Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Henrikh Mkhitaryan can dispel fears

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, after a flying start, has struggled to forge his way in an Arsenal shirt. As Manchester City come to the Emirates on Thursday night, then, he has the chance to dispel the growing fears that he might not quite be good enough.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan flourished in his first Arsenal start. Playing in a fluid attacking midfield role just behind former teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had arrived in the same January transfer window just days after his Alexis Sanchez swap, Mkhitaryan benefitted from the freedom that Arsene Wenger afforded him. It was something that he rarely enjoyed while at Manchester United.

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Given the struggles of his last 18 months at Old Trafford, there was a degree of trepidation that the Armenian would have the quality and the resolve necessary to fill in for the now-departed Sanchez. If his first start was anything to go by, such concerns were futile.

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But since that time, Mkhitaryan has failed to replicate the three-assist form that fluttered the heart so beautifully. In two ties against FK Ostersunds and an away North London derby, his old United toils have resurfaced; inconsistent delivery and end-product; a lack of physical presence to shield the ball and preserve possession; a difficulty in adapting to a strategy that requires a high defensive work-rate without regular touches of the ball.

His performance in the North London was perhaps the worst of the three, but the quality of the opposition perhaps played a major factor in that. The same cannot be said for the Europa League matches against Ostersunds. These are patterns of play that should suit the diminutive, elegant, ingenious forward. It certainly didn’t look like it.

They are the only four starts that Mkhitaryan has made since his January signing. The jury is very much still out, though because of the context of criticism that comes with him from his United toils, fears are rising. Perhaps Jose Mourinho was right after all.

So, as Manchester City, the Premier League’s undisputed dominant force, come to the Emirates on Thursday night, Mkhitaryan has the chance to prove his quality against the very best that English football has to offer.

If he can play well against City, a game that, in theory, does not suit him as Arsenal will not have much possession whatsoever, then perhaps that can settle him into his new life in London. Wenger has always protested the importance of the adaptation process for new signings, especially those that have no experience of the Premier League. Mkhitaryan is not exactly a Premier League veteran. It is not unreasonable to see a little friction early on.

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Nevertheless, the fears are there and they are growing. A good performance here would put an end to that, and quickly at that.