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In the spirit of togetherness, Arsenal could agree that Mesut Özil was only half right. The exiled playmaker had taken to his armchair fan status and offered an open display of loyalty that he feels has not been bestowed upon him, predicting his teammates would win 4-1. He never seemed to have a comparable score but eventually he had too much for a competent Rapid Vienna team that had been superior in the first hour.
The match changed, unsurprisingly, when Arteta removed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the bench. Any hope of holding out beyond the 61st minute to attract the big boys was dashed when Taxiarchis Fountas gave Rapid the lead shortly after the break with a goal that Bernd Leno won’t want to see again. But Arsenal went through the gears and David Luiz’s draw was quickly followed by a clever combination between the two substitutes, Héctor Bellerín centering for Aubameyang to score his first goal since the first weekend.
It was tough on the Austrian side, but an illustration of what happens when you have an extra quality in store: no more, no less. For long periods, Özil, who kept up a lively commentary on social media, might have noticed that Arsenal have yet to find a way to mount a sustained threat. They offered little until they were given a game to chase, although in the context of their Europa League campaign it is a pleasure that they take them as they safely negotiate their toughest assignment in Group B.
Another positive point was the performance of Thomas Partey, who exuded presence and composure in central midfield in his first outing since arriving from Atlético de Madrid. With this evidence, Partey, excellent in possession and quick to detect danger, will do exactly what it was bought for. A piece of anticipation before halftime, backing up to get the ball away from Fountas as he looked to run clean, was first class and there was also a lot to admire about some of his crossover changes. Some of Partey’s predecessors have been prematurely hailed as the answer to Arsenal’s midfield woes, but the Ghanaian, based on this evidence, appears in a higher class.
“I think he was fantastic and there is much more to come from him,” said Mikel Arteta. “It looked really solid, really comfortable. I think he stayed only in midfield in the second half, when we were taking more chances. “
Arsenal was in that position because it was causing problems. Rapid had created the best half-chances during a low-key opening period, Leno saved a blow back from Barnsley borrower Marcel Ritzmeier, and the warning signs went unheeded in a sloppy start to the second half.
Fountas’ goal was a calamity for Leno, who received the ball under pressure from David Luiz and saw Ercan Kara anticipate his pass. Kara’s touch diverted him towards Fountas and the prolific Greece international, a danger everywhere, thrilled the 3,000 spectators with an angled clinical finish.
“In any case, it is my fault because I demand that we do these things,” Arteta said. “We should have kicked the ball into the stands, but recognize that from outside it is different. We need to keep the right balance, but we will continue to encourage them to do so at the right times. ”It was a fair assessment considering the box-to-box goals Arsenal have already scored with Arteta in more illustrious stages than this one.
Before anyone could mutter “Emiliano Martinez,” Leno had kicked Fountas another, atoning for his deflected shot. Arsenal moved but the balance tipped after Arteta’s changes. David Luiz jumped to convert Nicolas Pépé’s free kick, Rapid goalkeeper Richard Strebinger came out recklessly and left the goal wide open. Then Leno got away with a third error when Fountas jumped, but almost immediately Mohamed Elneny fired Bellerín and the right-back center was a gift to Aubameyang.
Ozil’s support had been as relentless as the pressure that ultimately broke Rapid. Arteta rolled his eyes when asked by the team’s long-distance fan before replying: “It’s great, what I want from players who are not on the squad, I don’t expect anything different.” For his part, Özil didn’t expect a very different result from the Arteta players, so everyone went home happy.
