Arsenal Vs Sunderland: 5 Things We Learned
It was a big win for Arsenal against Sunderland. And one that was needed like no other. Here are five things we learned from the 3-1 victory.
What a crucial win that was for Arsenal. After a tough loss to West Brom two weeks ago and a disappointing draw to the newly promoted Norwich, the Gunners’ season looked to be heading south. However, despite a plethora of injury issues, Arsene Wenger’s men were able to deliver the three points heading into the busy Christmas schedule.
Related: Arsenal v Sunderland Full Match Highlights And Videos
The deadlock was broken by the combination of Mesut Ozil and Joel Campbell part way through the first half, with the wonderful German adding yet another assist to his collection in the year. Giroud knocked the ball into his own net just before the half, but redeemed himself with a delightful header from an Aaron Ramsey cross. Ramsey then sealed the victory in extra time and Arsenal progressed to secure their first league win in three games.
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The victory lifts the Gunners’ up to second in the table and now sets them up for a run of good form in the league. In midweek, Arsenal will play their most important game of the season so far. They face Olympiakos needing a win by two goals to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The win against Sunderland provides a little bit of momentum for Arsenal to ride, and will hopefully see them come back from Greece looking towards the draw in the next round.
It was an underwhelming performance from Arsenal. They looked blunt going forward and allowed Sunderland’s attacking trio too much space defensively. However, a win is a win, so here are five things that we learned from Saturday’s game.
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<p>The victory lifts the Gunners’ up to second in the table and now sets them up for a run of good form in the league. In midweek, Arsenal will play their most important game of the season so far. They face Olympiakos needing a win by two goals to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The win against Sunderland provides a little bit of momentum for Arsenal to ride, and will hopefully see them come back from Greece looking towards the draw in the next round.</p>
<p>It was an underwhelming performance from Arsenal. They looked blunt going forward and allowed Sunderland’s attacking trio too much space defensively. However, a win is a win, so here are five things that we learned from Saturday’s game.</p>
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<h3>1. Mesut Ozil is truly sensational</h3>
<p>The German midfielder who just keeps on giving. He’s been in my fantasy team all year and I have been glad for it. Ozil is looking like the best player in the league right now, and amid Arsenal’s injury crisis, he stands head and shoulders above the rest. He has been an assist machine so far this league season, with a simply ridiculous 12 assists in 12 league games. Such is the German’s creativity and flair, that even with the loss of Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla, Ozil is still able to pull the strings.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">12 – Mesut Ozil has now recorded 12 PL assists this season, the most by an Arsenal player since Cesc Fabregas in 2009/10 (13). Provider.</p>
<p>— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/673164320067424256">December 5, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>The midfield magician released Joel Campbell down the left flank, and the Costa Rican international slotted past Costel Pantillimon with ease. It was a lovely show of class from both Ozil and Campbell, and illustrates the quality of both players. Looking forward, Ozil will be crucial in midweek, when Arsenal travel to Greece to keep their Champions League hopes alive. The German maestro will also be needed heading into the ever busy Christmas period, especially with the thin squad that Wenger currently has at his disposal. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>14 – Mesut Ozil has had a hand in 14 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances (two goals, 12 assists). Strings. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/673163895775870976">December 5, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Mesut Ozil is well on his way to winning Arsenal’s Player of the Year, and may well challenge for the PFA Player’s Player of the Year. He is elevating himself to God-like status at the Emirates. Keeping him fit is integral to Arsenal’s Premier League challenge. <div class="next-post amp-get-next-post lg slider"><a class="location" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-post-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"#"><span class="next amp-next-post-teaser">Next: </span><span class="amp-get-next-post">2. Injuries are killing this side</span></a></div> </p><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: #fff;font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color: #a7a7a7;font-size: 11px;width: 100%">
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<h3>2. Injuries are killing this side</h3>
<p>There have been lots of talk recently about the state of Arsenal’s squad due to the recent injury crisis. On Saturday, all the negativity surrounding this Arsenal side due to many injuries suffered was vindicated with an underwhelming performance from Arsene Wenger’s men. <div class="recent-posts ">
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</div> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/02/wengers-only-mistake-managing-injuries/">Recently, I criticized Wenger for his management of injured players</a>, and placed some blame at his doorstep for the issues that currently pose this team. Against Sunderland, Arsenal looked slow and lethargic with the ball, and naive and unorganized without it. The players currently on the injury lost are Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Kieran Gibbs, Francis Coquelin, Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez. Four of five of these are regular first team players, and on Saturday, it showed. With the aforementioned busy Christmas period ahead of us, it will be vital that Arsenal can get some of these players back fit. Arsenal will play five games over 16 days as 2015 turns to 2016. That is a lot of games in a short space of time. With the squad in such a fragile state, Wenger will have to navigate those fixtures with great care if Arsenal’s title aspirations are to become a reality. The win was a hard fought one for the Gunners, but now sets them up to make a run in the Christmas fixtures. Unfortunately, injuries will hinder the ability that Wenger’s men have to reel off a series of wins. Midfield is a particularly thin position with the pure number of injuries, but hopefully Wenger can use what he has to eek out some important results. <div class="next-post amp-get-next-post lg slider"><a class="location" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-post-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"#"><span class="next amp-next-post-teaser">Next: </span><span class="amp-get-next-post">3. Olivier Giroud is under-valued</span></a></div></p><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: #fff;font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color: #a7a7a7;font-size: 11px;width: 100%">
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<h3>3. Olivier Giroud is under-valued</h3>
<p>Throughout his Arsenal career, Olivier Giroud has split opinions. The French international has a relaxed style. He very rarely looks flustered and often looks as though he just floats through games. However, his effectiveness cannot be under-valued. Giroud’s goal scoring abilities have been called into question in recent times, and while this is not only unfair, it misses the very aspect of Giroud’s game. He is so much more than simply a striker who scores goals. Giroud is the glue in Arsenal’s attacking moves. Like Ozil is the conductor, Giroud is the instrument, the tool. His touch is quite frankly unbelievable. The way he links up play with little flicks, his strength in occupying two center halves, his ability to bring others in to play. Giroud is the perfect striker for all of Arsenal’s technical players. The way Wenger encourages his side to play requires a focal point. There is no better than Olivier Giroud in that role. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>17 – Since joining Arsenal ahead of the 12/13 season, Olivier Giroud has netted 17 headed PL goals, more than any other player. Bonce. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/673176155755708417">December 5, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Not only is his play integral to Arsenal’s attacking style, but contrary to popular belief, Giroud scores goals. Lots of them. Giroud now has eight Premier League goals in 16 games. It looks as though he may press on to greater heights in the coming months. The French striker will finish the season as Arsenal’s top scorer, barring injury, and after Saturday’s victory over Sunderland, his goals could well fire Arsenal to the title.</p>
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<h3>4. Flamini is not an adequate replacement for Coquelin</h3>
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<p>Like Coquelin, Mathieu Flamini is a hard working, industrial defensive midfielder. Unlike Coquelin, he lacks any physical presence, does not cover enough ground and is positionally naive time and time again. While Arsenal got the much needed victory against a lowly Sunderland side, the performance was not of the quality expected. The Black Cats had plenty of opportunities on the break.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>In fact, the result was a little harsh on the North-East club. They were able to create plenty of chances throughout the 90 minutes. With Coquelin in that role, there is little doubt that Arsenal’s back line would be much stronger than on Saturday. However, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2015/12/06/arsenal-vs-sunderland-5-things-learned/"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3330355/Arsenal-midfielder-Francis-Coquelin-two-months-knee-injury-Arsene-Wenger-fears-longer.html">it looks as though Coquelin will be out until late January</a> at the best. Without him, Flamini does not inspire confidence. And if Flamini goes down? God help us if we have to see Arteta.</p>
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<h3>5. The win is the most important thing</h3>
<p>While fancy performances are always important and nice to watch, ultimately, as the cliche goes, football is a results-based business. Arsenal looked poor against Sunderland, as previously mentioned. Nonetheless, Wenger’s men got the all-important three points to move them to second in the table. Not only is the result important, but with results around the league going Arsenal’s way, the victory is even more significant.</p>
<p>In the lunchtime kick off, Manchester City lost to Stoke-alona, with Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic running the defending champions ragged. The 2-o loss allowed Arsenal to jump City in the table. Moreover, Spurs could only draw to West Brom and Manchester United continued their woeful attacking performances with a 0-0 draw at home to West Ham. The win now puts the Gunners two points behind Leicester, who will surely fall away with a tough run of upcoming fixtures, and a point clear of the Manchester clubs. Spurs are a further three points behind in fifth and now have quite a lot of ground to make up.</p>
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