Debunking Kneejerk Reactions to Arsenal's Premier League Opener

Arsenal's Premier League season is just one game old, yet already fans and pundits alike are making a huge variety of proclamations about this team and their chances in 2017/18.

To be fair, few matches could have provided as much incident—Friday's 4-3 win over Leicester City was enthralling.

However, it remains too soon to jump to any conclusions. In this piece, Bleacher Report sets out to debunk some of the more extreme reactions to Arsenal's opening league fixture of the campaign.

Wenger's Tinkering Was Pure Tactical Genius

Manager Arsene Wenger made three changes in a desperate attempt to turn the game around. At first glance, it looks as if his interventions were inspired—both Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score the goals that swung the match in the Gunners' favour. 

However, it could easily have swung the other way. Arsenal's changes left them exposed, and a last-gasp intervention from Petr Cech was required to prevent Jamie Vardy from completing a hat-trick that would surely have killed the game.

At one stage, Arsenal had six of their 11 players out of position. The fact they managed to turn the game around with a such a jumbled team is a testament to their will and individual skill more than Wenger's strategic thinking.

Arsenal's goals did not come as a consequence of sustained pressure created by intelligent positioning of a team. They were more the result of profiting from Wenger-induced chaos. The Gunners boss deserves plenty of credit for trusting his instincts, but this should not stand as evidence that Wenger has transformed into a master tactician.

Olivier Giroud Should Start Games

The Frenchman was Arsenal's hero on Friday, powering home the late header that won the game. Speaking to the media afterward, Wenger was moved to praise the former Montpellier HSC man, who has seemingly elected to stay in north London:

"I don't want him to go, and in the end, he decided to stay. It was one of the days of recent weeks for me because I know how important he is, not only as a player, he is a fantastic player, but as well in the group. He has a big weight in the squad, and it was a relief for me that he decided to stay."

Giroud's contribution has led to some suggestions he should be reinstated as a starter. That's a misguided belief—Giroud is the ideal super-sub.

Since August 2016, Giroud has scored seven goals as a substitute, which is more than any other player in the Premier League. His style seems ideally suited to coming on late in games. Tiring defenders struggle to handle his power, and his presence in the penalty box gives Arsenal a different option should they choose to take a more direct approach.

Furthermore, Alexandre Lacazette showed against Leicester he is a more dynamic option as a starting centre-forward. His ability to rotate positions with the supporting attackers and sprint in behind bring more variety to the Arsenal front line.

Giroud is a hugely valuable squad member, but that doesn't mean he should be starting games on a regular basis.

Arsenal's Lack of Heading Ability Was Their Defensive Undoing

Arsenal had a problem with set pieces on Friday night, and that's been attributed to the fact Wenger included two players who are typically left-backs among their three centre-halves.

However, it's worth pointing out that Nacho Monreal, Sead Kolasinac and Rob Holding is the same trio that played for the majority of Arsenal's Community Shield victory over Chelsea. 

Monreal and Kolasinac may have played most of their football as full-backs, but they're both capable centre-halves. Crucially, they are also quite effective in the air. Monreal, for example, may not be the biggest, but he does have a tremendous spring. 

As ever with Arsenal, this was more a problem of organisation than personnel. The Gunners paid the price for their sloppy marking, and that was the fault of the entire team. Would Per Mertesacker have helped? Almost certainly—but that's because of his organisational skills more than his height. 

Granit Xhaka Is Not Up to It

There can be no doubt about it: Granit Xhaka underperformed against Leicester. In the first half, he was particularly sloppy in possession. It cost Arsenal dear, with both Foxes goals coming as a consequence of Xhaka's losing the ball.

However, any suggestion he is not up to the task of leading the Arsenal midfield seems unfair. This was Xhaka's first disappointing performance for many months, and even then, he was still responsible for creating the two goals that enabled the Gunners to come away with three points.

The Swiss was the subject of huge praise from the Arsenal fans for his commanding performance in the Community Shield win over Chelsea. It would be absurd to question his ability after one mixed game. The beautiful pass for Ramsey's equaliser showed his quality. If he can iron out the occasional defensive error, he could yet become one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League.

Rob Holding Is a 'Fraud'

Holding endured a difficult night against Leicester City. He was targeted by the lightning-quick Vardy, who sought every opportunity to chase the 21-year-old in the channels. That led to some fans suggesting the youngster may have been "found out."

It's easy to understand those supporters' fears. Arsenal have had plenty of promising young defenders in the past who have shone briefly only to fail to fulfil their potential. Some Arsenal fans are worried Holding could follow in the footsteps of Philippe Senderos, Johan Djourou, Calum Chambers and others.

However, it's too soon to suggest Holding's form in the second half of 2016/17 was a mere flash in the pan.

His Leicester performance can be explained by the fact he did not have a senior centre-half alongside him in the back three. Holding is at his best when flanked by one of Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny, who are both capable of coaching him through the game if his confidence wanes.

It's possible that the impending availability of Shkodran Mustafi means Holding is stood down for one or two games. However, he remains a defender with the potential to develop into a permanent fixture in this Arsenal team.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base.