Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace: 5 things we learned – Slick, smooth football enthralls

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal with Mesut Ozil and team mates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal with Mesut Ozil and team mates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring his side’s fourth goal with Mesut Ozil and team mates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring his side’s fourth goal with Mesut Ozil and team mates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

Arsenal hosted Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon as the Premier League rumbled on. Here are five things we learned from the 4-1 win.

Arsenal were certainly helped by Crystal Palace during their 4-1 dismantling of the Eagles on a sliding Emirates pitch on Saturday afternoon. Lapse defending, an apathetic, passive attitude, as well as a fear to ever attack the blatant vulnerabilities of the home side, played right into the Gunners’ hands. But credit should still be given to Arsene Wenger’s team for the elegant ruthlessness of their attacking display. This was much more like it.

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Here are five things we learned from the emphatic 4-1 win.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Yohan Cabaye of Crystal Palace is challenged by Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Yohan Cabaye of Crystal Palace is challenged by Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on January 20, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

5. Midfield alterations provide stability and fluidity

Arsene Wenger chose to switch to a back four on Saturday. It was a little surprising to see. But the most significant and influential alteration actually came in the midfield, not the defence. Because of the reversion to a more traditional defensive shape, Wenger was able to start with three central midfielders: Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka.

The personnel was somewhat expected — this was Elneny’s first league start of the season, for example. But it was the way that they set up that was most unusual. Elneny came into the side as the anchoring midfield, clearly asked to never advance ahead of the ball, while Xhaka and Wilshere were afforded a far greater freedom and license in more advanced positions, flanking Elneny on his right and left.

The strategy worked. Arsenal looked far more fluid in possession, shifting the ball through different zones of the pitch with a far greater accuracy and at a far greater speed. Xhaka and Wilshere were extremely fluid in their positions, particularly the latter, drifting throughout the pitch, finding pockets of space in the midst of the Palace midfield, while Elneny, with a greater mobility than his Swiss counterpart, balanced the midfield nicely with some intelligent and combative defending. And balance would be the word for this Arsenal midfield. They were balanced, and it was lovely to see.