Winners and Losers: West Brom (a)

Now that’s more like it! In the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Arsenal absolutely demolished West Brom, leaving The Hawthorns with a 6-0 win. After a grim opening to the 2021-22 season including two league defeats, the Gunners ran riot. For everyone at the club, it was a much-needed result. Although the odds of another one against City this weekend are rather low, at least Arsenal enter the match with a little more confidence. Below are three winners and three losers from an absolutely rampant victory.

Winners

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

More than most others on the team, the club captain has had a start to forget this season. Between failing to score in preseason, Arteta not denying that he may be declining, and being infected with coronavirus ahead of the curtain-raiser at Brentford, Aubameyang has had it rough recently. Before Wednesday’s match, some Arsenal supporters were happy to hear that City were interested in the Gabonese striker’s services. But Aubameyang was practically perfect against West Brom. He frequently made smart runs and this intelligent movement contributed crucially to a much-deserved hat trick. He also notched an assist for his trouble. If Arsenal are to have any hope of a successful season, Aubameyang needs to be firing on all cylinders. On Wednesday, he showed he’s still capable of that.

Martin Odegaard

A victim of not exactly being a new signing, Odegaard’s reception when he returned to Arsenal was not entirely welcoming. But the young Norwegian maestro showed why the club reportedly made him their top priority in this summer’s transfer window. He was silky as can be, taking advantage of the level of the opposition with flicks, half-turns, and smart passing. His crowning achievement on Wednesday night was an assist for Bukayo Saka’s goal. Odegaard beautifully slid the ball through West Brom’s defense with a cross-legged pass, teeing Saka up for a 1-on-1 with the keeper which the young Englishman finished with aplomb. With skill like that and hair that is honestly better than James Maddison’s, Odegaard is reminding Gooners how lovely it is to have him back.

Aaron Ramsdale

Ramsdale is unfortunately another signing who was harshly judged before even throwing on the shirt this summer. The young English keeper, who had to limit comments on his Instagram after people who call themselves Arsenal supporters abused him, debuted for the club on Wednesday night. And he was rather impressive. He was a calming presence behind the back four and commanded the box when he needed to. Ramsdale also was assured when passing out from the back, with one pass he bulleted into Odegaard’s feet being the piece de resistance. With a clean sheet and an encouraging exhibition with the ball at his feet in his first appearance, Ramsdale has quickly staked a strong claim to become Arsenal’s No. 1 keeper in the near future.

Losers

Calum Chambers

Chambers’ performance against West Brom’s second-string team went a long way toward vindicating those who thought Nuno Tavares had been selected as right-back for the match. Against a Championship side that had completely changed its lineup from its previous match, the Arsenal defender found a way to look outmatched. He was suspect defensively and beaten soundly on multiple occasions. He gave the ball away needlessly. He repeatedly failed to play the early ball up the flank, even though Arsenal’s front line spent the evening making excellent runs in behind. The need for a proper right-back at Arsenal is obvious for all to see; the only thing more obvious is that Chambers is not the man to solve that problem.

Mohamed Elneny

For the first half of the match, Elneny looked below the level of the opposition. He misplaced easy passes and found himself overrun by West Brom’s backup midfielders. Despite a more stable second half, the Egyptian’s performance was concerning and demonstrates why Albert Sambi Lokonga so quickly overtook him in Arsenal’s midfield pecking order. If Elneny can’t even convincingly provide control in these circumstances, he is unlikely to be at the level required to help take the club forward.

Rob Holding

With Ben White and Gabriel out and Pablo Mari floundering for all to see, it was hoped that Holding would be able to step in and reinforce Arsenal’s back line. He did not succeed in doing so against Chelsea, but that is understandable. However, it’s less forgivable that he struggled at times against West Brom at The Hawthorns. Holding simply was unable to adequately pass out from the back against likely the least challenging opposition Arsenal will face all season. He was also involved in defensive sequences that were downright comedic. At a time when Arsenal are likely without White and Gabriel until after the international break, the English center-back’s panic-inducing lack of quality begs the question of whether the club need to dip into the market once more for a backup who won’t jeopardize every match they play in.

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