Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: 4 Things We Learned From Boxing Day Relief

Arsenal overcame Chelsea 3-1 on Boxing Day to record their first Premier League win in seven matches.

Who saw that coming? When the lineups were announced, the mixture of joy from seeing a youthful Arsenal side was counterbalanced by the strength of the opposition. It can’t be denied that there is a vast gulf in class between the two squads.

So, 3-1 anyone?

Mentioned in the pre-match thoughts was that we’d know whether Mikel Arteta‘s side would be up for the battle within in the opening few seconds.

Spoiler: they were. 

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A lively opening soon died down as the Blues got a grip on proceedings, but Arsenal wrestled back the initiative and earned themselves a chance to take the lead from the spot after Kieran Tierney won an, admittedly, soft penalty. Alexandre Lacazette did the honours.

It was then returning man Granit Xhaka who doubled the lead just before half-time with a belter of a free-kick, before Bukayo Saka eased the nerves with a fortuitous third goal. Chelsea struck late on to set up a tense finish, one that would have been even more nail-biting were it not for Bernd Leno’s heroics.

What a win; what a night; what a Christmas present. Here’s what we learned.

Youth Dazzles

Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Saka made up 3/4 of the forward line. All 20 or under. All superb.

For the first time this season, there was movement across the attack. The previously static, lethargic nature of the performances from Arsenal’s forward players weas replaced in favour of smart, willing runners who knew when and where to press.

On the ball the fluidity across the line was enhanced, all orchestrated by a desire to play through central areas. Having Smith Rowe in that slot meant Arsenal weren’t shackled by this insistence to play wide.

Always showing for the ball and technically gifted enough to assume possession in those tight zones, Arsenal had an outlet that Arteta will now surely realise must become a mainstay. Smith Rowe is the profile in the squad to shoulder those duties.

Fielding players in their natural positions can have that impact. For players like Smith Rowe, and Martinelli, they have traits that make them a threat even on off days. Elsewhere, most of the Arsenal squad have traits that make them a threat to themselves even on good days.

Martinelli led by example, as he had done against Manchester City, constantly harassing in tandem with Lacazette, who put in his best shift of the season against the Blues. Arteta rang the changes, mostly enforced, but his battered and bruised side were calmly guided by youth’s vision.

This glimpse into the future can’t be stared at for too long, it’s blinding.

Stick or Twist?

Well, well, well. That win will make for an interesting lineup against Brighton.

There were some subpar performances against the Blues, but none that can be altered for midweek. Instead it was those coming into the fold who can do little more to stake their claim for a regular senior berth.

It’s fairly conclusive that Martinelli will retain his place, yet how will Arteta respond to the displays of Lacazette and Smith Rowe? Two players who haven’t been involved in the Premier League side in recent weeks were excellent. It’s a brave call making wholesale changes for the journey to Brighton.

Then again, a fully fit Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doesn’t sit on the bench, does he? This was the best attacking display of the whole season and he was nowhere to be seen. Was that a coincidence?

Of course not. The angle should be that the captain must channel what he saw today in a similar vein when he returns. Arsenal can play that way with Aubameyang in the side, they’re just yet to strike the balance.

How much Arteta changes will make for interesting viewing. Willian back from illness, perhaps?

Weaknesses Remain

Clear as day from the victory over Chelsea was the areas in the side that are in desperate need of an upgrade. One of, if not the, most harmonious team performance this season was full of individual brilliance, that much can’t be argued.

However, where the weaknesses are were equally visible.

Rob Holding and Pablo Mari had good moments on Saturday, the latter in particular making some crucial blocks and challenges to keep Tammy Abraham mostly under wraps. Considering the high line, Mari played particularly well.

Are either of those two as good as Arsenal can feasibly get? They’re not. A top quality right-sided central defender – ideally William Saliba in the not to distant future – and Gabriel Magalhaes back in the side would offer vast improvements. Not to discredit those who played, but Arsenal must look forward, not fall back into routine.

In midfield, the options are so poor, too. Mohamed Elneny, while a good squad option, is not going to pull up trees and become a Premier League stalwart. We must herald victories and displays, but these players will make mistakes that cost the Gunners matches over the course of a season. They needed upgrading before and they still do now.

Envisaging Thomas Partey getting a long run in this team is something to drool over. With the exciting youth around him and the profile of player he is, it’s impossible not to hypothesise about how that match could have gone even better if he were involved.

Beggars can’t be choosers, of course, but if the side can play to that standard without him, one can only purr at the thought of it with him involved. Him and others.

Mikel Arteta Learned A Lot

A rookie coach just 12 months into his first job, Arteta is constantly absorbing techniques and information about how best to apply himself.

He learns about his players, what they can and can’t do, as well as what he himself can and can’t do. From the first day on the job until Boxing Day 2020, he will have learned no more than he did in the win over Chelsea.

Progressing as a coach and trying to move the club forward, he hamstrung himself this season by reverting to methods akin of managers losing sight of the long-term project. Fielding players who let him down, and then persisting with the same formula, his own development took a giant leap back. He was damaging the team as much as himself.

While many of the alterations on Saturday were enforced – who knows if he may have chosen Willian anyway – he’ll get home tonight and realise the error of his ways – we hope.

Wanting to instill changes into his team of late, the options he’d gone for proved fruitless. The ones he had to make tonight, however, altered the course.

Arsenal needed a turning point in the Premier League, one that having now arrived has refreshed Arteta’s mind. He had found his way into a rabbit hole and felt digging was the only way out.

Something will now have tweaked, a rope tossed to him, and if he doesn’t come to terms with his own misguided direction, then the penny may finally drop.