This is not so much a lesson learned as it is a ‘let’s see what happens next.’ Joel Campbell has been oozing quality since taking over first team duties. He has proven that he can indeed strike up a career at Arsenal, which has been his goal all along. Despite all the opportunities that he had to leave, he stayed at Arsenal and we are seeing why.
Campbell has been incredibly consistent and composed. However, against Aston Villa, he was not. He was still a threat at times, but his measly 20 touches, 68% pass completion, one key pass, zero shots and one tackle remind us that the quality we have been seeing is not set in stone yet. Again, it was not an awful game by any means. It just felt like it was a game that he was not going to have a big part of. And that is part of the benefit of being on the wing. You can fade in and out without any huge detriment to the team.
This is a big time for Joel Campbell. I tend to think that he is not going to have the longest leash at Arsenal so he needs to bounce back. We have seen him playing with a lot of confidence, but that confidence will be shaken after his first bad outing. It is up to him to pull himself up and strike back before the Ox can prove himself superior.
Which leads us to our next lesson learned. About a guy who did not even play.

Arsenal’s All-Time Starting XI</a></p>
<p>However, just like Sunderland, Arsenal still managed to win and win convincingly.</p>
<p>The fact that a beaten and bruised Arsenal is learning to win tough games that they would have lost just last year is a huge testament to the quality that this team is starting to find. It looked like it was the same old Arsenal when they were dropping points after establishing leads like Norwich and West Brom but suddenly those two fixtures have been evened out with two rather ugly matches in Sunderland and Aston Villa. Both of which ended in wins.<div class="related-category right">
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<p>Don’t forget how many injuries Arsenal is dealing with. Had you said in the summer that by the time Christmas hit, Arsenal would be starting Joel Campbell and Mathieu Flamini, I don’t think the first thought would have been ‘yes, we’re challenging for a title.’ But that is exactly what Arsenal is doing through missing Coquelin long-term, Cazorla long-term and Alexis Sanchez short-term.</p>
<p>Arsenal is improving. A lot of it has to do with Petr Cech being able to command the back, but you can’t even attribute it all to that. Players are stepping up where normally it would have seemed impossible. Against Aston Villa, Arsenal proved it yet again. And in the process, we learned/re-learned some important lessons. Here are those five things, starting with a bit about our young Costa Rican, Joel Campbell.</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:34px;">5. Campbell’s quality isn’t set in stone just yet</h3>
<p>This is not so much a lesson learned as it is a ‘let’s see what happens next.’ Joel Campbell has been oozing quality since taking over first team duties. He has proven that he can indeed strike up a career at Arsenal, which has been his goal all along. Despite all the opportunities that he had to leave, he stayed at Arsenal and we are seeing why.<div class="recent-posts ">
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<p>Campbell has been incredibly consistent and composed. However, against Aston Villa, he was not. He was still a threat at times, but his measly 20 touches, 68% pass completion, one key pass, zero shots and one tackle remind us that the quality we have been seeing is not set in stone yet. Again, it was not an awful game by any means. It just felt like it was a game that he was not going to have a big part of. And that is part of the benefit of being on the wing. You can fade in and out without any huge detriment to the team.</p>
<p>This is a big time for Joel Campbell. I tend to think that he is not going to have the longest leash at Arsenal so he needs to bounce back. We have seen him playing with a lot of confidence, but that confidence will be shaken after his first bad outing. It is up to him to pull himself up and strike back before the Ox can prove himself superior.</p>
<p>Which leads us to our next lesson learned. About a guy who did not even play.</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:34px;">4. Arsenal need Alexis</h3>
<p>I honestly do count this as a lesson learned. Arsenal has been doing perfectly fine since the Chilean got hurt. They may not be excelling, but they are pulling out results. Guys like Campbell and Walcott have been stepping in to bridge the gap that the Chilean left. And it is a huge testament to the team to even be saying that after three matches without him, we are finally hurting for him.</p>
<p>The Aston Villa match just had the feel of a game that could have been dominated by Alexis. Aaron Ramsey picked up a lot of the slack to drive the team and Mesut Ozil was dominant again, but Arsenal did not have any real consistent threat from the wings. Walcott’s contributions came and went and Campbell was not effective. Suddenly we were reminded that Alexis will be back soon.</p>
<p>Having Alexis on the pitch adds a whole new angle for the attack. Ozil, Ramsey, Giroud- they pierce from the middle. They attack head on. Alexis comes from the sides. We saw very little effective attacks coming in from the sides. Alexis would have made that difference.</p>
<p>Onward to the man that would normally sit behind Alexis Sanchez.</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:34px;">3. Nacho Monreal is a difference-maker</h3>
<p>Nacho Monreal has always been subtle, yet incredibly effective. Since rising up the ranks, overtaking Kieran Gibbs and assuming the role of first-team left back, Monreal has not looked back. Even when I was griping for Gibbs to be restored to his place as starter, I still had to praise the consistency of Monreal. He always went out there and took care of business.<div class="recent-posts ">
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<p>Against Aston Villa, when Arsenal was looking rather shaky at the back, Monreal became a difference maker. That is not really a position that can rise to the call of being a ‘difference maker’, unless your name is David Alaba. But that is exactly what Monreal became.</p>
<p>His statistics are not necessarily eye-popping – three tackles and four clearances – but he was a rock back there. I saw multiple occasions of Koscielny, Mertesacker and Bellerin looking shaky and unsure. They were giving the ball away. But not Monreal. Monreal was Arsenal’s rock from the left side.</p>
<p>On to lesson number two, since we are speaking of being ‘quietly effective’.</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:34px;">2. Mathieu Flamini is quietly growing into his role</h3>
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<p>The only thing I find myself asking Flamini to do is to not completely flub up. He is not going to be as effective as Coquelin. The next best thing is to just hold steady and don’t do anything crazy. Flamini has been doing that incredibly well. Since taking over for Coquelin, Flamini has not been a liability in any match. He has actually been very effective. Against Norwich he was one of the few Gunners to have a good game, including throwing up a 97% pass completion.</p>
<p>He is averaging over two tackles and two interceptions a game since taking over first-team duties and you have to be pleased with that. They have not been the most dastardly opponents, but look at what he did against Olympiakos as well. Two tackles, a team-high five interceptions, three clearances and three aerials won. That is a really good day at the office.</p>
<p>Flamini is not going to overtake Coquelin or anything crazy like that. But think about how long it can take to settle into first-team duties. Flamini has seamlessly assumed the same duties from Coquelin and there has been very little crying for Coquelin’s imminent return.</p>
<p>And finally, a very important lesson that I have been preaching for awhile.</p>
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<h3 style="font-size:34px;">1. 2013/14 Aaron Ramsey was no fluke</h3>
<p>I really don’t like to toot my own horn. I don’t. I did it for Joel Campbell and I did it for Olivier Giroud. Please excuse me as I do it one more time for Aaron Ramsey.</p>
<p>The Welshman was superb against Aston Villa. He overcame a shaky start and became Arsenal’s prime threat going forward, right to the final whistle. Since being healthy enough to go the full ninety, Ramsey has played three full matches, scoring two goals and assisting on two goals. That sounds just like 2013/14 Ramsey.</p>
<p>Small sample size, you say? Nay! It really is not a small sample size. Ramsey, when played centrally last year, was just as effective, the goals just were not falling yet. They started to fall but then he got hurt and was moved out wide when he came back. His form dipped at the new position and suddenly everyone is harping that 2013/14 was a fluke. Crazy talk. Ramsey has been at the same level since his breakout 2013/14 season. He just has to be played centrally. When in the middle of the pitch, he is elite. No questions asked.</p>
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