Arsenal 4-0 Standard Liege: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | Europa League 2019/20

Arsenal eased past Standard Liege 4-0 at the Emirates in a Europa League fixture. Courtesy the victory, the Gunners sit comfortably at the top of their group, having kept their 100% record intact.

The hosts dominated the early exchanges and were rewarded in the 13th minute when Gabriel Martinelli headed home a cross from the left flank. A few minutes later, the Brazilian completed his brace when he stroked the ball into the far corner.

In the 22nd minute, Joe Willock added another when he slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Arsenal enjoyed a healthy 3-0 lead at the break and they gave a confident account of themselves after the restart. Their endeavours bore fruit when Dani Ceballos prodded in the Gunners’ fourth goal of the evening.

The home side had more chances to add to their tally yet, they failed to do so, meaning that their Belgian visitors were spared a humiliating score-line.

Here is a look at the talking points from the game:

---

#5 Arsenal tear Standard Liege to shreds in the first half

Arsenal were irresistible in the first half

Arsenal named an experimental line-up for Standard Liege’s visit with most of the Gunners’ first-team being accorded a rest. The likes of Martinelli, Reiss Nelson and Willock started, hinting that the hosts were willing to test out their bench strength.

However, the combination of effervescent youngsters and fringe players conjured an irresistible opening 45 minutes, where they simply overwhelmed the visitors.

The home side started on the front foot and dominated possession from the outset, meaning that they put the Belgian side under the cosh early. Subsequently, the Gunners turned the screw methodically and blew Standard Liege away.

Martinelli popped up with a couple of tidy finishes while Willock displayed exemplary composure in the box to tuck his chance away. The latter, in particular, was a thorn in the Belgian side’s defence for a major part of the first half as his powerful running caused more than a furrowed brow or two.

Apart from the duo, Ceballos and Nelson looked bright as they kept presenting themselves in dangerous areas and always posed a new set of questions once the visitors had found answers to the ones asked previously.

The most astonishing aspect of Arsenal’s performance was that they could’ve amassed a couple of more goals had the rub of the green gone their way.

Before the game started, there were a few who felt that the game represented a potential banana skin for the Gunners, in light of the selections Emery made.

Yet, the players silenced those doubters rather emphatically as they effectively ended the game as a contest inside 21 minutes.

#4 Kieran Tierney is definitely an upgrade on Sead Kolasinac

Kieran Tierney (L) looks an upgrade on Arsenal's current options

A few months ago, Arsenal, in their search for a reliable full-back, enquired about Kieran Tierney’s availability. The Scottish international represented an instant fix to the Gunners’ left-back woes and seemed an ideal replacement for Nacho Monreal.

However, a deal failed to come to fruition until deadline day, meaning that countless Gooners waited with bated breath. Yet, once they had their man, relief engulfed the Emirates. After all, they had purchased a top-class full-back and one capable of donning the famous Red and White for years to come.

And, Tierney has just stoked that fire of optimism with his early performances for the North Londoners.

Against Standard Liege, the full-back was a picture of calmness and composure. He looked extremely accomplished on the ball and was immensely tidy with his passing.

The most encouraging aspect of his play though, was his ability to provide an end product, an element that has been sorely lacking from Sead Kolasinac’s displays.

The former Celtic defender curled a wonderful cross for Martinelli to open the scoring whereas he created several other opportunities for his teammates too.

Apart from the aforementioned aspect, Tierney was much more judicious in his forays forward, thereby ensuring that the Gunners were never caught out on the break.

Thus, early signs certainly point towards the new signing being a massive upgrade on Kolasinac, who, for all his commitment, just lacks a bit of guile in the final third.

And, though Arsenal fans have waited quite anxiously for Tierney to turn out for them, that delay could well be worth it.

#3 Has Dani Ceballos prompted Emery to look away from Mesut Ozil?

Ceballos turned in another brilliant display

Unai Emery decided to shuffle his midfield pack and he opted for the triumvirate of Ceballos, Lucas Torreira and Willock. Consequently, the creative burden fell on the Spaniard, on loan from Real Madrid. And, Ceballos didn’t disappoint.

The midfielder was a bundle of energy throughout the game and rarely put a foot wrong. He cropped up in between the lines when the Gunners were on the attack whereas he also took the responsibility of orchestrating the play from deep.

His dazzling dribbling abilities opened up numerous attacking avenues with that propensity attracting opposition players and in turn, leaving them out of position.

He capped off his display with a brilliant goal when he purposefully strode into the Standard Liege box to stab Martinelli’s cross into an unguarded net.

More importantly though, the performance would strengthen Emery’s belief of deploying Ceballos as the playmaker.

Over the past few seasons, that mantle has firmly lay with a certain Mesut Ozil. However, since Emery’s arrival, the German has been on the periphery, with several ludicrous reasons justifying his absence.

Yet, as the 2019-20 season has progressed, the Arsenal boss has made it clear that he demands a more dynamic style of play, a brand that might not suit Ozil completely.

In the process, Emery pulled out all the stops to sign Ceballos and with the latter relentlessly turning in virtuoso displays, maybe Ozil will have to keep himself consigned to the stands, more often than not.

#2 Gabriel Martinelli sparkles under the Emirates lights

Martinelli dazzled under the Emirates lights

In the off-season, Arsenal conducted an enormous amount of transfer business. While Ceballos, David Luiz and Nicolas Pepe joined the ranks, Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Monreal were shipped off. Among those the Gunners had brought on board was Gabriel Martinelli, a young Brazilian prodigy touted for greatness like numerous others from that part of the world.

Yet, the Emirates faithful always looked upon the teenager as a signing of tomorrow rather than one capable of influencing games this term. However, with each passing game, the Brazilian has been disproving that notion and he’s been doing it quite fabulously.

On Thursday, Martinelli was unplayable at times. His direct running and movement off the ball caused a myriad of problems for Standard Liege as the striker bagged a couple of goals and an assist.

The first goal came about when the Brazilian ghosted in at the front post. After timing his run to perfection, he nodded the ball home powerfully. The second goal displayed the striker’s predatory instincts when he latched onto Nelson’s cross before turning his man and firing the ball into the far corner.

In the second half too, he was outstanding and he helped create Ceballos’ goal. The teenager picked up the ball on the right channel and raced to the by-line. Thereafter, he dinked the ball adroitly for the Spaniard to poke the ball into the back of the net.

Apart from his goal contributions, Martinelli portrayed excellent application and work-rate, meaning that he pressed from the front and barely allowed the visitors easy possession in their own half.

Back in the summer, there was an extraordinary amount of hype surrounding a forward Arsenal had signed. And, while the Ivorian lad, for whom the Gunners broke the bank, hasn’t set the world ablaze, the youngster acquired from Brazilian obscurity has been quietly doing his bit, and a touch more.

Though there exists a substantial difference between the quality of teams Martinelli has faced so far and those that he might encounter in the Premier League, he certainly must be doing something right to have made the net bulge four times in only two starts.

#1 Unai Emery has more raw diamonds than he acknowledges

Unai Emery has a wonderful set of youngsters to work with

In the summer of 2018, Arsene Wenger decided to hang up his much-documented zip-coat after a couple of decades at the helm. Emery was handed the reins with many hoping for the Spaniard to recapture the glory days for Arsenal.

However, not everything has quite gone to plan with the current manager also enduring his fair share of crests and troughs. Yet, one aspect that has slightly endeared him to the Emirates faithful is his bravery to throw youngsters into the deep end.

On Thursday, that attribute came to the fore when Emery named a plethora of unheralded stars in his starting line-up. And, though he might’ve envisaged a positive result with that bunch, even he would not have envisioned a 4-0 mauling of Standard Liege.

The trio of Martinelli, Nelson and Willock wreaked havoc throughout the encounter as the visitors were unable to cope with the artistry and raw energy provided by them.

More promisingly though, the young guns were able to blend a bit of craft with their cavalier approach, meaning that they were decisive in the offensive third. Unsurprisingly, they made the net ripple on 4 occasions and created a truckload of chances.

Over the years, Arsenal have established a reputation of developing players from within and providing them the exposure to succeed. And, with the talent at Emery’s disposal currently, it would be pretty tough for the Spaniard to not tread on that path.

After all, nothing gets the club and its fan base more excited than seeing one of their own light up games on a regular basis.

And, while there may be several ailments plaguing the Gunners at the moment, their young breed of players is certainly not one of them.