Welcome Back Alexis

Welcome Back Alexis

Arsenal dominated the 2nd half of the game and got a well-deserved win against a Burnley, a side that came out fighting. It was a good match to watch but the main stories go beyond this 2-1 victory. There is a lot you can tell from a game such as this, a lot regarding players and the way the future will look like for both them and the team. Starting from the back line and going towards the attack, there are a few performances worth mentioning.

  1. David Ospina – he had one or two great saves which reminded fans why Wenger said the Colombian will be number one back in the day when he moved to Emirates. For some reason though, he does not inspire the same respect and sense of security Cech does. Even if we will still see Ospina perform a couple of times this season, it`s hard to believe he will stay until 2019 when his contract is due to expire. The way things are going, Wenger will probably promote a youngster who will grow by Cech’s side.
  2. Calum Chambers – the 21-year-old was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. He scored a stunning goal, he was cool-headed and dominated his adversary. He got involved in the attack and showed that Bellerin has tough competition. His performance also pointed towards two things: Debuchy has little to no chance of becoming a first choice for Wenger – even without Debuchy who could well leave on a loan deal before the window closes, Arsenal can mix it up a bit depending on their adversaries – even though contributing up front Chambers is a bit more defensive than Bellerin.
  3. Gabriel Paulista – looks to be losing his confidence a little. He did not have the best of games and he seems to be on a descending trend. Not playing really affects his performances. He did not look like a player Wenger could count on for the Champions League game against Barcelona for example.
  4. Kieran Gibbs – unfortunately this once very promising defender has lost his identity. He shows glimpses of star-quality but at the same time gives away the fact that he is going through a crisis.
  5. Elneny – Arsenal’s winter transfer – looked very nervous on his debut. Had a solid performance but did not  really impress. Aggressive, present up front from time to time, he got himself noticed. It`s still early days obviously  with the club so we will see.
  6. Coquelin – unfortunately the Frenchman was clearly affected by the time spent recovering from injury. He was relatively quiet and was even close to getting injured during the first part of the game. Hopefully he will get back on the horse as Elneny does not have the same quality as he does.
  7. Arteta/Rosicky – the endless streak of injuries has taken a toll on both these players. If Arteta might still have something in him, that`s not something you can say about Arsenal’s former Wonder kid. They did not look like players Arsenal could count on yet as they need to regain match sharpness and prove their fitness.
  8. Alexis Sanchez – Oh, how he was missed. Even though Arsenal did good without him, there is no one who can replace the Chilean. He has the attitude and the skill to win a game. He scored the 2nd goal against Burnley, provided the assist for Chambers and even though he showed a bit of fear after dealing with injury, he still managed to have a big impact on the game. If this guy stays fit, he will do great things for the Gunners.
  9. Alex Iwobi – looked decent even though he wasted a lot of energy without any quantifiable outcome. He could be a solution for Wenger for the next couple of years. He needs to work more with the team though as he looked a bit out of tune with the rest of the lot.
  10. Koscielny, Giroud and Walcott – they were pretty much the same players they were during the past couple of games. A slight drop in form for Giroud, but that may be because he is more used to the Premier League and the Champions League.