Who would’ve thought that the Gunners will be two points behind the table toppers in matchday 8, having lost their first two fixtures in the new campaign? The Gunners have now claimed nine consecutive wins in all competition which seem to have reshaped the course of the season for Arsenal and life for Unai Emery in his North London affair.
The Gunners played Fulham away from the Emirates and duly delivered a sublime performance that thrilled the away supporters, coming off the game with yet another three points and a 1-5 victory.
There were quite a number of observations to collect from this match and I’ll run you through my observations from the match.
Arsenal Can Create and Score Goals without Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is known as a chief creator for any side he features for, but against Fulham, he was omitted from the game and didn’t make the squad that travelled to Fulham. Iwobi replaced him in the attacking midfield role and the Gunners comfortably scored five goals against Fulham that were all assisted.
The Gunners created a total of nine goal-scoring opportunities and had seven of them on target – displaying how clinical their attacking department can be in the attacking third. Iwobi, Lacazette, Mkhitaryan, Monreal and Bellerin were a constant menace to the Fulham defence.
Iwobi Is A Baller
Towards the end of last season in what was Wenger’s last season as manager of Arsenal, a lot of people called for Iwobi to be axed by the club; forgetting he’s only young and can only get better – although, watching him play sometimes got frustrating as I felt his indecisions in the game could be his downfall.
Under Emery’s guidance, the Nigerian international looks a whole new player, playing with a high level of confidence and not scared of taking players on, just as he did against Fulham which was a beauty to behold. He had yet another wonderful game and was a contender for the Man of the Match award.
Harmony Amongst Players
One thing that has been glaring for everyone to see in the Arsenal camp this season is the unification of the Arsenal players, especially the surreal bromance of Alexander Lacazette and Pierre Aubameyang, maybe you can add Matteo Guendouzi to that list.
At this point last season, the Gunners camp was unstable following contractual issues that prolonged between Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, with the latter now with Manchester United and having a rough tide with his current team. I guess the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Ramsey Needs To Sign ‘Da thing
Of all the goals scored at Craven Cottage, Aaron Ramsey’s goal was the best out of the pack and over the years he’s scored some mesmerizing goals to thrill the fans. Ramsey replaced Iwobi in the 67th-minute of the match and scored what is a contender for Goal of the Season and a true team goal thirty-two seconds later.
Reports that came out of the Arsenal camp last week claimed the Gunners retracted their contract offer, and the Arsenal board is set to cut ties with the Welsh International and watch him leave as a free agent when his contract comes to an end by summer of next year.
It feels good with the way things are in North London, although we wouldn’t watch the Gunners play for another fortnight, due to the internal break, but, it’s refreshing knowing there’s a spark of finesse in the Arsenal camp, at the moment.
