Arsenal: Fantastic Four needs to show consistency, versatility

Arsenal scored five goals against Bournemouth with five different goalscorers chipping in. Four of those came courtesy of the Gunners’ star-studded attacking talent but can this foursome exhibit enough versatility and consistency to stick together?

Arsenal blew away Bournemouth in an exciting and stylish display that left the majority, if not all fans asking the same question: Why can’t the Gunners always play like this?

While club captain Laurent Koscielny chipped in with his third goal of the season, all the headlines were grabbed by Arsenal’s top four earners, Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Most notably it was the often inconsistent attacking midfielders who really put on a show in front of the home crowd.

It was a brief glimpse of what this attacking contingent is capable of when they are fit and firing on all cylinders. However, for most of the season, there has been a plethora of questions surrounding the Gunners’ star men.

Firstly there is the £350,000-a-week elephant in the room with a World  Cup winner’s medal. Mesut Ozil’s publicly icy relationship with Unai Emery has been the most talked about topic in North London. Seemingly frozen out of the side by not only the manager but the Arsenal board, Ozil’s future at the club is still unclear. The German will always divide opinion, and debate over his application and contribution will likely never cease. But against Bournmouth, Ozil looked motivated, focused, driven and, most notably, happy.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that Unai Emery has played Ozil a total of 207 minutes in the last three matches. This certainly shows a change in the manager’s perception of the player. Emery is slowly starting to trust Ozil again and against the Cherries, the playmaker was up to his old tricks. Arsenal’s No. 10 was gliding around the Emirates pulling the strings, making unbelievable passes, using his vision and guile to set the tempo and we even saw his trademark finish in the 4th minute.

However, it was his application and drive that was most notable. Ozil was conspicuously tracking back and to help Carl Jenkinson down the right-hand side. He attempted as many tackles as Lucas Torreira and won as many as well. There are big games still to come for Ozil and it is imperative that he does not get too comfortable in the current set up, but his performance wasn’t just its normal breathtaking stuff. It was hugely encouraging as far as work rate as well.

Perhaps what was most exciting was the fact that Ozil’s attacking partner, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, had just as impressive of a game, but in a completely different manner. While Ozil was more an orchestrator, stringing passes together and subtly manipulating space, Mkhitaryan played with drive, purpose and thrust. Compared to Ozil’s 86 touches and 66 passes at 97% accuracy Mkhitaryan was just as impactful with his 51 touches and 38 passes at 89% accuracy. Both players had goals and assists and both players had four key passes.

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The way the two dovetailed was reminiscent of the way Ozil and Alexis used to run teams ragged. One only has to look at Arsenal’s 4th goal to see what the Armenian provides Arsenal which Ozil cannot, bursting forward from the edge of his own box and firing a through ball to an on-running Aubameyang. It was a moment of true Mkhi-magic, showing the type of play that earned him so many plaudits at Dortmund.

That isn’t to say Mkhitaryan can replace what Ozil does for the side. It simply illustrates the fact that there can be enough space in the side for both players.

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the discussion over the sale of one of Arsenal’s top strikers. It is clearly obvious that there was little to no strategy involved when Arsenal splashed major cash on two strikers in back to back transfer windows. Now many are questioning whether it is sensible or practical to accommodate both in the squad.

In 54 combined appearances, Aubameyang and Lacazette have produced 37 goals and assists. In 54 matches Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have produced 39 goals and assists. The difference in production is clearly negligible and Liverpool’s star forwards start the majority of their games together.

Lacazette and Aubameyang have disproved the notion that two top strikers can’t coexist. Against Bournemouth, they both got on the scoresheet and have clearly distinguished themselves as very different strikers. Aubameyang’s pace and dynamism set him apart from Lacazette who is more of a technical player who will hold the ball up and bring others into play. While Aubamaeyang is prolific and unique physically, Lacazette’s all-around game and prototypical ability makes him invaluable as well.

Rather than trying to pick one or the other Arsenal should persist with having two players who can shoulder the load together especially if the club attains its goal of returning to the Champions League next season.

Because of the imminent departure of Danny Welbeck, the sale of one of either Lacazette or Aubameyang would prompt the acquisition of a replacement. Eddie Nketiah is not yet ready to become Arsenal’s number two goalscorer and, if anything probably, should go out on loan next season. So any transfer fee garnered in a hypothetical sale would be significantly decreased.

There is no telling what Arsenal will do in the summer. The sale of any of these four players isn’t out of the question. But if the quartet can play Emery’s system effectively, it would be far more beneficial to keep them rather than try to replace their world-class talent.