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Intensity and pressure: How Mikel Arteta's Arsenal plan worked to spectacular effect in Norwich rout

Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to his players - GETTY IMAGES
Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to his players - GETTY IMAGES

Just in case the message was not clear enough, Mikel Arteta would deliver it in a second language. And then a third. “Press,” he screamed at Reiss Nelson. “Va,” he yelled in Spanish at Dani Ceballos and Hector Bellerín. “Allez,” he said to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Three languages, one instruction: get after Norwich City, chase them down, pressurise the ball. And for the second time in two Premier League games, Arteta’s plan worked to spectacular effect. Just as Eddie Nketiah had stolen the ball from Southampton’s goalkeeper to score Arsenal’s opener at St Mary’s last week, Aubameyang did the same against Norwich’s Tim Krul here.

When it happens once, it can be put down to luck. When it happens twice, in back-to-back Premier League games, it is clearly part of Arteta’s multilingual strategy. It was the moment that gave Arsenal the breakthrough at the Emirates and they did not look back from there. Four minutes after Aubameyang had picked Krul’s pocket, he set up Granit Xhaka to slam in Arsenal’s second.

On a day of encouraging off-field news, with Bukayo Saka finally committing to a new contract, this was as pleasing a result as Arsenal could have hoped for. Aubameyang struck again in the second half and there was even a debut goal for full-back Cedric Soares, slamming a firm shot into the corner just minutes after coming off the bench.

Aubameyang’s brace took him beyond the 50-goal mark in the Premier League. The sooner he signs a new contract, the better for the club and Arteta. “Hopefully he will score another 100,” said Arsenal’s coach. “What he has achieved says everything about his mentality and the way he works. Hopefully we can keep him here for a longer period.”

That’s three wins in a row for Arsenal, now up to seventh in the Premier League table, and four league defeats in a row for Norwich. Their relegation looks more inevitable by the minute and Daniel Farke’s rage was obvious as early as the 10th minute, when he screamed at his players to be more “aggressive”. He then hooked three of his players, including top scorer Teemu Pukki, at half-time.

Granit Xhaka fires past Tim Krul - GETTY IMAGES
Granit Xhaka fires past Tim Krul - GETTY IMAGES

“We know we have to be at our best level to win against the best teams in the league,” said Farke. “Once you make mistakes at key moments in the game, the other teams have the quality to punish us.”

In a behind-closed-doors setting, it was instructive to hear the clarity of Arteta’s touchline orders. No player received as much coaching as Ceballos, who looked every inch the Real Madrid player he is in a first half full of flourishes and flicks. It was a reminder of Ceballos’ home debut here, against Burnley in August, and another match that demonstrated his supreme technical quality.

How Norwich must crave a midfielder of the Spaniard’s guile and creativity, or a pressing game as intensive and effective as Arsenal’s. Farke’s side struck the post through Ben Godfrey when the scores were level but they were otherwise outclassed yet again.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finds the back of the net - REUTERS
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finds the back of the net - REUTERS

Krul’s error allowed Aubameyang to score the first, before Xhaka struck his first goal of the campaign just a few minutes later. After the break Norwich were better, for a while, until Aubameyang punished Josip Drmic’s error (another mistake forced by Arsenal’s pressing) and Cedric’s deflected effort flew into the bottom corner.

Cedric had not featured since joining on loan from Southampton in January but, making his debut just a few days after agreeing a permanent deal, he looked sharp. A fine day for him and a pleasing day for Arsenal.