Arsenal brushed Bulgarian champions Ludogorets aside 6-0 in the Champions League, displaying both remarkable depth and sparkling form in their performance.
Ludogorets, Bulgarian champions or not, were undoubtedly the unfancied minnows of Arsenal’s Champions League group. However, it is a testament to Arsenal’s current form that they cantered to a 6-0 victory.
The Bulgarian side drew 1-1 in their first game to Basel, and, while they lost to Paris Saint-Germain, they did score in the 3-1 defeat. The general consensus in both games was that they had created chances, and could have earned more points than they did – particularly against Basel.
However, while they did fashion some chances against the Gunners, they were completely and utterly blown away by an in-form team for whom everything is seeming to click at the moment.
Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott scored magnificent goals, Oxlade-Chamberlain proved a point on a personal note with his goal, and Ozil registered a first-ever career hat-trick. The German’s quality in the final third was plain for all to see, and the goals he is adding to his game show improvement from an already top-class player.
All this was done despite several alterations to the first-team line-up. David Ospina replaced Petr Cech, as he has done in the cup competitions this season, but there were more outfield changes as well. Kieran Gibbs came in at left-back for Nacho Monreal, Oxlade-Chamberlain started over Alex Iwobi, and Francis Coquelin made a return to central midfield, despite the availability of Granit Xhaka.
Even PSG named a full-strength line-up against Ludogorets, but such was Arsene Wenger’s confidence in his squad that he felt comfortable rotating in a group where it is likely to be very tight at the top between them and the French champions.
With Arsenal in such cruise control an hour into the game, Wenger was even able to make some early substitutions, giving Santi Cazorla and Walcott some rest, while handing squad players Mohamed Elneny and Lucas Perez valuable game time. Both impressed, with the latter setting up Ozil for his second of the night.
Especially impressive was Oxlade-Chamberlain, who swept home Arsenal’s third and was a constant threat, making a point after seemingly losing his place permanently to youngster Iwobi.
Factor in the returns of Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey – not to mention that Danny Welbeck and Per Mertesacker are still recovering – and the Arsenal squad looks very deep indeed.
All in all, a wonderful night for the Gunners, who now stretch their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions. If Arsenal can display this kind of form consistently and rely on this level of strength in depth throughout the season, they can achieve far more than many might expect from them.
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