It would have been easy to give up on winning Group A; I did. Our starting lineup featured Ozil and Sanchez for firepower and Koscielny for defensive stability, but we also had Holding, Perez, and Gabriel (as right back again) on the pitch. Ramsey and Xhaka anchored the midfield, showing a commitment towards getting forward. Iwobi was in front of Gibbs on the left, which can be problematic. Ospina in goal, as usual for ECL.
And it worked. It wasn't flawless, and there were moments of danger from Basel. But two lovely flowing moves featuring great passes to Gibbs resulted in two first half assists for Gibbs and two goals for Lucas Perez, the man in the right place at the right time. Two early second half goals sealed the deal, the first for a Lucas hat trick and the second for Iwobi's first ECL goal. After that, we always looked the more likely to score. Alexis rattled the crossbar on a fine free kick, and there were other chances. But it was Basel's Doumbia who intercepted Holding trying to play out from the back and made a run, give and go, and finish worthy of Alexis to complete the scoring on the night.
Meanwhile Ludogorets never trailed and nearly won in Paris before a late di Maria goal earned PSG a point. I have no idea what happened to PSG; in the highlights, it seemed the defense was taking the night off. Whether it's an advantage or not to win the group will be revealed Monday when the knockout round draw occurs.
My impression of the performances:
Ospina did pretty well. He made a good save or two and grabbed the crosses he should have. He got fortunate a few times when the opponents could not put good chances on frame.
Gibbs was terrorizing Basel on the attack, but not, I thought, on defense. All in all, a decent performance.
Koscielny was solid. Fouled when it made sense, was strong in the air.
Holding looked really good. His giving the ball away for their goal was an aberration. This guy was a steal.
Gabriel did well out of position, but didn't look terribly comfortable. I wonder if Wenger sees him as his first choice at RB until Bellerin gets fit. I'm not convinced he's better than Jenko.
Ramsey was his typical energetic self, and I thought he had a very good game.
Xhaka did his usual thing too, breaking play up and occasionally unleashing perfect 60 yard passes to switch play.
Ozil seemed very motivated. He kept things clicking on offense.
Iwobi looked lost out there. Yes, he got a goal, and it was great to see the celebration. But his passing was not sharp, his decisions were not good, and his dribbles went nowhere. Ox would have had a field day.
Lucas's three goals make this a banner day for him, and he did work hard. But he seldom participated in the buildup the way he will be expected to once he is integrated into the team. I do love his strength and finishing ability, and expect him to be an important part of the team, but he is not there yet.
Alexis had another superb outing. He was everywhere, and made key passes as well as stealing the ball at key moments.
Giroud barely had a chance to register with viewers. By the time he came on, the action was mostly in our end of the pitch as Basel desperately tried to claw their way back into it. Walcott passed up the chance to put Gibbs in on goal and had his shot blocked; that was his contribution. Elneny got some polite applause from his former club's fans and performed well when he went on for Ozil.
The game was physical and I feared injuries, but I didn't see any for our guys. This should be a confidence booster after our last midweek game, the loss to Southampton. When a team is playing this well, they want to go from success to success, and anything less than a win should hurt. They have a good attitude now. There is competition at most positions. I get the sense that Ramsey could become more influential if he can force his way into the regular starting lineup, but something awful like a long term injury to Ozil may be the only way that happens. I do feel sorry for Giroud, who is made of iron and can play every game, but is relegated to the bench.
We host the pottery-spinning Orcs on Saturday, then go to Goodison Tuesday to play the flailing Toffees, and have a showdown at the Etihad the following Sunday. This is the time of year that breaks some smaller clubs who can't afford to carry large rosters. We should do well.
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