenal. Both Amalfitano and Berahino gave the Arsenal fullbacks a torrid time, with their pacy runs and the crosses they put into the area. It was, after all, from Amalfitano’s expertly delivered cross that Claudio Yacob headed in West Brom’s goal. Berahino usually plays as a striker, but has been shifted on to the flanks at West Brom, and has impressed in his new role. His pace, trickery and desire to beat the fullback have held him in good stead in the matches so far. Both the players have good balance and display good physical presence, and are hard to push off the ball. Berahino is also good at holding up play, allowing team-mates to get into promising positions. It also seems that they are also forming a bond of understanding between themselves, as they displayed a knack of switching flanks when it suited them.
4) Defensive midfielders are the “in-thing”
Both Arsenal and West Brom did well in the match because of the roles essayed by the defensive midfielders from either side. Mathieu Flamini and the Claudio Yacob-Youssouf Mulumbu pairing were excellent in their roles as the midfield destroyers. Flamini’s free transfer at the start of the season was widely condemned by the Arsenal supporters; with them perceiving it as part of Wenger’s abhorrence towards spending.
But attitudes have quickly changed in view of the performances put in by the Frenchman. Flamini’s work in the center of midfield has largely been the reason that Aaron Ramsey has found it easier to make runs into the opposition half; runs that have resulted in goals. Though Flamini has a habit of notching up fouls and, consequently, cautionary cards, his contribution to the team’s good is unquestionable.
Yacob and Mulumbu are of the same ilk. Their partnership in the position in front of the central defenders has been a major contributing factor in the good play by West Brom. Last season, when West Brom found themselves in the top 5 in the Premier League, Yacob and James Morrison were the players credited with getting them there. Injuries to Morrison and Yacob was the main reason that saw the slide in West Brom’s fortunes.
5) Arsenal’s defence needs tweaking
Carl Jenkinson was not particularly impressive against West Brom at the weekend, and Arsene Wenger might need to think about getting a better back-up for the injury-prone first choice, Bacary Sagna. What will be more than alarming for the Arsenal fans is that Jenkinson has been invisible in most of his appearances.
For large parts of the game, he was conspicuous by his absence down Arsenal’s right hand flank when they attacked, and was beaten with consummate ease by Berahino, and at times Amalfitano. His positional sense has not been the best, with opposing players able to get onto his goal-side without much hassle. If Arsenal are to challenge for silverware this season, Arsene Wenger might have to consider buying a better replacement for the French first-choice.
On the other hand, Wojciech Szcz?sny has definitely improved over his performances from last season. Last season, the young Pole was heavily criticised for being error-prone in allowing in opposition players. For Poland, too, his inconsistencies cost him his starting spot, which was taken by Przemys?aw Tyto?.
But, this season, he has stepped up his game and has made some good saves to keep Arsenal in the lead in matches. His positioning in goal has also sharpened, which will make Arsene Wenger a happy man. Of course, Arsenal have Emiliano Viviano on-loan from Palermo as a back-up keeper, but Arsene Wenger would prefer that Szcz?sny keep his good form intact.
