Norwich City Match View

CANARIES IN A COALMINE

ARSENAL 4 NORWICH CITY 0

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG scored his 50^th and 51^st league goals for Arsenal at the Emirates last night to send Norwich City a step nearer the relegation trap door.

Having been stuck on 49 since late February, the Gabonese striker reached 50 in less games than any previous Arsenal player in the Premier League era when he stole the ball from Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul and fired into the empty net to mark his 79^th league appearance for the club.

That moment of opportunism summed up exactly what Mikel Arteta has demanded from his team; a high press, and it has now brought goals in two of the last three matches following Eddie Nketiah’s similar effort at Southampton last week.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said he was pleased with the how the players are adapting to his ideas:

“Yes, it’s part of the process that we have to respect, and we can give them so much in certain moments.

“It’s been a really difficult season since I joined with the amount of games that we’ve had but they’ve been so willing, and they are completely onboard with what we are trying to do.

“A lot of things that happened today will convince them even more that this is the right direction for us to take as a team, and we still have to work on many things like the way we handle certain moments.

“We cannot give anything to the opponent and we gave them that tonight, but overall I’m really happy with the attitude and as well with their understanding of the game and what the requires for them to control it and exploit the opponent as much as we can.”

After three wins in six days this is now a vastly different looking Arsenal team to the one which struggled so badly immediately after the restart. The upturn in fortunes has coincided with a change of shape to what has almost now become almost a 3-6-1 formation.

The three at the back last night was the same three who started the cup victory at Sheffield United at the weekend, and in front of them was again a fluid six-man midfield.

Granit Xhaka is key to this system, sitting just in front of the defence, although against Norwich last night he was given more freedom to break forward and was rewarded with a fine goal just before half time, his first for over a year.

Hector Bellerin, who has really struggled to regain his form and fitness since his terrible ACL injury 18 months ago, was recalled at right wing-back but he looked off the pace again and his replacement, Cedric Soares, the Portuguese who joined the club in January but had yet to make an appearance, came on and scored a wonder goal with his weaker left foot to stake his claim for a place in the side.

Alongside Xhaka in midfield, Dani Ceballos once again showed what a talented player he is. 

Constantly probing and pressing, he is now moving the ball much quicker too. With his loan from Real Madrid about to expire it might be worth the club looking to extend it for another season with a permanent transfer now looking unlikely.

Further forward, Reiss Nelson was preferred to Nicolas Pepe on the right, although he failed to make much of an impression, and with Aubameyang back on the left in place of young Bukayo Saka, who yesterday signed a new long-term contract with the club, it was a side showing a great mix of youthful energy and experience.

The progress of 18-year-old Saka this season has been remarkable. With three goals and 11 assists to his credit he is already producing something tangible to go alongside his speed, energy, and intelligent movement. There is no doubt that Saka is the future of the club and his continued development will be exciting to watch over the next few years.

Of course, someone who has not the signed a new contract yet is Aubameyang. 

His two goals last night showed exactly how important he is to this young team and his goalscoring record is quite phenomenal; 63 goals in 101 games for the club would be almost impossible to replace so let’s hope Arteta can convince him that his project is worth sticking around for.

You must feel for Daniel Farke’s Norwich side. They have some extremely good young players, such as Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis, Ben Godfrey, Todd Cantwell, and Emi Buendia, and they do play attractive football.

It may have been a different story here had Godfrey’s shot not struck the post with the score at 0-0, while Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez then made crucial saves either side of half time to deny Kenny McClean and substitute Adam Idah.

But seven points from safety with just six matches left, it will take a miracle now for the Canaries to prevent an immediate return to the Championship.

For Arteta’s Arsenal, however, the immediate future looks to be bright. With an FA Cup semi-final against holders Manchester City on the horizon, this win keeps them in touch with the top six and a potential European place.

Saturday’s trip to sixth-place Wolves looks set to be make or break. 

Win, and the gap to the top five could be as little as three points but lose and the FA Cup could provide the only route back into Europe.

Just 10 days ago the club looked to be in crisis but it amazing what three good wins can do. This performance was far from perfect and Norwich gifted us two goals, but there was much to admire, especially in the first half.

The high press worked well, and the system is bringing the best out of several players who were struggling earlier in the season under Unai Emery.

The club have also taken steps behind the scenes to clear the way for some exciting incoming arrivals this summer. 

Paying off the contract of Henrik Mkhitaryan, allowing the Armenian to join Roma on a free transfer, saving the club in the region of £45 million in wages, will free up funds to finalise the signings of the likes Atletico Madrid midfielder, Thomas Partey and Leipzig defender, Dalot Upamancano.

All in all then a good week for Arsenal in a season of very few highs.