Arsenal vs. Hull City: 6 Things We Learned
Arsenal continued their extremely fine form with a smashing 2-0 victory over a hapless Hull City side at the Emirates Stadium.
As has been their recent trend, the Gunners immediately put Hull on the back foot by jumping ahead before the lesser team could gain a foothold. Carl Jenkinson and Nicklas Bendtner, two much-maligned players, combined to leave Hull chasing the game from the outset.
The game was an exhibition of wonderful symmetry. Arsenal thoroughly dominated during the first half and scored two minutes into the second half before keeping the Lions firmly under their collective boot for the remainder of the match.
For Arsenal, the win is another vital three points ahead of a daunting series of fixtures that will go some way toward proving their title credentials. Let's look at six things we learned from the victory.
Mesut Ozil Has Arrived
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After a prolonged settling-in period during which a tired and ineffectual Mesut Ozil failed to justify his £42.5 million transfer fee, the German is now beginning to show why he is one of the best attacking midfielders on the planet.
Of course, his upcoming performances against Everton, Chelsea and Napoli will be sterner tests of his ability to jell with his teammates and maintain this level of performance, but Ozil is now playing at a level that is commensurate with his record-smashing transfer fee.
He now takes the initiative when he receives the ball in the attacking third, dribbling past defenders and finding defense-splitting passes that left Hull wide open at the back.
Arsenal fans' appetites should be whetted by the fact that Ozil has probably still not fully settled into his role and can still improve.
Everyone Believed in Nicklas Bendtner All Along
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Nicklas Bendtner is not an excellent striker by any means, despite what the Dane's notoriously massive ego might lead him to believe.
Yet he was never as bad as many made him out to be when he deputized for Olivier Giroud earlier in the season after hardly playing first-team football in the last two years. Bendtner might be a bit slow and his goalscoring touch is rusty at best, but he is a competent short-term option in relief of Giroud.
It is difficult for him to lose confidence, but his goalscoring performance will no doubt buoy his self-belief when given game time in Giroud's absence. And, almost as importantly, Arsenal fans need not discount the ability of the team's striker to score when he leads the line.
Reinforcement in January is still needed, but Arsenal do have some depth up front.
Arsenal Need to Be More Efficient in Front of Goal
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Arsenal enjoyed two-thirds of possession, which enabled them to unleash a whopping 20 shots over the course of the match, seven of which were on target, according to ESPN FC.
And that is not counting golden opportunities such as a shot that Hull's goalkeeper spilled right into Nicklas Bendtner's path, but which seemed to surprise Bendtner so much that he was unable to tap the ball into the open goal.
Ultimately, Arsenal were not made to pay for their profligacy—a measure of their exceptional grip on the game and ability to exercise their vastly superior quality.
But against the teams they will face during their daunting December schedule—Everton, Napoli, Manchester City, Chelsea, West Ham and Newcastle—the Gunners will need to be much more efficient.
Arsenal No Longer Get Complacent Against Smaller Teams
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Back when Arsenal struggled to finish fourth (remember those hard times?), virtually every match seemed to be either a struggle to hold off a late-game push by the opposition or a battle to break down an intransigent defense.
Not this season. The Gunners are no longer underestimating weaker teams and are giving them the thumping their gap in quality merits.
While it is easy to scoff at Arsenal's success because they have taken points from the likes of Sunderland, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Cardiff, virtually all of the Premier League's big teams have dropped points against markedly inferior opponents.
Ably dealing with smaller teams is in itself a sign of a club's title credentials.
Arsenal's Midfield Jelled Dazzingly Well
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No one can credibly deny that Arsenal is flush with quality in midfield: Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey all vie for a few positions every game.
Yet those who are currently the most exciting and dynamic of the bunch—Ozil, Cazorla and Ramsey—had not coalesced into the devastating attacking force that their extraordinary skill theoretically makes possible.
Unfortunately for Hull, the three found their collective wavelength Wednesday night.
Each drifted toward the others, which was often where the football was. And their passing exchanges were beautiful, rotating triangles that Hull was utterly unable to cope with.
Ramsey's sultry pass to Ozil for Arsenal's second goal exemplified this attacking flow, which can only improve with time.
Arsenal Have Set Themselves Up Well for Bigger Tests
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As fun as it is to revel in a smashing victory over an obviously inferior opponent, one should remember that there was a 14-point gap between the sides before the match.
And the fact that Arsenal's next four matches are against Everton, Napoli, Manchester City and Chelsea—within 15 days—should be sobering.
The most measured and rational thing to take from the Gunners' domination of Hull is that they have set themselves up very well for this massive test of their ability to remain dominant at the highest echelon of English football.
Arsene Wenger has rotated the squad to his liking, so everyone who needed a rest has received it. And, as if Arsenal were not confident enough, a thorough domination of a mid-table opponent will only boost their self-belief.
In short, if Arsenal founder in their next several matches, their list of excuses is very short.
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