Arsenal take on Watford away at Vicarage Road this Saturday, in their ninth league match of the season.
The Gunners are coming back from the international break in a good mood, to say the least. They’ve perhaps made up for their UEFA Champions League failures by winning five of their eight league games, currently sitting two points behind league leaders Manchester City. With no first team injuries ravaging the side this time round, and Manuel Pellegrini’s team approaching a tough run of fixtures, this is the opportunity for Arsenal to take a foothold on the league.
Performances like the Gunners’ 3-0 win against Manchester United two weeks ago give hope to the goal of Arsenal remaining in the title race. A near-flawless game showed the north Londoners to be fluid, penetrative and dominating in the first half (scoring three), and defensively well set-up, composed and unbreakable in the second half. Definitely one of Arsenal’s best home performances in recent years, in a match where everyone turned up to the occasion, to show that when Arsenal “click”, it produces something quite stunning.
The opponents, however, may not offer the same openness as United. Watford are in a comfortable position right now, sitting six points above the relegation zone, whilst winning two, losing two and drawing four so far this season. Quique Sanchez Flores has set his side up to be well-organised and defend deep in two banks of four, which hits the opposition on the break by playing quickly through the wingers – Ikechi Anya and Almen Abdi – choosing sometimes to hit long balls to the forwards. These tactics have worked well defensively – conceding the joint-fewest this season – but not as well in the attacking sense – scoring the joint-fewest. As a result, Arsenal may need to wait out for the opener away in Watford – patience will be key.
Another positive note for Arsenal has been their player’s performances on international duty. Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez, Joel Campbell, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chuba Akpom and Serge Gnabry all scored whilst away, with notable performances also coming from Mesut Özil and Petr Cech. This puts the Arsenal side in great form for both club and country going into the upcoming Premier League game.
A player Arsenal should watch out for is Odion Ighalo. The Nigerian has scored in Watford’s last five games and links up incredibly well with strike partner Troy Deeney. Arsenal will have to track his runs very well as that is one of his best aspects.
Watford will want to watch out for Mesut Özil. Considering the deep back-line which the home side will deploy, it’ll need to be a killer pass to break down this defence. Who better than the German, with two assists in the last two weeks, to execute this job?
Match Facts:
– The top two with the most amount of sprints this season in the league are Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey (560) and Watford’s Ikechi Anya (533)
– Theo Walcott has 12 goals and three assists in his last 14 league games
– Theo Walcott made his Premier League debut against Watford in a 3-0 home win in October 2006
– Arsenal have won their last five matches against the Hornets in all competitions
– Watford have conceded three goals in their last six games
Team news:
Club captain Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are back from injuries sustained in the 5-2 win at Leicester. Wenger says Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck are “progressing well” but are still injured. Tomas Rosicky is still sidelined for a couple of months. Alexis Sanchez is a doubt for the match following hip injuries sustained in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against United, although he did play twice for Chile in the last week. Laurent Koscielny will face a late fitness test to determine his selection, it appears he will definitely be back for the game against Bayern Munich though.
Predicted XIs:
Watford (4-2-2): Gomes; Paredes, Prodl, Cathcart, Ake; Abdi, Capoue, Behrami, Anya; Deeney, Ighalo.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerín, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Ramsey, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Walcott.
Prediction:
It’ll be a tough game for Arsenal, and a low-scoring one too, as they try to prevail against a defensively strong Watford eleven, especially if without star man Alexis Sánchez. However, the quality of this Arsenal side, especially in top form, should make the difference, so the prediction here is a 2-1 win, with goals from Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey in the second half but a late consolation from Troy Deeney for the home side to continue Arsenal’s push for the title.
