Arsenal defeat Watford 1-3 for first victory of the season: Five takeaways

Arsenal secured the club’s first victory of the season away to Watford with many positives to take away from the match

Arsenal picked up its first win of the season with a 1-3 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road. The three points were just what was needed to calm the nerves of the Gunners’ angst ridden fan. After losing at home to Liverpool and drawing at Leicester the pressure was on the players to come away with a victory.

Arsenal dominated the first half and headed in to the break with a three goal lead. They appeared to sit back a bit more in the second period and allowed Watford to get back in the game with a 57^th minute goal. That was the end of the scoring, however, and Arsenal held on for the win.

There were many positive signs from Arsenal’s performance at Watford. Here is a look at five takeaways:

Rob Holding looks like the real deal

The signing of defender Rob Holding from Bolton in July was hardly the glamour acquisition that supporters had been craving. The overall reaction seemed to be the question who is Rob Holding?

In just his third appearance in the Premier League, the 20-year-old completed 100% of his 29 first half passes. Playing alongside Laurent Koscielny, Holding looked confident and more than held his own at the center of Arsenal’s defense.

With the arrival of Shkodran Mustafi, it is unclear how much playing time Holding will get. However, it’s evident that he has the ability and confidence to grow in to a solid defender.

Santi Cazorla is like a new signing

Cazorla has always been a spark plug in Arsenal’s midfield. Unfortunately he was sidelined with severe ligament damage following a 1-1 draw with Norwich in November of 2015. He did not play again until Arsenal’s final game of the season versus Aston Villa in May.

Now back and healthy Cazorla is showing Arsenal fans what they’ve been missing. His free kicks are wonders to behold and seeing his ability to shoot accurately with either foot is quite impressive.

After Alexis Sanchez was fouled by Watford’s Nordin Amrabat in the box it was Cazorla who took the awarded penalty shot. He coolly slotted the ball down the center giving Arsenal the early lead. Cazorla finished the match with an impressive 92 percent pass completion rate.

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez shone

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez proved that they are indeed world-class. The two were at the heart of most of Arsenal’s creativity.

Ozil’s pass to Sanchez in the eighth minute led to Amrabat’s challenge on the Chilean and the ensuing penalty. The two combined again superbly in first half stoppage time when Ozil sprinted in to the box and headed home a perfectly timed Sanchez pass.

Granit Xhaka provides some of the grit that Arsenal have been lacking

New signing Granit Xhaka showed why Arsene Wenger splashed the cash to sign the defensive midfielder. He made a number of long-range passes with precise accuracy and put in a top-notch defensive performance.

Xhaka is still settling in with Arsenal and his new teammates. In just his third appearance in a league match Xhaka played the full 90 minutes and gave the fans a look at what he’ll bring to the team.

The season is long and there’s no need to panic in August

After losing the season opener to Liverpool and drawing away to Leicester, it seemed some fans and pundits were already writing Arsenal off.

In the first half versus Watford, Arsenal put in a dominating performance and pretty much had the game won by half time.

With players such as Ozil, Sanchez and Giroud just getting off the mark and new signings Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi yet to train with their new teammates it’s ridiculous to become anxiety ridden before the calendar hits September.

The Premier League season is a marathon and a not a sprint.

Home/Arsenal FC

Arsenal defeat Watford: Five takeaways

By Jocelyn Taub | Aug 28, 2016