Oxlade-Chamberlain scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Reading on Tuesday to send Arsenal into the quarterfinals of the League Cup. The Premier League is definitely a much more important competition as the manager made nine changes to the side that drew with Middlesbrough last weekend.
- Ox deserves a starting spot
On current form, the Ox should be the one starting on the left wing against Sunderland on Saturday. He capitalized on a Reading turnover in the 33rd minute to open the scoring from a tight angle despite two defenders attempting to make a block. The Ox then pounced on a pass from Giroud to beat Al-Habsi in the 78th with a first-time effort that deflected off a defender. Besides his finishing, the Ox also created chances. He slipped a through ball to Perez, who wasted the chance with some questionable decision-making in the 22nd. The only negative was the two corners poorly taken by the Ox.
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Iwobi performed better than the Ox last season but that’s no reason to turn Iwobi into an automatic starter in the Premier League. Despite a recent dip in form, Iwobi had a decent game against Reading. He released the Ox down the right flank in the eighth minute and the England international dragged a low shot wide of the far post. A minute later, Iwobi sent Reine-Adelaide clean through on goal, but a poor first touch from the French teenager enabled Al-Habsi to gather the ball. Iwobi also had a couple of cheap turnovers in the first half before testing the Reading goalkeeper with a long-range drive in the 77th.
- Giroud returns from injury
The France striker replaced Reine-Adelaide in the 65th and quickly showed what Arsenal missed against Middlesbrough with his physical presence inside the box. Giroud met a free kick from Elneny in the 70th for a powerful header that Al-Habsi parried. He then fed the Ox, who had his 15-yard effort saved by Al-Habsi in the 74th. Four minutes later, Giroud set up the Ox for the second goal. Giroud doesn’t have Sanchez’s pace, but he’s stronger in the air and can bring teammates into play while back to goal.
Giroud’s return is coming at the right time as Perez seemed to pick up a nasty injury. Gravenberch stamped on Perez’s ankle in the 69th, forcing the Spaniard to be replaced by Willow in the 71st. Perez had a relatively quiet game. He could have scored in the 22nd by rounding the goalkeeper or curling a shot but he preferred to set up Reine-Adelaide for a tap-in. The Royals killed the chance by intercepting Perez’s pass, which was slightly behind Reine-Adelaide anyway.
- Debuchy has no future at Arsenal
The League Cup could have been an opportunity for Debuchy to get some playing time but the manager decided to start Jenkinson on the right flank. You can’t blame Wenger for such a choice. On the one hand, you have an aging player who performed poorly last season and bad-mouthed the manager. On the other, you have a young player recovering from a knee injury and accepting to deputize for Bellerin. A mid-season loan would be the best option for Debuchy to revive his career.
Jenkinson’s technical limitations were quite obvious against Reading. The English fullback doesn’t have Bellerin’s dribbling skills but he still managed to test Al-Habsi in the sixth minute. Jenkinson failed to close down Obita in the 61st. Kermorgant connected with Obita’s cross for a header that Martinez saved.
- Paulista is still a dodgy defender
The Brazilian centerback made 4 of the 7 fouls committed by Arsenal. It’s still a mystery how he finished the game with no yellow card despite tripping Harriott in the 10th and fouling Samuel on the edge of the box in the 88th. Paulista looked so reckless that Holding could be a better second choice if Koscielny or Mustafi gets injured.
- What could have been for Gibbs
Gibbs wore the armband for that game because he was the most senior player on the pitch. At 27, he should be challenging Monreal for a starting spot. Gibbs has more pace than the Spaniard. He made a fantastic recovery tackle in the 24th after Maitland-Niles underhit a back pass. Unfortunately, Gibbs also showed why he’s not an England starter and why Monreal is still ahead in the pecking order despite average performances this season. As the last defender in the 52nd, Gibbs had a lapse of concentration and lost possession to McCleary. Bearing down on goal, McCleary had his pass for Samuel intercepted by Gibbs.
- The Gunners still lack creativity in midfield
Elneny teamed up with Maitland-Niles in midfield and struggled to engineer the build-up play. The Egypt international doesn’t have the passing skills of Cazorla or Xhaka, he’s mostly a utility midfielder. It’s only when the Ox drifted inside or when Iwobi dropped back that the Gunners were able to put Reading on the back foot. Elneny took a pass from Jenkinson in the 30th to fire an angled strike that Al-Habsi stopped.
- Martinez would be a better No. 3 than Szczesny
Could you imagine Szczesny accepting to be the No. 3 goalkeeper behind Cech and Ospina? Not really. That’s why it would make more sense to retain Martinez and sell Szczesny for the sake of team chemistry. Martinez produced a fine performance, saving Kermorgant’s header in the 61st and palming away the Reading susbtitute’s free kick in the 89th.
- No academy player is close to the regular starters’ level
The only academy players who started the game were Reine-Adelaide and Maitland-Niles. Reine-Adelaide showed flashes of brilliance, like the backheel flick that played Jenkinson in after five minutes, but he’s still a raw player. The French teenager was too slow in his decision-making and took too much time to release the ball. He needs to play more often with his head up and improve his reading of the game.
Maitland-Niles made some timely interceptions but he lacked accuracy in the final third, overhitting two final balls in the second half. Willock and Zelalem came off the bench in the last 20 minutes and didn’t show much. I guess Reine-Adelaide, Maitland-Niles, Willock and Zelalem will still need to hone their skills with the under-23 team.
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