Another first leg deficit to turn round lead to another convincing home win and progress into the Europa League last eight as the Gunners dispatched a wilted looking Rennes side in North London. A fast start and a controlled middle allowed Arsenal to bag three goals in a relatively comfortable fashion with Aubameyang (2) and Maitland-Niles grabbing the headlines.
The shape was unchanged from the weekend's win against Manchester United but with two personnel changes, Mustafi in for Sokratis and Cech in for Leno, questions may have been asked about the team's spine. Mustafi's up and down nature and Cech's aging legs could have caused a few worries should Rennes have got going but in a decent Emirates atmosphere, the Gunners took it to their visitors from the off. Good early play starting with Aubameyang midway through the Rennes half then found Ramsey who shifted it straight onto the marauding Maitland-Niles down the right flank. He did extremely well to bide his time and slide one into the box to find Ramsey once again. The Welshman turned and smashed in a low cross to find Aubameyang's boot and all of a sudden, the fast start Arsenal craved was well and truly on. Ten minutes later, a period that Arsenal controlled well and attacked in consistently, lead to more neat play through midfield and into forward areas. In a dubious looking offside situation where Kolasinac (knowing he was offside) left the ball to roll out of play but the controversially placed Aubameyang picked up the loose ball, narrowly keeping it in on the byline, crossed it in with some real height. Maitland-Niles storming into the box headed it home with Rennes defenders still stood watching. Two-nil and the tie back in our hands. Offside? Arsenal didn't care.
Half time came at a good time for the visitors as no break in play could have lead to the floodgates well and truly opening as Arsenal were in full flow. The second half kicked off and, with the tie in Arsenal's hands, Rennes knew that they had to come out and attack. This played right into the Gunners' hands as the pitch began to open up more and more as the half rolled on. Two wise substitutions from the man in charge saw Mkhitaryan and Iwobi enter the fray in place of Ozil and Lacazette. More pace on the attack meant more chances to be taken. And who stepped up? The club's top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again as he scored his second of the game from close range as Kolasinac's great ball in from the left on a good Arsenal break found the Gabon man at the back post. Three-nil and tie over, as Arsenal fans met The Black Panther for the first time, as the notoriously mask-loving striker donned the mask in front of the adoring Emirates crowd. Celebrations over and game faces back on, Emery then introduced Lucas Torreira to close the game out. Aubameyang missed two easy looking chances late on to complete his hat-trick but a convincing performance nonetheless. There were a few worrying moments at the back in the second half but with many of which offside, Arsenal's defending will surely say that they had it under control. A big win and now all eyes on today's Europa League draw.
Ratings and Talking Points
Unai Emery: 9
The Head Coach once again got everything right. His bold selection paid dividends and he deserved everything he got last night as his team delivered on all fronts. A clean sheet which is huge for confidence, three goals, no injuries and an impressive performance across the board. The Ramsey-Xhaka pairing in midfield again looked solid with both putting in mature and responsible performances for their team. Ozil started well but eventually faded in attacking midfield, whilst his wing backs did exactly what was required. No complaints regarding personnel or shape, as the man in charge had a great night at the office.
Petr Cech: 7.5
Shkodran Mustafi: 7
Laurent Koscielny: 7.5
Nacho Monreal: 8
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 8.5
Granit Xhaka: 8
Aaron Ramsey: 8
Sead Kolasinac: 8.5
Mesut Ozil: 7.5
Alex Lacazette: 7.5
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 9
Subs
Alex Iwobi: 7
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7
Lucas Torreira: 5
Attack Attack Attack
Emery's attack-minded selections of late, in the 3-4-1-2 shape, have yielded five goals and two clean sheets in just two games. A perfect outcome but what are the reasons behind the success? With so many attacking players on the pitch at once so keen to get forward, it means that Arsenal's play is generally much higher up the pitch. At times last night we even saw Mustafi and Monreal stepping way into Rennes' half to get involved and play a forward pass. There's also been much less passing backwards as Emery's men have all been parked so high. One would think it would cramp the space for the likes of Ozil and Ramsey to work in but with so much movement across what is sometimes a front line of five with the two wing backs joining Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ramsey, there is always time and space to exploit. With Ozil and Xhaka dictating the play, things are pretty much perfect in midfield and attack, leaving little for the defenders to do beyond actual defending. Perhaps a now go-to shape and system for Emery should a big result be needed.
Ozil's Learned The Hard Way
After month's of being in and out, and being made an example of, the tough-love treatment of Mesut Ozil seems to have paid off. A rocket up the backside of the German really now has him working for the team and playing for his place, much more than he's ever done in an Arsenal shirt. He's learnt to knuckle down and do a little more dirty work whilst still delivering on his play making attributes. He's a wizard with the ball at his feet, and especially in the 3-4-1-2 shape, he has so much movement around him to really dictate. Without the ball, he looks to be running more and digging in more than we've ever seen. He'll never be one to slide in tackle after tackle like Torreira or Xhaka but what he's now doing is getting back into shape quicker, and becoming that bit tougher to beat. Hard work pays off and although his illness record still sparks some questions, one thing that can no longer be questioned is his desire and willingness to muck in.
@craigbennett10
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