Ian Wright: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger finally got tactics right against Chelsea… and a future without Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil does not look so bleak
HOW refreshing was it to see an Arsenal side look as organised, determined and passionate as they were at Chelsea.
I have been laying into my old club quite a bit of late — with good reason.
So it is a real pleasure to be able to talk about Arsene Wenger and the players getting it absolutely right.
I would implore Arsene to adopt the same shape and tactics for all our away matches against the ‘Big Six’.
Arsenal were far more disciplined in defence, with Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny playing off each other superbly — and Nacho Monreal slotting in well alongside them.
When you’ve got Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin bursting down the flanks, it allows Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka to sit deeper and not get isolated, like against Liverpool.
I feel for Ramsey, because he is so good at making his late runs into the box and he almost scored with his one chance at Stamford Bridge.
But there will be plenty of games when he can make those runs.
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Away games against top sides simply demand a different approach. Arsenal fans are actually not that hard to please.
If they see eleven players working their nuts off, and playing their hearts out for the shirt, they will really get behind the team.
And, like me, they were delighted to see the Gunners play with real fire in their bellies against one of the best sides in the country.
There wasn’t much Arsenal optimism before Sunday’s game, especially after the shambolic 4-0 defeat at Liverpool.
Add in the fact that we had been battered in our last five matches at Stamford Bridge — shipping 15 goals — and I definitely wouldn’t have been alone in fearing the worst.
But this could not have been more different to that Liverpool horror show.
Every single player put in a huge shift to earn a richly-deserved draw, including Alex Iwobi, who came in for some unfair criticism in my opinion.
He did a real job for the team.
I also loved Ramsey’s post-match interview, listening to him talk about the togetherness and team spirit, with everyone fighting for each other.
We want that every week.
And if it was a glimpse of a future without Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, then maybe it is not such cause for gloom and doom.
Everyone knows how highly I rate Sanchez and I’d like to see him play as much as possible before moving on.
But you do wonder if he is a luxury you cannot afford in games like the ones against Liverpool and Chelsea.
And I’m not just saying this because of their goalless draw at the Bridge — I’ve thought this way for a while.
Sanchez will get you wonder goals, like he did against Cologne in the Europa League, but he does lose the ball a lot when he cuts inside.
And that can spell real trouble. You can get away with it against most teams and, like I said, the good far outweighs the bad stuff with Sanchez.
But the top teams will punish you, especially if the midfield men have pushed up to support him.
It takes them out of the game and makes them look bad — even though it may not be entirely their fault.
The image of Sanchez throwing his arms up in the air after losing possession, and leaving four or five players chasing back like mad men, is one we can all picture.
This isn’t having a pop at Sanchez. The Chilean is a great player and real match-winner.
But he’s going to be out of the door soon — and we have to deal with that.
It’s a pity Danny Welbeck suffered what looks another bad injury because him and Alexandre Lacazette were starting to build a good understanding.
But if Arsenal play with the same guts, character and belief that we saw against Chelsea, maybe the future is not as bleak as we feared.
Laur says high kick you're off
THE Chelsea game threw up a big talking point.
David Luiz caught Laurent Koscielny in the face with an overhead kick and got booked — so was it a straight red or not?
This seems to have become a bit of a grey area, with people arguing about whether it is any different to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane going in on Ederson with his foot raised and getting sent off.
Cameron Jerome had a goal disallowed last season because his overhead kick was ruled to be dangerous and a year ago Koscielny scored with a spectacular overheader himself against Saints.
Look, the laws state overhead kicks are fine if they are “not dangerous to an opponent”.
If you catch someone smack in the face, then it must be dangerous. End of story. Show the red card, and move on.
Wayne is a worldie
I wanted Wayne to do well but I wasn’t nervous for him because he is someone who takes things in his stride.
I thought his performance was exceptional.
His ball retention and link-up play were really good and if David De Gea had not pulled off a fantastic save he would have scored, too.
It was good that Everton boss Ronald Koeman took him off when he did because Wayne deserved the ovation he got from the Old Trafford crowd.
They appreciate what he did for them.
Koeman needs to start getting a few more things right, though, because it is alarming to see the way his team are conceding so many goals.
The players do not seem to be responding to him and he has to change that perception — fast.
Everton have four home games on the trot now and they have to make the most of them to ease fans’ concerns.
