Arsenal left it late but came away with a victory during their midweek Champions League clash with Anderlecht. Here, I take a look at some of the key events during the game and lessons Fantasy Football managers can learn, as well as offer some recommendations regarding the north London side’s best players.
Arsenal v Anderlecht Key Lessons
1) Arsenal had a lot of possession but lacked penetration. In fairness, Arsenal probably didn’t deserve to win the game and looked laboured for at least 80 minutes. Anderlecht lost concentration, though, in the last few minutes and were unlucky to concede two goals at the death
2) Lone striker Danny Welbeck looked off the pace. This could indicate that fatigue is setting in due to the England striker enjoying one of the longest runs of pitch time in his career.
3) Alexis Sanchez was at the heart of most good things that Arsenal did and looked to be the best player on the pitch. He essentially had an assist on the winning goal to show for his efforts but this belittles his influence. There are some issues with his game, however. He does hang on to the ball a little too long at times and he seems to run a lot, which may indicate why he has been rotated at times this season.
4) Santi Cazorla was played on the left wing in this game (unlike the last few games he’s started where he’s played centrally). He looked poor as a result and this weekend in the Premier League could be either moved back to a central role or perhaps even benched.
5) Aaron Ramsey got through the full 90 minutes but generally looked well off the pace (similarly to most of his team-mates). He did get into a decent shooting position once during the match, but scuffed his shot horribly. It is worth noting that he also looked off the pace before his injury and he looks some way off from recapturing his form of last season. I’d advise managers to give it a few weeks and monitor him closely if they are considering bringing him back in right away.
6) Arsenal’s defence continues to be an absolute shambles and Arsenal were extremely lucky not to concede more goals after Anderlecht scored their first. The Gunners played Nacho Monreal at centre-back and Calum Chambers at right-back. Chambers in particular struggled defensively throughout the game and was beaten easily by his man on quite a few occasions. He was also very lucky not to get booked (as he has been numerous times this season). He did, however, pick up an assist for Kieran Gibbs’s goal but it was probably the first time I remember him crossing all match. Gibbs took his goal very well, but I’d caution against reading too much into that. Gibbs is not a prolific scorer and remains a constant injury risk.
7) Theo Walcott did not make the trip to Belgium – likely to be given time to build up more fitness during the week. I’d suspect we may see him on the bench this weekend but, again, it may be some time before he gets up to speed.
Arsenal Player Recommendations
1) Highly Recommended: Sanchez & Welbeck – I’ve looked at Arsenal’s fixtures and they have a one-week break between Gameweeks 9 and 10 and between Gameweeks 11 and 12 so I’m less worried about fatigue and rotation.
2) Recommended: Chambers – he’s outstanding value for an “elite team” defender and pretty much nailed on until January. He got an assist in the Champions League game and has taken a couple of decent shots on goal, but is liable to pick up more bookings and may have a two-game suspension for 10 yellows soon if he keeps picking them up at the same rate.
3) Punts: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Gibbs – There is less security of starts for Cazorla and Oxlade-Chamberlain but both are capable of taking their chances well. Gibbs will be first choice when he’s fit, but has had struggles with injuries and doesn’t have the consistent attacking output an “elite team” full-back should
4) Wait & Monitor: Ramsey and Walcott – Ramsey looks out of form at the moment so watch him for a couple of weeks. It’ll likely also be a couple of weeks before Walcott is consistently in the starting line-up.
9 years, 6 months agoNice article