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How Mikel Arteta needed this. Wins over Chelsea for those with Arsenal connections are always welcome, but this one was especially sweet.
Inspired by the youth of the club’s academy and seen at home by their senior statesmen, Arsenal finally took on a lifeline.
Arteta has worked tirelessly to resolve the issues that have plagued his first full season as a manager. And it wasn’t just the result that provided the first thread of encouragement you’ve been enjoying for weeks. Rather it was the performance, full of enthusiasm, energy and verve, that jumped in his step. Youngsters Bukayo Saka, 19, Emile Smith Rowe, 20, Gabriel Martinelli, 19 and Joe Willock, 21, were at the forefront of Arsenal’s improvement.
And when the ship needed to stabilize as Chelsea threatened an extraordinary comeback, it was seasoned activists Granit Xhaka, Hector Bellerin and Bernd Leno, who saved Jorginho’s late penalty to prevent Chelsea from reducing the arrears to 3-2, who advanced.
Arteta has struggled to decide on a starting XI this season. The poor results have encouraged the Spaniard to retouch while looking for the right balance. But judging from this demo, you may have finally identified a winning formula.
Three of the six changes Arteta made to the team that lost 2-1 at Everton the previous Saturday were fulfilled: defenders Gabriel and David Luiz and forward Willian were lost due to Covid and protocols related to the disease.
However, the Gunners looked stronger, particularly in the attacking third where Saka, Martinelli and Smith Rowe stole the show.
It remains to be seen if Arteta was impressed enough to use the Boxing Day team as a base to move on. But there must be the temptation to keep faith in your children. Indeed, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang approaching full fitness after a calf problem and Thomas Partey returning to midfield, the Arsenal manager must be optimistic that results can continue to improve.
“It was really good,” Xhaka said, back from his red card suspension against Burnley when he grabbed Ashley Westwood by the neck.
“We work very well together as a team and we can only score points if we do this. It was better because we carried out the plan that the coach gave us. Press, stay focused for 95 minutes. We score at the right times and going up 3-0 helps. ”
Xhaka typified the spirit of Arsenal. His long-term future at the Emirates remains under a cloud, but the Swiss midfielder emerged as one of Arsenal’s heroes on Saturday night.
It wasn’t just their goal, a brilliantly executed free kick from 25 yards to double the lead after Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty, but rather the way he helped ease the team’s late anxiety as they threatened to waste all their good work.
Xhaka was particularly pleased with his own contribution after a storm of criticism for his expulsion against the Clarets. Arteta had called Xhaka’s indiscipline “unacceptable” in that 1-0 home loss.
‘There was a lot of talk after the red card. A lot of people started talking over and over again, ‘Xhaka said.
‘I will always show my character. I was very disappointed in my red card and knew that what I did was wrong for me. But I am more than happy. I helped the team today and I’m back. ‘ A swallow does not make a summer, of course. That adage applies to Xhaka and Arsenal going forward.
Much remains to be demonstrated. Two positive results in their upcoming games at Brighton and West Bromwich would offer more substantial evidence that Arsenal are turning the corner.
“The next two away games are very difficult, but if we work together as a team, like we did against Chelsea, we have the opportunity to score six points from the next two games,” added Xhaka. However, two defeats and Arsenal would return to the starting point.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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