Firstly, what many fans or general viewers of the game will have noticed is that Arsene Wenger rested a lot of key players such as star man Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and more, in order to let them prepare for the next Premier League fixtures in order to improve League form. In their place, the Gunners boss introduced some new faces from the U21’s which included the well knowm Gedion Zelalem, Chuba Akpom and Hector Bellerin. Other lesser known future protégés in the squad included: Stefan O’Connor, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alex Iwobi of which three featured from the bench – whilst Bellerin started in the back four. Alongside these new young guns were Mathieu Debuchy (returning from a lengthy injury absence), Joel Campbell (who has struggled to get regular first team action) and Yaya Sanogo (who got his first Arsenal goal against Dortmund in the last round of fixtures). This would seem to illustrate Wenger’s desire to merge the most capable youngsters into the first team squad to further develop them into potential key players for Arsenal FC.
Another question that could be raised from Arsenal’s performance on the night is why Lukas Podolski is getting limited time on the pitch, especially from the start of games as he proves his abilities when he gets the opportunity – in particularly his quality in front of goal. Podolski scored two goals against the Turkish club, one of which was a belter from a tight angle that other players may have made it easier for the keeper to save. His second goal showed another side to his game with a calm and composed finish with his weaker foot whilst under pressure from defenders. Other than Alexis Sanchez the North London club has found a consistent scorer up front to turn half chances into goals and it appears that Podolski could be the man. He has always proved he is a world class finisher with a respectable goal return most seasons, so why is Arsene Wenger ever reluctant to play him? We shall certainly find out in the coming weeks.
Furthermore, we saw a major glimpse last night of Aaron Ramsey’s form from last season netting two superb yet differing goals – one being a screamer 30 yards out with his weaker foot which was certainly awfully difficult to take, and the other (his first) being a calmly slotted finish from close range – again with his weaker foot, into the bottom corner. Fans and pundits alike have questioned Ramsey’s ability to reach the searing heights of last season after a frustrating injury setback with Paul Merson stating ‘’He’s trying too hard’’, ‘’He thinks he has to score to keep his place in the team’’ of which popular Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp agreed. However, last night showed that he can still add to his goal tally from midfield by making his focused runs into gaps in and around the penalty area. The midfield has more often than not been an area of the pitch where the reds struggle to score many from.
In addition, results like this make it hard for Arsenal fans to decide whether they are for Wenger or against him, because in the Champions League to go away from home to a top European side such as Galatasaray and win in such as manner is rare and shows potential to compete with the best teams in any competition they go into. Strikers scored, midfielders scored and the defence only conceded one goal, which was a thunderous costless-kick from none other than the Dutchman Wesley Sneijder. Despite the youth in the side they looked a lot more solid in defence – of course with nervy moments in between but they had the fight to battle themselves out of those situation. Overall many positive signs that this team can take large strides to challenge for some silverware this season from the players that featured. This is alongside the knowledgethat many of the big guns were rested who will also be contributing massively for the rest of the season.
Lastly, one thing that has got Arsenal across the Champions League qualification line into the top four is the determination and grit of the team which they had to show at times last night as Galatasaray pushed for goals against an off form defence who battled to prevent chances being converted. For Arsenal it has got harder and harder to be successful with the passing football that Wenger loves to instil into his players. The physical nature of the Premier League is increasing and competitiveness is at an all time high which means that the Gunners have to work hard in games to compete and achieve victory. This persistence in determination could be a key factor in the success of this team.