Arsenal v Watford review

Emile Smith Rowe has been vital for Arsenal this season

Arsenal v Watford review

By Jonny Bray
Arsenal’s 1-0 win against Watford was a crucial result ahead of the upcoming international break.
The result felt typical of the Gunners this season, with Mikel Arteta’s side appearing increasingly competent, if a little bit uninspiring.
Emile Smith Rowe scored in a third successive Premier League game to sink the Hornets while lifting the Gunners up to fifth.
And it’s perfectly reasonable for Arsenal fans to start looking up the league table instead of down.
Arsenal could have won by more were it not for an excellent penalty save by Hornets keeper Ben Foster and a couple of other unlucky moments in front of goal.
Despite the tight scoreline, Arsenal can take confidence from this result ahead of the return from the international break and that huge game against Liverpool.
But there is still plenty to learn from the contest, especially if Arteta’s side are going to continue this remarkable run of form and challenge for European football this season.

Another clean sheet

Arsenal kept their fifth clean sheet of the season so far on Sunday.
Despite years of being criticised for defensive errors and inconsistencies, the Gunners finally seem to have struck the right balance with their back four.
Aaron Ramsdale put in another impressive performance against the Hornets.
He’s been impressive all season and has proved a lot of people wrong with his displays in the Arsenal goal.
Kieran Tierney’s continued absence could have been a source of concern for Arsenal fans, but Nuno Tavares proved a very capable replacement at left-back.
Most encouraging of all, Ben White had one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt.
He was composed, assured, and looked every part our first-choice centre-back.

Emile Smith Rowe is proving he’s one of the best young players in England

Emile Smith Rowe has probably been Arsenal’s best player so far this season.
The midfielder may be young, but he is beginning to carry this side on a consistent basis.
The goal on Saturday was his fourth of the season, meaning he’s now got six goals and assists in 11 games.
With a return like that, Smith Rowe is now probably the first name on Arteta’s team sheet, and the game against Watford was just another example of this.
With White and Smith Rowe performing so well in the red and white of Arsenal, you can only assume it’s just a matter of time before they’re given international recognition.

Where does this leave the Gunners?

After such a fantastic run of form, Gunners fans could be a little bit disappointed not to see more Arsenal players in the upcoming England squad.
This season, Smith Rowe has outperformed Bukayo Saka and is incredibly unlucky not to be in Gareth Southgate’s squad, while White showed precisely why he should have been included himself.
However, one positive of the lack of Arsenal recognition in Southgate’s squad is that Arteta now has a chance to prepare the team properly for Liverpool.
Despite their great run of form, Arsenal haven’t beaten one of the top sides so far during this campaign.
A good result against Liverpool isn’t just crucial to the Gunners' league position. It’ll be a great indicator of where Arsenal stand heading into the business end of this season.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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