You are here
Home > Arsenal > Odegaard and Saka Dazzle as Two Others Disappoint: Here is How Arsenal Players Fared Against Watford

Odegaard and Saka Dazzle as Two Others Disappoint: Here is How Arsenal Players Fared Against Watford

by Kunal Chawda -
Arsenal vs Watford

Arsenal continued their impressive winning run, this time at the expense of Watford FC. The Arsenal player ratings reveal how each individual performed and how concrete was the Gunner performance. Goals from Odegaard, Saka, and Martinelli were enough to hold off the Hornets at Vicarage Road. Opponents made the match interesting with the help of Moussa Sissoko and Cucho Hernandez’s goals, but Arsenal managed to snatch all three points at the final whistle.

It was an evenly matched encounter between the two teams. Hornets showed great fighting spirit to get out from the relegation zone. Arsenal were also pumped up for the possible 4th spot in the table. While the visitors’ dreams were fulfilled, hosts will have some tough roads ahead to stay in the top flight.

The important match started on a high note, with an offside goal in the very first minute. Odegaard-Saka connected for a beautiful finish in the 5th minute, followed by a quick equalizer from the hosts. This all happened within the first 11 minutes of the match. In fact, the fans couldn’t settle down the entire match.

Saka doubled Arsenal’s score before halftime. Lacazette’s back-heel pass was well struck by the young Englishman as it found back of the net. This was his 8th goal of the season, 2nd highest for Arsenal this season.

The second half was also equally engaging as both sides were looking to get the hold of the match. Martinelli managed to get his name on the scoresheet with a long-range shot which doubled Arsenal’s lead. The match hit another level of excitement when Sissoko grabbed a powerful goal in the 87th minute. But Arsenal survived the 10 odd minutes against Watford and were victorious at the final whistle.

Gunners are finally in the 4th spot at end of match week. Arsenal now have 1 point advantage over Man Utd and West Ham. Also, the 3-2 scoreline helped Gunners to have a bit better “goal difference” and “goal forced” statistics this season. Now the brave Gunners can chase the 3rd spot in the table.

Arsenal Player Ratings Against Watford

Starting XI:

Aaron Ramsdale (GK) – 6.0: It was an uncharacteristically off-game for the young shot-stopper. Ball Distribution was a bit wavered and the positioning was also questionable on some occasions. Opponents had 7 shots on target out of 13 attempts, which was a heavy ask for Gunners keeper.

Cedric Soares (RB) – 5.5: Change of formation helped Cedric a bit. He had extra help on the wings and it allowed Cedric to move freely on right. But Soares needs to upgrade his game to keep fighting for his place in the team.

Ben White (CB) – 7.5: Proved to be the defensive spearhead for the team. Positioning and tackling were spot-on from the player. He kept his ground and defended well for the whole game. He did get wrong-footed and was unsuccessful in trying to cover Sissoko’s shot.

Gabriel, Martinelli, positives for Arsenal,
Image obtained via skysports.com

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) – 6.5: The Brazilian tends to lose possession easily which he did again in the game. But he did make some important interceptions to help the team defensively.

Kieran Tierney (LB) – 6.5:Β Again seemed confused with his role in the game. Moving to 4-3-3 formation should have helped the Scot but Xhaka’s positioning was not helping Tierney to make any constructive move.

Midfield and Attack :

Thomas Partey (CM) – 8.5:Β When you think the best cover for the defense line, it could be Partey for sure. He was at the center of Arteta’s changed system and was responsible for the team’s movements. He detected the game well.Β 

Granit Xhaka (CM) – 6.0:Β The connection with defense and offence was missing on the left wing. He was more focused on defense than offence, which kept the left-side attack relatively quiet in the game. His mistake led to Watford’s second goal. If he doesn’t improve, either he will have to lose his place in the Arsenal first team, with Arsenal looking at options to bring in in the summer.

Martin Odegaard (CM) – 9.0: He moved to a right-wing position in a change of formation, but the quality delivered was still top class. He finished off a beautiful move and also was lively in the game. He has been the focal point, making Arsenal’s final third tick.

Gabriel Martinelli (LAM) – 6.0: He got a goal in the game, but didn’t give his regular explosive performance. He showed some good movements off the ball.

Bukayo Saka (RAM) – 8.5: Saka was aΒ live-wire throughout the match. His dribbling, pace, and runs did trouble opponents a lot. There was a certain goal for the brave young gunner for such performance.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) – 7.0:Β Laca was again rewarded with 2 assists in the game as he proved to be a vital front-man for the team. Though he didn’t score, he kept the opponent’s defense on their toes and allowed wingers to make goal-ward runs.

Lacazette, January transfer window
Image obtained via metro.co.uk

Substitutes Arsenal vs Watford:

Nicolas Pepe (7.5): Pepe has been a regular sub with the potential of getting a starting role. Pepe did his best and we might see him rewarded with a possible front-man role.

Read More:

Eddie Nketiah (6.5):Β The youngster has a good knack for impacting a game within a short period of time. He stuck the woodwork on one occasion and also made some good runs.

Rob Holding (NA):Β He came on too late as a defensive option in the game.

Do you agree with the given player ratings for the Arsenal vs Watford game? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.

Follow AD for theΒ Latest Arsenal Matchday Updates.

Kunal Chawda

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Top