LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 15: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal scores from the penalty spot during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Arsenal Vs AC Milan: 5 things we learned – Recovery shoots rise
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal scores from the penalty spot during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Arsenal hosted AC Milan in the second leg of the last-16 Europa League tie on Thursday night. Here are five things we learned from the 3-1 win.
Arsenal followed up an impressive 2-0 win in the San Siro last Thursday with a solid 3-1 home victory to secure passage to the Europa League quarter-finals. Ultimately, their troubles were limited, with AC Milan only impressing themselves for short periods throughout the two-legged goals, and thanks to goals by Danny Welbeck, twice, and Granit Xhaka, the Gunners ran out comfortable victors.
Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here
Here are five things we learned.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal heads home the third goal during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
5. Danny Welbeck rewarded
Danny Welbeck was excellent in the first leg. He may not have scored, but his tireless running, especially in stretching the pitch as he relentlessly scampered into the channel behind the Milan defence, was invaluable to the fluidity, ruthlessness, and success of Arsenal’s performance. In the second leg, he was rewarded.
There are certainly questions to be asked of the validity and morality of the penalty — I believe that his heels clipped together, forcing him to tumble, meaning that it was neither a penalty nor a dive. But give credit to Welbeck, a not-usually clean striker of the football, for having the confidence to step up and convert.
He then got his second as the game ebbed away, nodding home Aaron Ramsey’s rebound after some excellent work by Jack Wilshere. Neither of the goals was especially brilliant play by Welbeck, but they are nonetheless precisely what he deserved. Hopefully, this can now lead to an injection of self-belief as the season draws towards its climax.
Arsenal </a>followed up an impressive 2-0 win in the San Siro last Thursday with <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43406580">a solid 3-1 home victory</a> to secure passage to the Europa League quarter-finals. Ultimately, their troubles were limited, with AC Milan only impressing themselves for short periods throughout the two-legged goals, and thanks to goals by Danny Welbeck, twice, and Granit Xhaka, the Gunners ran out comfortable victors.</p>
<h2><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pain-in-the-arsenal-podcast/id1314514440?mt=2%22>Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here</a></h2>
<p>Here are five things we learned.</p>
<div id="attachment_72829" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-72829" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"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%2F2018%2F03%2F932546824-arsenal-v-ac-milan-uefa-europa-league-round-of-16-second-leg.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="Arsenal, Danny Welbeck" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal heads home the third goal during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>5. Danny Welbeck rewarded</h3>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=danny+welbeck%22>Danny Welbeck</a> was excellent in the first leg. He may not have scored, but his tireless running, especially in stretching the pitch as he relentlessly scampered into the channel behind the Milan defence, was invaluable to the fluidity, ruthlessness, and success of Arsenal’s performance. In the second leg, he was rewarded.</p>
<p>There are certainly questions to be asked of the validity and morality of the penalty — I believe that his heels clipped together, forcing him to tumble, meaning that it was neither a penalty nor a dive. But give credit to Welbeck, a not-usually clean striker of the football, for having the confidence to step up and convert.</p>
<p>He then got his second as the game ebbed away, nodding home Aaron Ramsey’s rebound after some excellent work by Jack Wilshere. Neither of the goals was especially brilliant play by Welbeck, but they are nonetheless precisely what he deserved. Hopefully, this can now lead to an injection of self-belief as the season draws towards its climax.</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/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. Calum Chambers deputises well </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-72834" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"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%2F2018%2F03%2F932518140-arsenal-v-ac-milan-uefa-europa-league-round-of-16-second-leg.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Arsene Wenger of Arsenal looks on as Laurent Koscielny leaves the pitch injured during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>4. Calum Chambers deputises well</h3>
<p>Defensive organisation has never been Arsenal’s strong point. While, individually, they are perfectly competent players, collectively, they do not comprise a stable and secure defence. There are a number of factors, from the lack of pressure on the ball to the positional errors that are made time and time again. It is something that this team simply do not do well. So when the most experienced defender and captain hobbled off after 11 minutes, reminiscent of last season’s Bayern Munich capitulation, forgive me for fearing the worst.</p>
<p>I needn’t have. His deputy, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=calum+chambers%22>Calum Chambers</a>, who I feel has now established himself as the third-choice centre-half in Wenger’s thinking in the past month or so, was excellent. As ever, he exuded calmness throughout, both when in possession and in his one-on-one defending, he was decisive and aggressive when he needed to be, and was constantly communicating with Shkodran Mustafi.</p>
<p>It is not a defensie pairing that inspires confidence. Both are prone to silly mistakes and rash decisions. But on this occasion, their reserved, controlled manner was perfect for the context of the match. There were a couple of loose moments when Milan attackers slipped their attentions from crosses. But, for the most part, this was a very promising display indeed.</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/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. The usual response was different </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-72835" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"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%2F2018%2F03%2F932523308-arsenal-v-ac-milan-uefa-europa-league-round-of-16-second-leg.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Hakan Calhanoglu of AC Milan clebrates the opening goal with Ricardo Rodriguez as Jack Wilshere of Arsenal looks on during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>3. The usual response was different</h3>
<p>Milan didn’t scare me. Their painful and evident lack of pace, something that has often undone Arsenal in the past, allied with the shortage of creativity and guile in the midfield, led me, and many others to that conclusion. Nothing that I saw in the second leg changed my mind.</p>
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<p>However, it wasn’t Milan that made me nervous about this match. It was Arsenal. Such is the detriment of the Gunners’ mental fragilities, defensive shortcomings, and game-mismanagement, I was worried that, somehow, they would find a way to squander the two-goal lead from the first leg. I was especially concerned about what would happen if they conceded the first goal. Would, as they have proven is frighteningly likely in recent weeks, capitulation come? That is what I feared, and perhaps even expected.</p>
<p>But that is not what happened. The ten minutes after Hakan Calhanoglu’s swerving, swinging, dipping, diving long-range effort rippled the far corner of David Ospina’s net were dominated by Arsenal. They pressed high up the pitch, they won almost every loose ball, and scored the all-important equaliser to turn the tables quickly.</p>
<p>That was vital for this team. It was also very different to what had been happening in the past. Manchester City, twice. FK Ostersunds. Brighton and Hove Albion. In the proceeding moments after goals, Arsenal looked extremely vulnerable, and even conceded immediately after in some cases. But here, they took the aggressive approach. The gas pedal was thrust to the floor. It was relieving to see.</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/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Jack Wilshere shines </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-72830" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"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%2F2018%2F03%2F932520512-arsenal-v-ac-milan-uefa-europa-league-round-of-16-second-leg.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="Arsenal, Jack Wilshere" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Jack Wilshere of Arsenal puts on the Captains armband after the injury of Laurent Koscielny during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. Jack Wilshere shines</h3>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-player-ratings-solid-stable-sound/">In my player ratings</a>, I gave<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=jack+wilshere%22> Jack Wilshere</a> my Man of the Match award. Perhaps he was deserving of it, perhaps he wasn’t. Everyone is welcome to their opinion. But I do feel that his influence on this game was undeniable, both in the spectacular moments and in the general pattern and structure of the match.</p>
<p>In an extremely free position with great license to roam, Wilshere had to be intelligent off the ball. It would have been easy for him to upset the balance of the team, whether it be being caught too high up the pitch, growing the distance between the midfield and the attack, or drifting wide, ceding control of the middle of the pitch, or sitting too deep, isolating Danny Welbeck as the lone striker.</p>
<p>He tip-toed that line brilliantly, and his stats prove it. Most importantly, even for all of his attacking intentions, he lost the ball four times, the same amount as Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. That is good for a player of his safety-averse nature. In addition to that, he completed four of his six dribble attempts, both game highs, and maintained a 96% pass-completion rate, bettered by only Calum Chambers among Arsenal players. Very, very good indeed.</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/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. The Europa League is still on </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-72836" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"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%2F2018%2F03%2F932516762-arsenal-v-ac-milan-uefa-europa-league-round-of-16-second-leg.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Arsene Wenger of Arsenal looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal and AC Milan at Emirates Stadium on March 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. The Europa League is still on</h3>
<p>With his team selections in the past week or so, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2018/03/15/arsenal-vs-ac-milan-5-things-learned-recover-shoots-rise/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=arsene+wenger%22>Arsene Wenger</a> has made it abundantly clear that the Europa League is now the number one priority for the remainder of this season. Good news, then, that his side are now in the draw for the quarter-finals of the competition on Friday.</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>What’s even better news is the absence of Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, who lost in the prior two rounds. In fact, even though the average quality is still high with teams like RB Leipzig, Lazio and CSKA Moscow lurking, the only team that would be a genuinely frightening prospect is Atletico Madrid. Avoid them for another round, and Arsenal could be staring down the barrel of the first European final since 2006.</p>
<p>There is obviously still a long way to go. Of the seven other teams remaining, there is not an easy tie, certainly not like there has been in previous seasons. Manchester United, for example, faced St Etienne, FC Rostov, Anderlecht, and Celta Vigo to reach the final. Arsenal will not be afforded the same luxury of a kind run.</p>
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