Five things we learned about Arsenal from their defeat of Ludogorets

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Arsenal defeated Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets 6-0 last night at the Emirates.

It may be rather easy to say that there is little we can glean from a game against humble Ludogorets, but the way in which Arsenal dispatched them so imperiously told us much about Arsene Wenger’s men.

Here are five things we learned from the 6-0 demolition in the Champions League clash at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

Ozil has changed his game

We already knew Mesut Ozil was an exceptional player but if there was ever one criticism that could be levelled against him, it would have been his shyness and lack of composure in front of goal.

However, having often passed or crossed when he could have shot in previous seasons, we saw the full extent of his new-found goalscoring prowess last night. Making the right runs and finishing with aplomb, Ozil has added a brilliant new element to his game.

Sanchez is Arsenal’s best striker

The mobility and fluidity that Alexis Sanchez gives the Gunners is unparalleled in the squad and he showed it again last night, both making his own runs and making space for others.

Six goals and five assists in 10 games this season is richly deserved and it is tricky to see a place for Olivier Giroud when he recovers from injury.

Wenger can trust his squad

Arsenal appear to have found their best XI at the start of this season, but you need more than a great XI to win anything. Wednesday night saw Wenger rest four players and bring on others later. It worked a treat, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lucas Perez seeing productive games as well as a strong showing from Kieran Gibbs.

Oxlade-Chamberlain will compete for his place

Injury trouble and lack of game time has seen Oxlade-Chamberlain’s stock plummet in recent times, but his showing at the Emirates was a glimmer of what he is capable of.

Creating, scoring and causing all sorts of trouble for defenders with his fleet footwork is exactly what we expect of him and last night he certainly delivered. If he keeps it up, he will be pushing for a starting berth.

Keep an eye on Mustafi and Koscielny

While they kept a clean sheet, there was cause for concern for Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi at the heart of the Arsenal defence last night. Much like against Swansea, they were breached far too easily at times in the first half and better players would have punished them. It has been a strong start for the fledgling pairing, but they are not infallible yet.