Gunners too hot for Watford

Watford 1-3 Arsenal

Arsenal secured their first win of the Premier League season on Saturday with a fine performance against Watford, racing into a comfortable 3-0 lead before half time.

The Gunners have been far from their best so far this campaign, struggling for fluidity in attack in particular. However against Watford, helped by scoring an early goal, Arsenal produced a fine display of passing and movement to at times rip their opponents apart.

The early goal was crucial in opening up the game and restricting Watford from sitting deep but Theo Walcott’s performance was also very impressive as he played a key role. The Englishman has struggled throughout his time at the club to live up to all the early expectations but may have finally accepted the fact that he is not an out and out striker. For years, Walcott’s desire to play up front led to desperately poor performances when deployed on the wing. Time and time again he would drift into a central area and therefore offer no width whatsoever to the attack, making it far too easy for the opposition to defend against. This summer however the penny finally dropped and Walcott accepted that his best role is out on the wing instead of up front in the lone striker role. Against Watford, he showed just how important he can be to the team if he dedicates himself to a wide role. Walcott hugged the touchline throughout the match and as a result, the pitch was made as wide as possible with the Watford defence unsure whether to stick tight to him or sit back due to his electrifying pace. Consequently the Arsenal midfield were afforded more space in which to operate as Watford were left unable to significantly press the ball.

A player of the quality of Mesut Ozil is devastating if afforded space and the German was able to pull the strings with consummate ease on his return to the starting eleven. His clipped ball into the box towards Alexis Sanchez, early in the game caused panic amongst the Watford defence and suddenly the referee was pointing to the spot following a clear foul on Sanchez. Up stepped Santi Cazorla to fire the ball down the middle of the goal and give the Gunners an early lead from which they never looked back.

Walcott then created the second Arsenal goal from his right wing position, using his searing pace to get beyond the Watford full back before firing a low ball across the box, towards Sanchez. The Chilean appeared to miss hit his shot but the ball still looped over Gomes in the Watford goal and despite a Watford defender clearing the ball, the referee confirmed that it had in fact crossed the line.

On the stroke of half time Arsenal cemented their lead as Sanchez turned provider and clipped a fine ball into the box for Ozil to head home. The goal owed much to great movement off the ball with the German having made a forward run from midfield, which the Watford midfield and defence had failed to spot.

Yet despite their superiority, the Gunners still looked vulnerable in defence at times with Petr Cech forced into several fine saves to deny the hosts, most notably when a goal bound effort deflected off the outstretched leg of Koscielny. Fortunately Cech stood firm throughout the match, despite a late Watford rally as they reduced the deficit mid-way through the second half, following a lapse in concentration by the Arsenal defence.

Gunners fans will therefore be happy to see the club confirm the signing of Mustafi from Valencia. The German is a much needed addition to the Arsenal defence, a centre half who is confident with the ball at his feet is just what Wenger’s team needed. Hopefully Mustafi will compliment Koscielny and the two can form a long lasting and durable partnership in central defence as Arsenal have been crying out for such a partnership since the days of the invincibles.

Wenger did not just sign a defender before the close of the transfer window but also a striker in the form of Lucas Perez. The Spaniard is relatively unheard of having only come to prominence last season as he scored 17 goals for Deportivo La Coruna as they battled relegation. His style appears to be very similar to that of Jamie Vardy, using his pace to get on the end of through balls, scoring the majority of his goals on the counter attack. Perez also appears to have a high level of technical ability, displaying skill on the ball and a confidence to receive the ball in tight areas. The Spaniard may well be a hit at the Emirates, but ultimately he is not the top level centre forward the club and fans have been crying out for, for years and has the feeling of a panic buy as the Gunners realised they would not be able to prize Lacazete away from Lyon.

Arsenal’s first major signing, Granit Xhaka, made a major contribution against Watford on Saturday, with his tough tackling and ability to spread the play with his fine passing ability. The Swiss international was likened to Emmanuel Petit by Wenger in the post match press conference and if he does live up to that billing, he could prove to be a major addition to this team, linking the play between defence and attack.

Ultimately Wenger could have concluded his summer spending far earlier that he did. The money spent on Mustafi would have secured the German earlier in the window had the Gunners not haggled and haggled over the price before ultimately paying the £35 million Valencia wanted anyway, while Perez had a £17 million release clause and had he been a top priority at the start of the window, the club could have met the release clause and secured his services early on too. The dithering that has gone on at Arsenal has essentially allowed the team to get off to an average start, falling five points behind their supposed championship rivals already as they play catch up with a side that will still be getting to know each other once the international break ends.