Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez handed Henrikh Mkhitaryan the keys to the mint

Arsenal had a potent front three when they had their pick of the bunch, and with Alexis leaving, Henrikh Mkhitaryan inherits the keys to the mint.

Arsenal started off the season bizarrely incapable of getting their three superstars – Alexandre Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil – onto the pitch at the same time. It didn’t happen until October 22nd which was, unsurprisingly, a 5-2 dismantling of Everton at Goodison Park.

The glory days lasted only four matches. The aforementioned drubbing of Everton kicked it off, a 2-0 stomp of Tottenham was wedged in between and a 5-0 thump of Huddersfield was the end of it. After that, a frustrated performance at Manchester United was essentially the end of days for a front three that had only just begun.

In that short span, the Gunners averaged 3.5 goals per game when all three were on the pitch. This number fell by over half when you took one or more out of the trio. Toss in Aaron Ramsey too, because he turned that trio into a sparkling diamond.

It all went to tatters with Alexis’s forced exit and Ozil’s injury, not to mention Ramsey’s own injury. Lacazette fell into the second worst goal drought of his career thanks to some mighty inconsistent creation behind him and all in all, it was clear that the storm was here and that we needed to weather it.

All the while, the memory of what this front three could do played on our minds. Give Lacazette a touchline to touchline creation station behind him and this attack can bust off five quicker than you can blink.

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We caught a glimpse against Crystal Palace. A right-minded club managed to put four past the Eagles in the span of half an hour and it was with the struggle-master general, Alex Iwobi.

With the departure of Alexis, there was a hole in an elite attack that was literally like stumbling on a pot of gold, and that is precisely what Henrikh Mkhitaryan has happened upon. It may take some time to get on the same wavelength, but if you need any indication of how good this attack can be, just go back and watch how well Alexis-Lacazette-Ozil flowed together. They were insatiable.

Feasibly, it will only get better, as you can definitely say that Mkhitaryan has better link-up skills than Alexis. Meaning that the team that so conclusively convinced England that they may be the best trio in the land can get even better.

Next: Arsenal vs Chelsea Player Ratings

I don’t want to sound too painfully optimistic, but how can you not be?

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