The relief amongst Arsenal fans is at a fever pitch right now, having just seen their team squeeze out a Champions League playoff tie against Besiktas. Alexis netted his first competitive goal for the club, but Mathieu Debuchy was sent off with a quarter of an hour to go, making for a nervy ending in North London.
For the sake of tradition however, Arsenal managed to make it to the group stages of the Champions League once again. Arsene Wenger will be ecstatic that his men have hurdled this early season test, but questions still remain as to how he should set up his team, especially with the long-term absence of Olivier Giroud.
Arsene Wenger confirmed after the match that he intends to play Alexis as the main striker while Giroud is on the sidelines. This will not be enough to appease the fans, since the Everton game illustrated how the Gunners need a physical presence to lead the line at times. Wenger did say after the match that he will pull the trigger on a striker ‘if he is good enough’ (in other words, he’s ready to spend).
Credit to Alexis though, who harassed and chased the Besiktas back line for 90 minutes, had some flashes of brilliance with the ball at his feet, and most importantly scored the goal. My dissertation of Alexis when he joined Arsenal was that he is a player with winger-like qualities, but striker-like instincts.
The finish today was not a flashy one but it was almost a mirror image of the opportunistic goal he bagged against Brazil in the World Cup. Arsenal fans will definitely appreciate the Chileans effort as well. The relief on Alexis’ face after the goal was noticeable, and seeing him collapse after the full-time whistle was indicative of his work-rate and emotional investment in the club.
The man of the match, however, was Jack Wilshere. With Aaron Ramsey out following his red card in the first leg, Wilshere was tasked with filling the Welshman’s void in the middle of the park. The 22 year old more than delivered, showing he isn’t ready to take a back seat to Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal.
In the dying moments of the game, there was one instance where the midfielder received the ball at the edge of his own box, turned beautifully through two Besiktas players, scampered past another two, and eventually found himself with the ball on the edge of the opposition’s box. This kind of play is what we expect to see from Wilshere more often, but can he co-exist with Ramsey?
Wenger has a lot of thinking to do after this game. Mesut Ozil was marooned on the left for most of the match, and looked far more effective in his visits to the the middle. Santi Cazorla and Wilshere on the other hand, were placed more centrally and had better games as a result. Ozil still had an impact on the game, delivering the assist for Sanchez’ goal, but one has to wonder why the club’s record signing is constantly being played out of position.
This is something Wenger must figure out, because although Cazorla and Wilshere were both effective today, 42.5 million pounds should not be utilized on a player who will only see the field out of position. With Theo Walcott back in the fold, I expect to see Ozil take up his familiar central role, while Cazorla will likely be surrendered to the bench
Now that Arsenal have seen their qualification to the group stages, Arsene Wenger has to deliver in the dying days of the transfer window. A guarantee of Champions League football will boost their chances of signing a top player or two, but the Frenchman must figure out how to use the players he already has at the club.
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