Is Laca back to his best? Three things we learned from Arsenal's victory over Rapid Vienna
Is Laca back to his best? Three things we learned from Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Rapid Vienna in the Europa League
By Adam Le RouxIt almost felt like the good old days last night, as a rampant Arsenal side demolished Rapid Vienna 4-1 in front of actual real-life supporters, as they kept up their 100% record in this season’s Europa League group stage.
The 2000 Gooners in attendance were treated to a free-flowing side that looked capable of scoring each and every time they came forward at the Emirates, with the confidence oozing out of the team by the end of the 90 minutes - a stark contrast to what we've seen in the Premier League recently...
Alexandre Lacazette’s early thunderbolt set the tone for a routine victory for Mikel Arteta’s side, before Pablo Mari added a second before the clock had even reached 20 minutes, as the Spaniard netted on his return to the side after six months on the sidelines.
The hosts continued to toy with their opponents throughout the first half, and the move that preceded Eddie Nketiah’s goal to extend the lead to three was something to behold, with over half the team being involved in a clinical passing move that a prime Arsene Wenger would have been proud of, with the 21-year-old duly finishing it off.
Even Koya Kitagawa’s goal straight after the restart couldn’t put Arsenal off their stride, as Emile Smith-Rowe came off the bench to restore the three-goal advantage after another incisive attack left the academy graduate the easy task of tapping into an empty net.
After the debacle against Wolves last weekend, we learned a lot about this Arsenal side on Thursday night, with plenty of players staking their claim to be involved in the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
What a whacker from Laca
There’s been plenty of talk about the attitude of Alexandre Lacazette recently, with the Frenchman often rumoured to be unhappy at the club, but his performance against the Austrians proved he is still every bit as hungry to earn his place in the first team.
The 29-year-old was raring to go from the off on Thursday night, and made his mark on the tie within the opening ten minutes, as he unleashed a venomous swirling strike that left visiting goalkeeper Richard Strebinger bamboozled to give the Gunners the lead.
Playing in a deeper No.10 role, Laca seemed to be involved all over the final third as Arsenal continued to pressurise the visitors’ goal throughout the 90 minutes.
After finding the net early doors, the striker struck a post soon after, before his inch-perfect ball set Nicolas Pepe away to tee up Nketiah for the third goal of the night.
The game was effectively in the bag when he was withdrawn just after the hour mark, with the former Lyon man putting in the sort of performance that will have caught the eye of his boss.
And judging by his post-match comments, Arteta will be keen to utilise him in a deeper role in the future:
"He's played a good game in that position. It suits him. He's really good at linking play, he worked hard and scored a beautiful goal."
Mari merry after cracking comeback
The one sight that drew a par with the return of fans to the Emirates was the name of Pablo Mari on the Arsenal team sheet for Thursday’s encounter, with the Spaniard making his long-awaited comeback from injury.
It had been six long months since the 27-year-old was taken off with an ankle strain in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the first match after lockdown, and his return to the side was warmly welcomed.
The ex-Flamengo man looked solid at the back when called upon against Rapid Vienna, and after being given some time to build up his match fitness, will no doubt me a regular at the heart of the Gunners’ backline.
The goal he scored was the cherry on the cake, as the evaded his marker at the near post to glance a header in to double the advantage in the early stages, to cap off what was a impressive comeback performance after so long on the sidelines.
Arteta also welcomed back Calum Chambers in the second half on Thursday night, who had been out with a ruptured ACL in his left knee for almost a year, and with both of these defensive options available for the future, the Arsenal backline is already beginning to look a lot more stable heading into the new year.
Returning fans treated to a football fiesta
It may have only been 2000 lucky souls that got to take their seat at the Emirates last night, but boy did it make a difference to the atmosphere.
We’ve often taken for granted the natural sound of people within stadia, but after the last nine months we will never do so again, with the football experience feeling much more genuine with bums on seats and voices being heard.
It can be no coincidence that Arsenal had their best Europa League performance of the season for the match that they could play in front of a portion of their home faithful, with the football on show a joy to watch for much of the game.
The manager, the team, the fans all seemed united after a much-needed victory heading into Sunday’s North London Derby, and goalscorer Lacazette was keen to point out how much the influence of the supporters had on the display.
"It was amazing - we were so happy to see the fans it really helped us during the game," he told BT Sport after the game.
"Even in bad moments they pushed us to play good, obviously we played well it was good football."
Photo Credit: Getty Images
