Swansea City 1-2 Arsenal: 4 Things We Learned, The Hero & The Boo-Boy

Arsenal ground out an impressive 2-1 win over Swansea on Saturday night to move clear at the top of the Premier League. Here, Gunner333 gives us 4 things we learned from the game.

After an impressive start to the season, Arsenal were looking to continue their good form away to Swansea. There was the feeling of need for the Gunners to capitalise on the draw between Chelsea and Tottenham, plus defeats for both Manchester clubs.

Neither side seemed able to grab hold of the first half, both seeming happy to hold back for the time being. Wenger’s decision to start youngster Gnabry looked a positive one as the German played with a lot of confidence and was looking our main threat going forward.

Half time and the highlight of a flat first half came from in-form Frenchman Giroud, the striker unlucky not to take advantage of a rare mistake from Amat after some good work by Gnabry.

The clash of familiar philosophies caused each side to ‘take-it-in-turns’ in pushing forwards and Arsenal took full advantage of their early second half chance, as youngster Gnabry capped of what had been an outstanding night’s performance from him with a well taken goal.

Just moments later and a mix of skill and patience paid of as Ramsey fired home an excellent strike from Olivier Giroud’s pass.  Arsenal flying high in the Premier League as another fantastic result looked in the bag. Despite a late goal created and scored by youngster Ben Davies, the Gunners held on to win their eleventh consecutive game away from the Emirates.

Three more valuable points which put us back above our North London rivals, where we belong! Here are 4 things I believe we can learn from the game, the hero and the boo-boy.

1. Winning Without Key-Men

Since that poor start against Aston Villa on the opening day, we have responded fantastically winning every game since. Not only that, but we have managed this without some important players including the likes of; Rosicky, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Diaby, Walcott and until recently, Arteta. Some, including myself, have revealed our thoughts on our lack of squad depth but with results like these being earned without the aforementioned players, perhaps we can repeal those thoughts.

2. Youngsters Being Introduced

A flurry of young-guns were included in the squad in mid-week against West Brom and one man kept his place for this game. German Serge Gnabry may not have been known by many just weeks ago but he made an impact in this clash. His goal came after a lot of hard work and attacking  advances and he was rightfully rewarded. The more he mixes with the first team, the better he’s going to get.

3. Consistency in All Areas

With the exception of our recent league cup encounter, we have kept the nucleus of our side the same for the majority of games this season. The odd midfielder will drop-in or out but apart from that the usual candidates of Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil and Giroud all remain regular starters.

This consistency had resulted in a great start and a well connected  team, blossoming with chemistry.

4. Tiredness Creeping In?

The problem with being forced into playing virtually the same eleven players week in, week out, is they face the possibility of burning out too soon. We were extremely flat during the first half and some players looked as though they were a little heavy legged. This is particularly a worry as we have to play a crucial Champions League game with Napoli on Tuesday, so hopefully the boys can recover in time. But the sooner we get our injured players fit again and give Arsene the chance to rotate, the better.

Hero- Aaron Ramsey

It seems a difficulty to find the last game when the Welshman performed below par and his excellent form is a key component in our form at the moment. His confidence in sky high and not only did he get himself on the score-sheet [once again], but he pulled all the strings in the hub of midfield.

Boo-Boy- Jack Wilshere

It is blindingly obvious that I will get my fair share of criticism for this decision, but I feel that while Jack performed adequately, he was one of the weaker performers last night. He was played out of position by Arsene (forced due to injuries) and lacked the pace to make an impact down the flank, but he also kept drifting inside in the first half leaving Gibbs badly exposed.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below.