After Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for Arsenal in the second half against Galatasaray, the Gunners were already 4-0 up and in little danger of throwing away the win. Even so, we didn’t want to lose any more goals so I was surprised that Wenger took Alexis and Chamberlain off rather than Ozil and Cazorla.
But it worked alright for Arsenal, mainly because of how Danny Welbeck has started to give the Gunners different options. We know that Arsenal have the players to pick a pass but often we have lost it under pressure and that is where we come unstuck.
The pace and movement of Welbeck up front, however, gives the likes of Ozil and Cazorla a decent target and our opponents have a big problem pushing forward. You can bet that Jose Mourinho and Chelsea will be thinking about it in the run up to Sunday’s Premier League game.
And now that Danny boy is proving his critics wrong and showing a striker’s sharpness in front of goal, those balls behind the back are a seriopus danger. His hat-trick against the Turks will give him confidence and give his team mates belief in him as well. His passion and drive also gets those around him going and when we start to get going, Arsenal can be impossible to live with.
It is a bit premature this early in his career, but Welbeck is looking like one of the best transfer moves Arsene Wenger has made in years.