Arsenal: 5 key players to ensure victory vs Watford

1. Granit Xhaka

The theme of this key players list should be obvious, but I’ll say it again: Everton severely disrupted Arsenal’s flow. They broke the control that the Gunners rely on to run the game the way they see fit and, as mentioned in the section about Torreira, the midfielders were forced out wide, where they had less influence, just so that they could avoid the pressure.

Granit Xhaka in particular had a rough patch early in the match, where the pressure got to him and he couldn’t manage to locate any outlets. He did settle into the game after that, and adjusted accordingly, but the midfield never regained the control that it needs, the kind of control that we specifically have Xhaka for.

When Xhaka is in control of any given match, the Gunners are in control of that match. When he isn’t in control, the Gunners, similarly, struggle to maintain control. There’s a reason why he gets more touches by anyone else on the pitch by a long-shot. There is a reason why his passing can be so sorely missed when it isn’t there.

We need Xhaka to put the Gunners in control and to handle the pressure better than he did against Everton. Otherwise this match could get unnecessarily sticky. And it’s not all on him. Torreira can greatly help his midfield mate free himself up to be at his best.