It was great to catch a glimpse of Arsenal back in action again on Thursday night and even better to see them pick-up where they left off…with a convincing win.
I think we were all worried about the impact the World Cup might have on our season (it still might, to be honest) but there was certainly no harm in seeing us put on a show against a credible opponent in Lyon, albeit a side unlikely to pose the sternest test.
If we can keep building momentum in the next few fixtures before Premier League hostilities resume again later this month, there’s hope we might be able to hit the ground running and retain our place at the top of table going into the new year.
First thing’s first, though: here’s what I noticed from our win over Lyon…
1/ Fabio Vieira: There’s a baller in there waiting to get out
Fabio hasn’t many chances to make a mark in his debut season and it’s fair to say it probably hasn’t gone the way he might have wanted or how we might have wished as fans. That said, it’s clear from performances like yesterday that the young Portuguese is possessed of extreme talent. What he needs now is consistency and a platform.
This winter break might have done wonders for Fabio in terms of time with the coaching staff and on the training pitch and these friendly fixtures should also give him a chance to get some competitive minutes under his belt too. If he can continue to produce the sorts of touches we saw from him against Lyon, he could yet become a vital part of the second-half of our campaign.
His deft touches, passing and creativity really caught the eye and his goal was a belter too. If he can replicate that on a bigger stage and against more combative opposition, he will develop into a star. You feel that he is a player who needs confidence to perform at his best and his efforts against Lyon will hopefully help propel him onwards in the weeks to come. There should be no doubt, though, that the boy has talent.
2/ Eddie will need our trust and support
With Gabriel Jesus having picked up a knee injury at the World Cup, the job of leading the line for the next few months will fall to Eddie Nketiah. And while Jesus isn’t a 30-goal a season marksman, his are still large shoes to fill. His workrate, desire, commitment, and contribution to the attacking play of the team is not easily replaced and Eddie will have a job on his hands to ensure the drop-off in our overall level is as small as we can make it.
Mikel Arteta may yet decide to move for a new striker in January and, unlikely though that is, it would still mean that Eddie will be our main main for at least a month after the season re-starts. If we don’t move for a striker, it means Eddie will likely be in the team for the next three months at least. This will be a huge period not only for his career but also for our season.
Eddie has shown that, given the chance, he can contribute with goals and his efforts against Lyon were a reminder of that. Let’s hope he uses these next few weeks to get himself fit and firing ahead of a massive period.
3/ The squad is ready to step in when needed
It was good to see Mohammed Elneny back amongst the action against Lyon and he was joined by the likes of Rob Holding, Reiss Nelson, Kieran Tierney, Sambi Lokonga, Cedric, the aforementioned Vieira and Marquinhos.
These are all guys who have found themselves in and out of the side this season, asked to fill in, make cameos or perhaps feature in games of less importance. And while that can be frustrating for those who have greater aspirations, we should not underestimate their importance in the modern game.
Utilising the full squad has never been as important as it is now and we need those on the fringes to be in-shape, reliable and consistent. This current group seems to have that in spades and I think we can trust any one of them to come in and do a job. Some of them may yet go on to become first-XI regulars or simply feature more regularly but, for the moment, their role as back-ups is vital and they continue to do an excellent job.
We can be as pleased with the wider squad as we are with the first XI.
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