Arsenal: That’s what the “Fab Four” was supposed to look like

Arsenal bossed the home leg against BATE Borisov, and it was a bossing that gave us a taste of what the “Fab Four” should have looked like all along.

I made the point earlier in the year that Arsenal‘s esteemed “Fab Four” was essentially dead before it could even get its feet. When they brought in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan last winter to add to Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil, it seemed like a slam dunk.

Only it wasn’t. After a half season in “Wenger is leaving!” tumult, all eyes were focused on how they would help Unai Emery transition the club into a new era.

It didn’t work at all. Mesut Ozil and Mkhitaryan fell flat on their faces, never combining well together, and while Lacazette and Aubameyang upheld their end of the bargain, it wasn’t enough to offset how poor the other have of the quartet had been. You can’t be a “Fab Four” if only two of the four are “Fab.”

Against BATE Borisov, with an embarrassing exit on the line, the Gunners stepped up. Say what you will about the opposition, that isn’t the point. The point is that, for the first time in quite some time, both Ozil and Mkhitaryan were on top of their games.

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They were the pinnacle of this attack, combining well with everyone else around them and keeping consistent chances coming to Aubameyang, who remarkably didn’t manage to score, despite firing off six shots, more than he has had all year.

Obviously, Lacazette was not available after his atomic elbow in the first leg, but we know that Lacazette and Aubameyang are solid. It’s the Mkhitaryan/Ozil half that hasn’t been doing the job, but in this one, they were maestros. Seven chances between them, and while the shooting wasn’t on their side, the passing was, which is the primary reason they are here in the first place.

What we saw against BATE Borisov is what we expected to see all year, no matter the opposition. It was a constant onslaught led by proven, creative minds that are renowned for their world-class ability that we just, for whatever reason, haven’t seen this year.

If you’re a believer in confidence boosts, maybe this was what was needed to kick start an undead “Fab Four.” Because seriously, when you look at that talent on paper, it should be treating the majority of defenses out there like BATE Borisov.