Alex Iwobi is drifting, Pellegrino is on dangerous ground and Manchester United produced a classic performanceIt always feels unfair to single out a young player, not least one who seems with each performance these days to become a one-man Arsenal social media event, a living banter-meme. Just check out Alex Iwobi on Twitter the next time Arsenal are playing – and hope he never makes the mistake of searching his own name. But watching him against Watford it was tempting to wonder about stalled progress, and a comfort zone at the wrong moment in his career. He has been more productive since Christmas, has made an effort to make more decisive forward runs. But he remains a strange footballer, a...
German international reached his half-century of assists as Arsenal’s best players all contributed to victory over WatfordWith eight minutes gone in this meeting of upper-to-mid‑table powers there was a significant little wonky detail. Arsenal had just taken the lead on an afternoon when they passed the ball with speed and verve through midfield, with Mesut Özil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan producing some sublime touches.It was from Özil’s free-kick that Shkodran Mustafi rose above a mildly interested Watford defence to send a firm header wiffling into the far corner: “And that ladies and gentlemen is Arsenal’s ONE THOUSANDTH goal in the Premier League!!” a ludicrously upbeat voice declared over the Emirates Stadium PA as the players celebrated. Related: Mkhitaryan puts seal on...
Too often notable by his absence, Mesut Özil showed the skills that can make him a world beater against MilanWhen Brighton beat Arsenal to push Arsène Wenger and his miserable band of men even further into their palace of sadness last weekend, Mesut Özil was nowhere to be seen. It was easy to reach for the old argument that when Arsenal needed this outrageously talented playmaker the most, he was notable by his absence. It has been a vacillating debate ever since Özil arrived in England in 2013, between those who have fallen for his gilded skills and others irked at his ostensibly casual manner.As with most things, the truth lies somewhere between the two. But it is undoubtedly frustrating...
I understand a big club in a bad way will always be the story rather than a smaller one such as Brighton achieving a remarkable result but Sunday’s win did not happen by chanceYou might think when a team such as Brighton & Hove Albion record a historic victory over Arsenal the way we celebrate would include a few drinks and a lot of noise but nothing could be further from the truth. We were jubilant in the dressing room after our 2-1 win against Arsène Wenger’s side on Sunday but, rather than champagne and plaudits, all the lads wanted was a couple of days off. The manager had given us just that after our crucial victory over Swansea last...
Chris Hughton deserves plaudits, Sam Allardyce will not win Everton fans’ affections and Spurs look ready for JuventusThere is something striking about watching the defending champions cede their title to their successors, and this was a particularly mournful way to go about it. The last time a title-winning Chelsea team visited the side that was destined to succeed them they lost 2-1 to Leicester in December 2015 and promptly sacked their manager. This display is unlikely to accelerate Antonio Conte’s apparently inevitable summer departure, but a performance so stripped of ambition and attacking quality certainly reflected poorly on him. “My tactic was: don’t concede space between the lines,” he said. “If you concede space at Manchester City you risk losing...