Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win over Watford in the Premier League on Sunday to follow up their victory away to AC Milan in the Europa League.
Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were the goal scorers on the day while Petr Cech denied Troy Deeney from the spot to pick up his 200th clean sheet in England’s top division.
The performance left us with plenty to ponder and here’s three things that stand out.
OZIL IN HIS ELEMENT
Mesut Ozil was in his element against Watford and why wouldn’t he be? The Hornets were competitive but accommodating, the encounter had little bearing on Arsenal’s season, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang supported him ably and there were barely enough fans to get on his back.
Watford allowed enough room for the German to exploit. He duly went about orchestrating play and show-boating with a lay-off off his shoulder here and a nonchalant flick there. With the element of pressure removed from the equation, Ozil thrived, registering his 50th assist in his 141st Premier League appearance, becoming the fastest player to reach that mark in England’s top flight.
The former Real Madrid star encapsulated what makes Arsenal so frustrating as a team, showcasing the capacity to play some breath-taking football when there’s little at stake only to have that swagger and panache desert them in the face of greater challenges when the heat is on.
Mesut Ozil
DEPLETED DEFENCE A CONCERN
Arsene Wenger would’ve been pleasantly surprised by his team’s display at the San Siro in their Europa League clash with AC Milan last week. A professional 2-0 win away from home against the Serie A outfit was received very well indeed following their defeat to Brighton.
However, their depleted resources at the back is genuine cause for concern. Despite the clean sheet against Watford, their vulnerability in defence was palpable. Rob Holding started alongside Mustafi at centre-back and while he did make a couple of eye-catching interventions, he also switched off at times, particularly when he allowed Richarlison to run in behind him in the first half.
Meanwhile, Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ shaky performance wouldn’t have filled Wenger with confidence. The young full-back endured a torrid time at right-back up against the trickery of Richarlison and ended up conceding the penalty as well with a clumsy challenge.
With Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin injured, the Gunners will have to be far more compact as a unit in the second leg against Milan at the Emirates Stadium to guard against any possibility of a Rossoneri comeback.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (l) tangles with Richarlison
AUBAMEYANG FINDING HIS FEET
Having scored Arsenal’s second, Aubameyang now has three goals in five Premier League outings. He was unable to make an impact against the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham but given the right service, he’s shown he can flourish at the Emirates.
The Gabon international is renowned for his pace and got in behind Watford’s back-line time and again. Ideally, he should’ve had at least another goal, particularly from Sead Kolasinac’s excellent fizzed delivery across the six yard box in the first half, but the signs are promising.
He’s coming to grips with Arsenal’s play and how he can benefit from it with his movement, his clever slant run to get on the end of Mkhitaryan’s perfectly weighted through ball for his goal was indicative of just that. The composure to round the keeper and score spoke volumes of his calibre as one of Europe’s leading marksmen, as did his awareness to pick out Mkhitaryan for the third goal.
It’s just a shame the 29-year-old is cup tied and unable to aid Arsenal in their quest for Europa League glory.
Aubameyang (l) comes good.
