Arsenal 2-0 Leicester: 4 big positives from important win as Gunners move back into Premier League top four ahead of facing Liverpool. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
With 12 matches to go in this Premier League season Arsenal find themselves in the top four positions, one point clear of Manchester United ahead of facing Liverpool on Wednesday.
Retaking their hold on fourth with a 2-0 victory over Leicester, it was the unlikely source of Thomas Partey who got the ball rolling for Mikel Arteta’s side.
His near post header after 11 minutes was just rewards for a positive start to the game. A bright opening was finally supplemented with a second goal courtesy of an Alexandre Lacazette penalty with an hour on the clock, in what was overall a fairly comfortable three points.
Heading into this game there was a strange feeling in the air. One of confidence. How far back must one cast the mind to remember a time where as a supporter you truly felt that Arsenal were going to win, especially against a side who had claimed four points from their previous two visits to the Emirates Stadium?
Arsenal 2-0 Leicester: 4 big positives from important win as Gunners move back into Premier League top four ahead of facing Liverpool
That alone is a big positive. Genuine belief that Arsenal would win a game of football. It’s been an emotion fans have been starved of for some time.
Given the difficulty of the task ahead, starting with title chasing Liverpool and ending with a trip to Villa Park just 64 hours later, a win on Sunday night was utterly paramount.
It’s a result that hands Arsenal breathing space over Manchester United, who won’t be back in Premier League action until after the international break, as well as Tottenham who slumped to defeat at Old Trafford last time out.
Everything about this team is positive. Individually there are some outstanding performances on show from the likes of Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey, while the decision to stick with Mikel Arteta after the horror of last season is paying dividends. It would be nit-picking to find fault in this performance, since the vast majority was undeniably positive.
Arsenal’s Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard (L) and Arsenal’s German-born Portuguese defender Cedric Soares (C)congratulate goalscorer Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
1. Arsenal Show Maturity and Professionalism
The overriding description of this display was one of professionalism. Three games in six days would take it out of even the fittest teams in the country, so to have got through the 90 minutes without needing to overextend constitutes a near perfect outcome.
Arsenal played some mesmerising football in the first half, making them well worthy of their lead, with the doubt starting to creep in around the 30 minute mark. Leicester grew confident, controlled possession of the ball and would have grabbed their equaliser were it not for another flying Aaron Ramsdale save.
Coming out of the break there needed to be an improvement: more control and more territory in the opposition half.
Arteta instructed Arsenal to build from the back and through the thirds more, keeping the Foxes at arm’s length and starving them of the ball. When the second goal went in it was all about this young team showing maturity in the game state, which is precisely what Arteta demanded after the Watford game.
The manager wanted his team to complete “300,000” passes in the opposition. One particular passage in the 83rd minute was a perfect example of the team taking his words on board, with Leicester left chasing shadows as Arsenal bided their time in possession before waiting for the right moment to attack. It was calm and collected football with a pace dictated by the Gunners.
It was excellent game management. Arsenal found the right gears to score the goals before shifting down to an appropriate gear to see them game out and conserve energy.
Continued on next page…
March 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2>Arsenal 2-0 Leicester: 4 big positives from important win as Gunners move back into Premier League top four ahead of facing Liverpool</h2>
<p>That alone is a big positive. Genuine belief that Arsenal would win a game of football. It’s been an emotion fans have been starved of for some time.</p>
<p>Given the difficulty of the task ahead, starting <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-liverpool-premier-league-preview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with title chasing Liverpool</a> and ending with a trip to Villa Park just 64 hours later, a win on Sunday night was utterly paramount.</p>
<p>It’s a result that hands Arsenal breathing space over Manchester United, who won’t be back in <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://www.90min.com/leagues/premier-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League</a> action until after the international break, as well as Tottenham who slumped to defeat at Old Trafford last time out.</p>
<p>Everything about this team is positive. Individually there are some outstanding performances on show from the likes of Martin Odegaard <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/thomas-partey-secret-arsenal-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and Thomas Partey</a>, while the decision to stick with Mikel Arteta after the horror of last season is paying dividends. It would be nit-picking to find fault in this performance, since the vast majority was undeniably positive.</p>
<div id="attachment_124397" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-124397" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1239164757-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Laca" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Arsenal’s Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard (L) and Arsenal’s German-born Portuguese defender Cedric Soares (C)congratulate goalscorer Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>1. Arsenal Show Maturity and Professionalism</h2>
<p>The overriding description of this display was one of professionalism. Three games in six days would take it out of even the fittest teams in the country, so to have got through the 90 minutes without needing to overextend constitutes a near perfect outcome.</p>
<p>Arsenal played some mesmerising football in the first half, making them well worthy of their lead, with the doubt starting to creep in around the 30 minute mark. Leicester grew confident, controlled possession of the ball and would have grabbed their equaliser were it not for another flying Aaron Ramsdale save.</p>
<p>Coming out of the break there needed to be an improvement: more control and more territory in the opposition half.</p>
<p>Arteta instructed Arsenal to build from the back and through the thirds more, keeping the Foxes at arm’s length and starving them of the ball. When the second goal went in it was all about this young team showing maturity in the game state, which is precisely what Arteta demanded after the Watford game.</p>
<p>The manager wanted his team to complete “300,000” passes in the opposition. One particular passage in the 83rd minute was a perfect example of the team taking his words on board, with Leicester left chasing shadows as Arsenal bided their time in possession before waiting for the right moment to attack. It was calm and collected football with a pace dictated by the Gunners.</p>
<p>It was excellent game management. Arsenal found the right gears to score the goals before shifting down to an appropriate gear to see them game out and conserve energy.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next page…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Big positive #2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_124395" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-124395" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1384874486-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Rambo" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 13: Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal celebrates their side’s second goal which was scored by Alexandre Lacazette from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>2. Kieran Tierney & Aaron Ramsdale’s Welcome Solidity</h2>
<p>Kieran Tierney has been <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/02/27/arsenal-worried-kieran-tierney-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coming under criticism</a> of late as he adapts to the tactical differences that come with a more attack-minded right-back in the team.</p>
<p>No longer always the widest lane of attack with Gabriel Martinelli occupying that slot, his role has moulded into a more traditional full-back remit with a more balanced blend of attacking and defending.</p>
<p>He hasn’t looked entirely comfortable, but on Sunday he quietly went about his business competently. Intriguingly it was Cedric who sat back more than his fellow defender, with Tierney even making some of the internal runs you’d associate more with Nuno Tavares. On the whole it was a very solid outing from him, just as it was from Aaron Ramsdale.</p>
<p>The goalkeeper <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/07/arsenal-worried-form-aaron-ramsdale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn’t been as sturdy</a> in recent weeks as he was previously in the season, with his electric form in the first two thirds of the campaign a level few goalkeepers of his age would manage to sustain. Without being in any way poor during that time, this was a match where one superb save and a string of excellent passes out from the back was him at his very best.</p>
<p>Showing confidence in his high claims, a command of his box, a smart reactionary save and clever distribution was everything you expect to see from a first choice international goalkeeper. Which, in case it wasn’t already aware, is what he undoubtedly should be.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next page…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Big positive #3 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_124366" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-124366" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1239164812-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, team" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Arsenal players celebrate Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>3. First Clean Sheet in 4 Matches</h2>
<p>While the fact Arsenal have lost just one of their previous 11 Premier League matches – which came against Manchester City – is the primary source of confidence, keeping a clean sheet at home just 72 hours before welcoming Liverpool at the same stadium provides an even bigger boost.</p>
<p>Conceding four goals across the last three matches, three of which were entirely unavoidable, the back five will take great comfort from recording another shutout and restricting Leicester to very little goalmouth action.</p>
<p>With the exception of Harvey Barnes’ header it was fairly plain sailing for Arsenal.</p>
<p>Brendan Rodgers’ side recorded an xG of just 0.51 compared to the Gunners’ 3.13, and the overall structure of the team without the ball, where the Foxes’ best route to goal was in behind Cedric, is cause for optimism.</p>
<p>There is no shying away from it, ahead of facing Liverpool you will take everything that you can possibly get. Every mental boost, however seemingly minor, is welcome, especially against a side Arsenal haven’t scored against in three attempts this season.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next page…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Big positive #4 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_124396" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-124396" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1239165508-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Laca" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>4. Alexandre Lacazette Getting on the Scoresheet</h2>
<p>Strikers need to score goals. It’s always the comparison made when <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/12/case-handing-lacazette-arsenal-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussing Lacazette</a>, but even if Roberto Firmino does so much more than score for Liverpool that doesn’t he doesn’t want to score. Of course he does. He’s a striker.</p>
<p>Even if the penalty spot is the best avenue for the captain at the moment and it doesn’t class as an open play goal, what it will do for him to know he’s contributing with goals on the scoresheet can’t be understated. For all the work he does tying Arsenal together it was vital for him to bring an end to his current run.</p>
<blockquote><p>“I think he [Lacazette] was terrific today again,” Arteta told club media after the game.</p>
<p>“I think the way he understands the game, what we want, the confidence that he transmits to the rest of the players in the team is crucial. I’m really happy with him.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Known for being a big-game player, the timing of this goal ahead of hosting Liverpool is also most welcome. With three to his name against the Reds, one more on Wednesday will bring him level with the total of four he’s netted against Tottenham.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Arsenal were right about Arteta" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-deserve-credit-arteta-decision/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-leicester-4-big-positives/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/03/14/arsenal-deserve-credit-arteta-decision/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Arsenal were right about Arteta </a> </div>
</div>
<p>The absolute definition of a confidence player, even with the assists he’s been clocking up there was nobody else in the team who needed a goal more than him. It being a stonking penalty won’t have done him any harm, either.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
