Arsenal: 5 talking points from 5-0 Norwich thumping

Arsenal ensured their supporters got to enjoy some festive fun on Boxing Day as they cruised to a 5-0 win away at Norwich to make it four Premier League wins in a row.

Wondering whether there would be a sluggish start after the collective Christmas celebrations, the only ones who looked slow at Carrow Road were the hosts.

Bukayo Saka got the ball rolling six minutes in when Martin Odegaard found him in the box and he set himself before caressing the ball across goal and beyond Angus Gunn. Despite dominating the ball, that goal was all Arsenal had to show for themselves up until just before the half-time whistle.

Odegaard again was in the thick of the action, this time feeding the onrushing Kieran Tierney who took a touch on his stride before firing across goal and in off the post for his first of the season.

Arsenal: 5 talking points from thumping 5-0 over Norwich in the Premier League as Bukayo Saka nets a brace on Boxing Day

It felt like a game where Arsenal could bump up the goal difference a touch, and that’s precisely what they did after the break.

Saka grabbed his second when he fashioned some space on the edge of the box before curling one low past Gunn. There was precious little going for the hosts who looked hungover, tired and uninspired, meanwhile Arsenal were excellent all over the park.

The fourth came via the penalty spot as Alexandre Lacazette won and converted his spot-kick to end a sequence of three successive penalty misses for Arsenal in all competitions, and the scoreline got even glossier when Emile Smith Rowe tapped into an empty net after Nicolas Pepe’s deflected shot fell into his path.

A Boxing Day bonanza.

1. Bukayo Saka Finding His Shooting Boots

Every time one waxes lyrical about Bukayo Saka it’s his dribbling, energy, quick feet and tactical intelligence that are mentioned. Among the numerous categories to highlight, his finishing tends not to be included.

As soon as he fine-tunes that area of his game – which he is certain to do as he’s got everything else in his locker and is only 20 years old – the Premier League will be in for warfare.

Is he starting to add that to his game already?

Netting twice at Carrow Road took Saka’s tally for the season up to five goals in 19 Premier League matches, the same number he reached in 32 games last season. Also matching his total number of assists, he has now registered the same number of G/A in 13 fewer games.

But it’s his finishing that will be discussed most as on the very short list of traits Saka isn’t quite best at, it is the shooting that stands out. Against poor opposition with a poor goalkeeper in net there will always be an asterisk, but the point stands that it’s top-flight goals and numbers better than those last term.

Improvement in that department is scary. This is a someone with immense talent who is already at an outstanding level. And he’s still getting better. The composure and accuracy of his finishes attest to that.

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2. Benjamin White Covers Right-Back Brilliantly

The news that Takehiro Tomiyasu tested positive for Covid struck fear into the hearts of supporters who know how vital he is to the team. The drop off from any of the other three right-back options is frightening.

Well, there can’t be a drop off if they’re not there to play.

Indeed, Arsenal have four right-backs in their squad and they all have Covid. Nuno Tavares can play in that position but Benjamin White was the man asked to play that role against Norwich and he did it brilliantly.

It’s quite a natural fit. Tomiyasu plays the inverted role, oftentimes replicating a third centre-back, and White had a superb season with Brighton operating on the right of a back three. His adaptability and mobility make him a more suited fit in terms of profile than any of the other actual right-backs at the club.

The issue is a huge one for Arsenal as they will have to field him numerous times in the position due to the Covid cases, but there are no great fears in him doing a job there given the team don’t need to drastically change anything in their system or style.

It’s a very smooth transition.

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3. Senior Players Stand Up for the Group

One of the complaints about this group made not long ago was that Arsenal are too nice.

If decisions don’t go their way or if one of their teammates is hacked to pieces without any repercussions, it’s often brushed off without so much as an attempt to dispute. Fans don’t want to see PSG 2.0, but the team shoot themselves in the foot by not being demanding enough.

Too many decisions have gone uncontested, like clear infringements against the likes of Everton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

However, on this occasion, and it’s something that has been building since Lacazette came into the team, there was more fight, bite, and might.

Lacazette and Xhaka stood out as two who looked up for their teammates at Carrow Road, showing some unity when Saka was getting chopped to pieces and making it known that the rough and tumble wouldn’t be tolerated. The referee was made aware by Lacazette numerous times that the needed to watch how some players where being treated.

White played his part as he produced a fair but fierce tackle on Brandon Williams after he had kicked Saka, sending a message and standing up for this teammates.

There was some steel in Arsenal, and it was most welcome.

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4. Ruthless Display Pumps the Goal Difference

Gaining a positive goal difference for the first time in the entire season in the recent 2-0 win over West Ham, Arsenal are now taking big strides towards making it a smidgen more appealing on the eye.

Now reading +9, the ruthlessness on display from Arsenal was precisely what this game was calling for.

Norwich were utterly atrocious. Their pressing was painfully mismanaged, Arsenal could play through their midfield in one or two passes maximum and their defence was getting pulled out of position left and right. They were there for the taking.

All that was needed was a clinical edge in the final third and for the most part Arsenal produced it. The chances they created were taken with only a few missed opportunities, and now the goal difference reads far better.

It’s incredibly important, too, as Spurs, West Ham, Manchester United and Wolves below the Gunners all boast inferior goal differences at this stage.

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5. Magic Martin Odegaard Continues Shining

It was fitting that Odegaard produced another dazzling performance at the ground where the player Arsenal tried to sign first in the summer used to call home. Emi Buendia was the first target and having decided that £30m was too much, they turned their attentions to Odegaard.

There were many who questioned his talent. The humble pie is baking away, worry not.

Throwing the caveat of it ‘only being Norwich’ doesn’t slide as he’s found a level across the past six or seven matches that he continues to build on. A run a minutes in the No. 10 role where he isn’t playing as a sitter or conducting from too deep was all he needed.

With the Norwegian in the team Arsenal are more adventurous and fluid as an attacking side and they sustain attacks to a greater extent. He is Magic Martin Odegaard.

Now with three goals and three assists in his past seven Premier League matches, the numbers show no signs of slowing down. Sticking out like a sore thumb in Sunday’s performance as he was miles above ay Norwich player on the pitch, the big question is whether he can sustain that across the hectic schedule coming up.

Fortunately it’s across the board that the contributions are coming from: Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Saka and Martinelli have contributed to 27 of Arsenal’s 32 goals this season. That’s a remarkable number.