The Fifth Round of the FA Cup tied Arsenal against Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough side. Arsenal were tasked with a difficult challenge, as Karanka’s men were top of the Championship when they headed to the Emirates. Middlesbrough qualified when they claimed a meriting victory against Manchester City at the Eithad. Arsenal knew exactly what sort of challenge they were up against.
Arsenal advanced through to the Quarter Final of the FA Cup with a consummate victory, courtesy of two goals from Olivier Giroud. Arsene Wenger selected a strong side, wary of the threat of Middlesbrough, as he gave new January signing, Gabriel Paulista a debut start. Alexis was declared fit again, and he was in the starting XI alongside Giroud. Arsenal’s number 12 netted two goals in as many minutes, as Middlesbrough never really grasped a hold of the game. In a game where Santi Cazorla was named captain, he along with Özil stepped up to the plate and really asserted themselves, gaining a handful of plaudits in return. Wenger also gave Polish goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczensy a chance to show he’s ready to become Arsenal’s number one again. Szczesny kept a clean sheet, as Middlesbrough’s only real clear cut chance, came late on into the second half, where Kike’s header smashed the post. The FA Cup holders march on to the Quarter Finals.
1. Cazorla + Özil = Magic
Arsene Wenger named Santi Cazorla as captain against Middlesbrough, as Arteta (injured) and Mertesacker (bench) were left out. The Spaniard was absolutely superb, as he once again took control of the Arsenal midfield. Since the turn of the year, Cazorla has been in the form of his career, and Middlesbrough were the latest team to struggle to deal with his magical feet. Cazorla was in a midfield including Flamini, so big expectations were on him to contribute. Santi was instrumental in Giroud’s first goal. The ball fell to Cazorla on the edge of the box, where we all expected him to shoot, but instead he simply glided a pass out wide to Gibbs who delivered an assist for Giroud to score.
Alongside Cazorla, was Mesut Özil, who was excellent. The German playmaker has had previous injury issues this season, however since his return, he has hit the ground running. In the game against Middlesbrough, Cazorla & Özil were outstanding. Mesut Özil created 7 goal scoring chances (courtesy of OptaJoe). The concern had been growing over Özil, as Wenger has mostly deployed the German out wide where he wasn’t as affective. However, Özil was positioned in the middle of the park against Boro, where he produced a high quality performance in the dispatching of Karanka’s team. Press the navigation below to see the rest of the article.Â