A day out for the flat-track bullies or glimpses of an exciting new beginning without Alexis Sanchez? Fans of Arsenal have seen enough false dawns to instinctively suspect the former but, even allowing for Crystal Palace’s very obvious limitations, there was still enough here to suggest that life after Sanchez might actually be an improvement on the past year.
Arsenal really should have begun this process with Sanchez’s sale last summer and, after having a £45 million bid rejected on Saturday, are also now preparing to return with a second bid for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan also due imminently to arrive from Manchester United and Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Alexandre Lacazette and Jack Wilshere all influential here in a match that was effectively over at 4-0 after just 22 minutes, Arsenal’s main problem has never really related to their offensive options.
It is the defensive shape of the team and, in switching to a third different system of the season, manager Arsene Wenger might finally have found the optimum balance.
The addition of Mohamed Elneny just behind two more liberated central midfielders in Jack Wilshere and Granit Xhaka meant a return to four at the back and provided the platform for an immediate dominance of possession.
LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Arsenal menang telak 4-1 atas Crystal Palace pada pertandingan pekan ke-24 Premier League - kasta teratas Liga Inggris - di Stadion Emirates, Sabtu (20/1/2018). Empat gol Arsenal pada laga ini dikemas dalam tempo cuma 17 menit!
Empat gol yang membawa Arsenal unggul pada babak pertama dicetak oleh Nacho Monreal pada menit ke-6, Alex Iwobi (10'), Laurent Koscielny (13'), dan Alexandre Lacazette (22'). Adapun gol balasan Crystal Palace dicetak Luka Milivojevic pada menit ke-77.
Hasil ini memang tak mengubah posisi Arsenal yang berada di posisi keenam dengan 42 poin dari 24 laga. Mereka terpaut dua angka dari Tottenham Hotspur yang belum memainkan laga pekan ke-24.
Fastest 4-0 leads for @Arsenal in the @premierleague:
Man City - Arsenal 1-5 on 22 Feb 2003 (19 min)
Arsenal - Southampton 6-1 on 7 May 2003 (22 min)
Arsenal - Palace on 20 Jan 2018 (22 min) #ARSCRY #PL
17:15
Arsenal player ratings
Here are Arsenal’s player ratings, from our friends at Football.London.
Petr Cech 6
Didn’t have too much to do but made one excellent block to deny Benteke after the break. Couldn’t do anything with the goal.
Hector Bellerin 6
Had to play second fiddle to Monreal, but still provided some good width and intent down the right.
Laurent Koscielny 7
Made one crunching tackle on McArthur that thundered around the Emirates and coped well with the physical Benteke. Marked his return with a goal.
Shkodran Mustafi 6
Looked happy to have Koscielny next to him again. Was never really troubled during a comfortable afternoon’s work.
Nacho Monreal 9
What can you say? Arsenal’s left-back was on the pitch for just over half an hour, scored one and set up two. Wonderful performance before limping off.
Granit Xhaka 7
Started things rolling with a perfect corner to set up Monreal’s goal. Kept things ticking over in midfield without really having to get out of second gear.
Mohamed Elneny 6
Sat just in front of the back four at times and helped keep things tight. Lucky not to give away a penalty in the second half for a trip on Zaha.
Jack Wilshere 8
Produced some magical drops of the shoulder to get away from his man. Just a class act playing at the top of his game. Played a big part in the fourth goal.
Alex Iwobi 8
Really good performance. He was direct, looked confident and caused Palace plenty of problems. Scored a goal and was unlucky not to get another.
Mesut Ozil 9
Fabulous display from Arsenal’s main man. Ozil ran the show, dictating the play throughout. His touch, vision and technique was breathtaking at times. His flick for Lacazette’s goal was worth the admission fee alone.
Alexandre Lacazette 7
Finally broke his barren spell with a smart finish from Ozil’s flick. Always on the move and calling for the ball. Lively display.
Substitutes
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 7
Made one horrible mistake which almost led to a Palace goal, but other than that the youngster coped well against the threat of Zaha.
Reiss Nelson 5
Never really got into the game. Had a couple of opportunities to set off on a run but couldn’t take advanatge.
Sead Kolasinac 5
Replaced Iwobi late on and played the final few minutes on the left side of the attack.
Read more here: - https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-player-ratings-crystal-palace-11884988
Pengumuman transfer Mkhitaryan ke Arsenal kabarnya akan disampaikan Senin (22/1) malam waktu setempat. OLEH HAPPY SUSANTO Ikuti di twitter Gelandang Manchester United Henrikh Mkhitaryan dikabarkan akan segera menjalani tes medis di Arsenal dalam waktu 48 jam ke depan.
Transfer Mkhitaryan itu melibatkan pertukaran Alexis Sanchez ke Old Trafford. Kedua pemain itu menjadi pembicaraan hangat dalam bursa transfer beberapa pekan terakhir, namun kini tampaknya akan segera terjawab bagaimana kelanjutan proses kepindahan mereka.
Sanchez kabarnya sudah meraih kesepakatan personal dengan The Red Devils namun kini sedang menunggu Arsenal dan Mkhitaryan untuk merampungkan separuh proses negosiasi. Terkait
SIMAK JUGA - Soal Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger: Tunggu 48 Jam Lagi!
Manajer kedua klub, Jose Mourinho dan Arsene Wenger, mengakui pada Sabtu (20/1) sore waktu setempat, kalau proses transfer mengalami sedikit masalah sehingga memerlukan waktu lebih lama. Namun, seperti dilansir Sky Sports , transfer semakin dekat pada kepastian setelah adanya terobosan baru-baru ini.
Mkhitaryan telah sepakat untuk terbang ke London untuk menjalani tes medis sehingga besar kemungkinan kedua klub akan melakukan pengumuman pada Senin (22/1) malam waktu setempat.
Mkhitaryan dan Sanchez tidak tampil ketika kedua tim bertanding pada Sabtu (20/1), saat United menang 1-0 di markas Burnley dan Arsenal menang 4-1 atas Crystal Palace di Emirates Stadium.
