Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Exposes Mohamed Elneny’s Vital Flaw

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on at half-time for Mohamed Elneny in Arsenal’s win over Sutton, exposing the Egyptian’s vital flaw with a dynamic display.

Monday night’s game was never going to be easy. Travelling to a non-league club buoyed by a cup run, on an artificial pitch in a raucous atmosphere is no simple task. Arsenal, while far from convincing, were professional, easing past Sutton United in a 2-0 win.

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Although the calibre of the opposition must be taken into account, there were still some conclusions to be drawn from the win. David Ospina’s madness was cause for concern. Lucas Perez’s sharpness suggests that he is deserving of more playing time while Alex Iwobi and Jeff Reine-Adelaide fail to deliver on their natural talent.

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However, perhaps the most meaningful conclusion to be drawn comes from the stark difference between the first half and second half performances in central midfield. Arsene Wenger started the game with Granit Xhaka partnered by Mohamed Elneny as the two deep-lying central midfielders. However, after picking up an injury in the first half, Wenger was forced to substitute Elneny, turning to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at half-time.

The contrast was significant. While Elneny brings a great energy and enthusiasm to the midfield, as a reliable and dependable defender and solid and consistent in possession, he is far too safe when on the ball, rarely looking to move the team forward and engineer opportunities. Chamberlain played with far more purpose and drive.

As soon as he was introduced, the winger-turned-central midfielder played numerous forward-thinking balls into the feet of Theo Walcott, immediately putting Arsenal on the front foot in the move. It is these purposeful passes that Santi Cazorla excels at and is why his absence has been so devastating to the fluency and rhythm to the team’s passing overall.

Elneny, while he rarely loses possession, will often spurn the risky pass to play the ball sideways or backwards. That slows the attacking play and allows the opposition to sit deep, organise and close ranks, making it very difficult to break them down. The speed with which Arsenal attacked in the second half was far superior to that prior to the break and much of it came from the more direct, but still accurate, distribution of Chamberlain.

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The Ox’s resurgence has been impressive. He was masterful in the five-goal dismantling of Southampton in the previous round and, on Monday, was once again showcased a blend of athletic ability, technical quality and intelligent passing to expose Elneny’s vital flaw.