4 Things We Learned From Arsenal’s Comeback Win Over Rapid Vienna

It wasn’t easy, but Arsenal came from behind to beat Rapid Vienna 2-1.

Martin Keown boldly predicted Arsenal would romp the game 4-0 – Mesut Ozil was slightly more realistic with 4-1 – but there will have been a few surprised faces at the lack of potency Arsenal had in attack for large spells of Thursday night.

This Rapid Vienna side were no pushovers, their covering at full-back was constant and the link up between their strike duo of Ercan Kara and Taxiarchis Fountas caused the Gunners a decent handful problems to contend with.

However, the game changed on a double substitution and some questionable goalkeeping from the Austrian Petr Cech – the other keeper took the headlines – before a fine flowing move involving the very two players who entered the fray. Win wrapped up, but hardly convincing.

Apart from that brief and mostly pointless summary, here’s a couple of things we learned from Thursday night.

There Will be Thomas Partey & Patrick Vieira Comparisons Aplenty

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1319352597707448320

And for good reason.

However, I can’t be the only one who saw an over-hit pass into the midriff of Mohamed Elneny and thought ‘damn, he’s been Arsenaled‘. Having dealt, as a fanbase, with lofty conjectures that inevitably disintegrate before our very eyes, a completely unfounded and immediate sense of fear struck my bones. Such stupidly unnecessary panic that we may bring him down to our level soon made way for finger snapping and pointing at the television screen declaring ‘**** me he’s so bloody good’.

Because, he really is.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a player in the centre of the park who oozes such class. A masterful reader of danger who’d tackle his mum if it meant winning the ball. Someone whose at his belligerent best when he’s bursting forward with the ball, who can pick out a teammate whether they’re behind him, on top of him, to the left, right or out in orbit.

Getting carried away? Yes. Care? Not a jot. Players of his ilk don’t come about often. He was built to bruise his way through the Premier League.

Alexandre Lacazette + Eddie Nketiah = Big Fat No

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1319333790804774915

Playing his furthest forward striker down the left has been the mantra Mikel Arteta chooses to employ, but the combination on this occasion failed to provide the desired result.

Nketiah works best playing on the shoulder of the centre-halves. Clever movement in tight areas to sound out the right runs is his forte, but he was starved of that against a Rapid Vienna side who utilised a resolute back five.

Lacazette fluttered between dropping deep and occupying the central role of an attacking front four when Arsenal were high up the pitch, but he too had little say in matters with the majority of his contributions coming in the form of, well, winning free-kicks.

This duo haven’t operated in this manner many times before, if ever, from the start. The lack of chemistry between the two could be put down to infrequent spells in such a format, so they can be let off the hook for their displays at the Allianz Stadion. Just a bit.

If Gabriel Magalhaes Gets Injured We’re Screwed

https://twitter.com/biel_m04/status/1318919873968353280

What it says on the tin, really.

Physicality, confidence on the ball and unafraid to lift his head up and deliver accurate long balls to the wide players, the love Arsenal fans have for the Brazilian grows fonder by the day.

Bernd Leno had a very poor game today, let’s make no bones about it. With his feet, the area of his game where he receives most praise, he was pretty atrocious. That doesn’t make him a bad goalkeeper overnight and the following errors after his first mistake can be put down to him being rattled by his failings. Not an excuse, mind.

My point is, however, that there is a spine developing here that has abandoned the Emirates since its inception – Leno is part of that regardless of his weak display.

Gabriel is the best central defender at the club, no questions asked. Lose him and we’re in deep trouble since no other centre-back comes close at the minute. Partey in front has demonstrated already in 90 minutes that he’s our best central midfielder, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to stake a claim for being played down the middle.

Call a chiropractor, we’ve found something of note.

This Can’t be Sugarcoated as a Good Win

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1319354220529831937

That’s because it wasn’t.

For large spells of that we were admittedly smitten by two excellent displays from Gabriel and Partey, but other than that and a select few others, the overall performance lacked anywhere near enough sparkle or invention.

Mohamed Elneny was forced to play too many passes into wide areas – mainly sideways – with Lacazette not offering enough option in that central area. He loves to pick up the ball deep, but he’s not cut from the diminutive cloth and won’t turn on a sixpence to evade his marker.

Out wide there were the already mentioned issues with Nketiah, while Nicolas Pepe struggled to beat his man all night, with his moments in possession mostly made up cuts inside forcing Arsenal to start over again. There wasn’t enough help from Cedric though, which needs mentioning. Aubameyang and Bellerin’s entrances made us look infinitely more diverse in our attacking play, as we finally had runners going beyond Pepe down the right.

But hey, we won, and on paper the hardest fixture of the group is out of the way, and to use a cliche, why didn’t we play like that from the start?

(I know there are reasons why, I jest).