A Lacazette brace fired Arsenal into the Europa League Semi Finals, beating Slavia Prague 4-0 on Thursday night.
With the score tied at 1-1 after the first leg in North London, Arsenal travelled to Slavia Prague in need of a much improved performance.
Arteta made one change from the side that beat Sheffield United, bringing in Smith Rowe for Martinelli and continuing with Xhaka at left back.
Prior to the game, Lacazette, Arsenal’s captain on the night, knelt in front of the Slavia Prague team who refused to take the knee following their teammate being banned for 10 games for racial abuse against Glen Kamara the round prior. It was a powerful gesture from Lacazette sending a strong anti-racism message to the Czech side.
The Gunners came out firing early on, having a goal ruled out for offside after Smith Rowe tapped the ball in following a Saka shot which had cannoned off the post 14 minutes in.
Arsenal continued pushing and got their reward minutes later. Smith Rowe showed excellent feet in the box, nutmegging a Slavia Prague defender before playing the ball to Pépé. The Ivorian held off a challenge from behind before dinking the ball over the keeper from a tight angle to give Arsenal the lead.
Pépé 1-0 (2-1 aggregate)
Lacazette doubled the lead from the penalty spot 2 minutes later. The lead up to the penalty saw Holding fizz the ball into Saka who laid the ball back to Chambers. The right back clipped the ball over the top to Smith Rowe down the right, with the ball being cut back to Saka who was brought down. Lacazette stepped up and coolly dispatched the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way.
Lacazette 2-0 (3-1 aggregate)
It was a superb piece of play to win the penalty, highlighting the importance of quick, accurate ball progression as well as the movement of Saka and Smith Rowe to create space and options.
The tie was put to bed 23 minutes in as Saka scored a third for Arsenal. Chambers showed nice footwork to skip round the Prague defender and set Saka away down the right. Saka drifted inside his marker and struck the ball in at the near post, making it 3-0 on the night.
Saka 3-0 (4-1 aggregate)
Arsenal were in cruise control for the rest of the game, but captain Lacazette was not done sending his message to Slavia Prague. Xhaka released Pépé down the left who picked out Lacazette in the box. The Frenchman rolled the ball onto his left foot and smashed it in at the near post, sealing a 4-0 win for Arsenal and making it 5-1 on aggregate.
Lacazette 4-0 (5-1 aggregate)
It was a fantastic and clinical performance from Arsenal, and one we have rarely seen this season. When it mattered most, the team were able to raise their game. In a season where there have been few positives, the performance and reaction from Arsenal in this game symbolises the hope under Arteta.
Arsenal will now face ex-head coach Unai Emery and his Villerreal side in the Semi Finals, looking to reach their second Europa League Final in three years.
Villerreal have overcome Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb in the competition so far and have looked relatively untroubled. Emery has an outstanding record in the Europa League, winning the competition three years in a row with Sevilla and reached the final with Arsenal, so will be a tough opponent for the Gunners.
So far, Arsenal have failed to win both legs of any of their knockout ties this season and the inconsistency of the team recently looks to be the biggest obstacle.
Qualification for European football next season seems unlikely through the Premier League so Arsenal will need to find it within themselves to put together three good games in the Europa League in order to qualify.
Arsenal swept aside Sheffield United with a 3-0 win at Bramall Lane last Sunday.
With Smith Rowe, Ødegaard and Aubameyang out for the game, Martinelli came into the team along with Saka who played in the number 10 role. Xhaka slotted in at left back with Ceballos replacing him in midfield.
Arsenal asserted their dominance early with the attacking quartet causing Sheffield United problems. The balance of goal threat, movement and creativity made Arsenal potent in the attacking third, with Ceballos joining in to add an extra body.
The breakthrough came in the 33rd minute with a sublime piece of play. Partey laid the ball into Lacazette who played it into Saka who found Ceballos. The Spaniard backheeled it to Lacazette running beyond with the Frenchman taking one touch to set himself before rolling the ball into the far corner. It was vintage one touch football from Arsenal to go 1-0 up.
Lacazette 1-0
Martinelli doubled the lead in the 71st minute after some nice work by Pépé. The Ivorian picked up a lose pass from Lundstram in the Sheffield United third and skipped past his man before looking to place the ball into the far corner. Ramsdale made the save but could only palm it as far as Martinelli who tapped the ball into the empty net to make it 2-0.
Martinelli 2-0
The game was sealed in the 85th minute with another excellent goal. Holding laid the ball into Partey who turned his man superbly and slid through an inch perfect ball to Lacazette. The Arsenal captain made no mistake with the chance, rifling the ball into the far corner with a first-time finish.
Lacazette 3-0
Whilst Sheffield United have struggled this season, it was still an impressive Arsenal performance, particularly from Lacazette and Partey who have both faltered over recent weeks.
The performance of Thomas Partey over the last two games has been much improved. He has looked more commanding and assured on the ball, and appears to be having a greater impact on the game.
There has only been a small sample size, but the average positions of the players over the past three games raises an interesting question: is Partey better off without Xhaka in midfield?
In the first leg against Slavia Prague, looking at the average positions of the players, Xhaka (34) played more centrally with Partey (18) playing slightly wider. With Holding (16) pushing up often, he and Partey often occupied the same spaces.
Average positions against Slavia Prague 1st leg
Against Sheffield United, Xhaka was moved over to left back and Ceballos (8) was brought into midfield. The average position chart shows Partey occupying a one man midfield with lots of space, whilst Ceballos is roaming out to the left since Xhaka is a more reserved fullback.
Average positions against Sheffield United
For the second leg against Slavia Prague, the same pattern was apparent. Partey occupied the central spaces on his own with Ceballos drifting wider to help with the interplay and creating an overload.
Average positions against Slavia Prague 2nd leg
The main takeaway is that Partey has looked markedly better when occupying the central areas of the pitch on his own. It seems to give him more freedom as well as allowing Ceballos to roam which in turn has helped the attack.
Xhaka has also played well during the latter two games in his new left back role which has allowed Chambers to be more attacking on the right and Ceballos to occupy some of the positions Tierney had been taking up.
Whilst the sample size is small, Arteta may have found a solution to both cover the left back spot in Tierney’s absence, as well as unleash Partey in midfield to be the dominant player Arsenal hoped he would be.
A lot has been made of Xhaka’s importance to the team this season, and for good reason, but the last two games suggest he may not be as integral as he seemed.
Up next Arsenal play Fulham at the Emirates at 1:30pm on Sunday. Fulham are fighting for their Premier League survival, sitting 6 points adrift of Newcastle in 17th, having lost their last 4 games. With the momentum of the past week, it is hard to see Arsenal not winning this one relatively comfortably.
(Video credit: RMC & Arsenal; Image Credit: WhoScored)
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham
Adam Perry - 16/04/2021