Arsenal cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Swedish minnows Ostersunds FK in their Europa League last-32 first-leg tie on Thursday night, as goals from Nacho Monreal, Mesut Ozil and an own goal handed the Gunners a major advantage for the return leg at the Emirates Stadium next week.
Tom Pettersson missed a late penalty for the home side, but they will head to north London with a gargantuan mountain to climb, and you have to feel that Arsene Wenger's side have secured a last-16 place.
Here are four talking points from the match:
1. Wenger Going All Out For Europa League Win
It’s obvious to see that Arsene Wenger wants to win the UEFA Europa League. The veteran Frenchman fielded a strong side in Arsenal’s win over Ostersunds FK, and it is apparent that he wants to ultimately emulate Jose Mourinho’s heroics of last season by winning this competition, and earning a qualification place in the Champions League.
With a top-four spot in the Premier League looking unlikely, Wenger is putting all his eggs in a Europa League-style basket, and while he is unable to unleash new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the competition, he fielded a side awash with international caps against a side that only came into existence in 1996
Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were two of the star names unleashed by Wenger, and with the second leg of this last-32 tie coming three days before the Carabao Cup final with Manchester City, then it was apparent Wenger wanted to secure the Gunners’ path into the last-16, and expect the French boss to continue to go out all guns blazing in the Europa League, as they get to the business end of the competition.
2. Ostersunds FK Will Rue Slow Start
Graham Potter has launched into the limelight this season, as the English boss has masterminded Ostersunds FK’s progression into the Europa League knockout stages, but he will rue his side’s start to their defeat to Arsenal, as they gifted the Gunners a two-goal lead before they decided to take the game to their heavyweight visitors.
Arsenal’s fragility is often the subject of criticism, but the Gunners weren’t tested by their Swedish hosts in the first 30 minutes of the game, as they cruised into a comfortable lead, but having had their first notable attack around the half-hour mark, the Swedish minnows showed that they could cause problems, with Saman Ghoddos especially highlighting his abilities with an action-packed display.
Ostersunds FK’s players froze on the big occasion. They were happy to sit back and let the Gunners pass the ball around with ease, and shocking defensive mistakes for Arsenal’s first-half goals epitomised the first third of the game for the hosts, and Potter will look back on tonight’s tie wishing he could send his players out with a venom to take the game to their Premier League adversaries
3. Welbeck Lacking Confidence For Gunners
Danny Welbeck will eye this competition as his route back into the starting XI on a regular basis, but the England international will head back to north London a dejected figure after struggling to fire all evening in Sweden.
With Aubameyang ineligible to play, Alexandre Lacazette out for several weeks, and Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud having left for pastures new then it’s Welbeck’s chance to try and propel himself back into the limelight, but the former Manchester United frontman struggled to find the right touches throughout the night, and often chose the wrong option.
His radar was well and truly off in the first half, as his shots were seeing the crowd duck for cover, while his match sharpness all evening was rusty to put it politely, and often found himself unable to deliver that killer pass.
Yes, he lacks game time, and he will continue to struggle for a starting berth with Wenger’s new recruits, but against a low level side tonight was Welbeck’s chance to show he can still be a key attacking figure for the Gunners, but his second half display was not much better than his first, and he exited the game with ten minutes to go, and will not be looking back at tonight fondly.
4. Ghoddos One To Watch At World Cup
Little was known about Ostersunds FK’s squad across Europe before their epic Europa League journey, but Saman Ghoddos they have a player that could use the Swedish club as a springboard to bigger and better things later in his career.
The 24-year-old has already played international football for Sweden, but has switched his allegiances to Iran, and he could be an integral player for that nation at the upcoming World Cup in Russia, and he showed tonight that he could be a star of the future, as he was the shining beacon in Graham Potter’s side.
An attacking threat throughout the game, Ghoddos forced David Ospina into a smart save in the first-half with a 20-yard shot, while his workrate saw him collecting the ball in midfield and trying to push his teammates forward, as the hosts tried to get a goal on the night.
His class on the ball was apparent, while his willingness to create is sure to jump out at managers around the globe, and he could well enhance his reputation further this summer with a fine World Cup campaign.
