Three things we learnt from Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Southampton

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Arsenal Can Win Games From The Bench

One of the many criticisms levelled at Arsenal over the last decade is that their squad lacks the depth of other title rivals. This is no longer the case. Arsene Wenger had Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, Alex Iwobi, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud sat next to him on the sidelines yesterday, and it was Giroud who won the match-winning penalty. Compare and contrast those options with Arsenal’s bench in their 0-0 draw with Southampton in February which contained Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker, Francis Coquelin and Calum Chambers, with only Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain viable attacking options.

The Gunners are famous for their ‘gallant failures’, where they come close to a memorable comeback or great win but don’t quite find the resources land a decisive blow in the closing stages. A lot of that is due to a lack of options on the bench. Wenger, injuries permitting, now has established substitutes to call upon who can make a real impact on matches. With so many choices to make however, Wenger’s biggest challenge will be ensuring he picks the right team in the first place.