The weeks that ended the January 2018 transfer window left us inspired. It seemed that the window and season would end in the shambolic release of Alexis and Ozil with no compensation.  Wenger began by offloading some long-serving players, in Coquelin and Walcott; a shock move for someone who has not performed in such a manner throughout his tenure with the club. It is clear that the work going on behind the scenes is shifting the power of club operation and creating a bridge for succession.

What we saw against Everton, and what will hopefully remain throughout the season, was a forward rotating lineup of Lacazette, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, and Ozil. I found it genius to keep a holding CM just behind them, allowing Ramsey to blast through the midfield and into the box unmarked. His defensive and coordination efforts should not go unnoticed, but he was unmarked in the final third multiple times!

On Xhaka and Kolasinac, I think both are excellent young players with growing pains in the league. The number of chances they’ve been given is evidence that the manager sees a future for both in the starting XI. Further, both were strong leaders of their clubs in a highly respectable league. Their strength, size, and character traits are not aligned with the players that we’ve been familiar with in recent seasons. I think this adds to the backlash that they get on performances, but is also exactly what we need moving forward.

Everton have a habit of leaving us with great hope, but we are on to something special if we can continue this run of form!  Mkhitaryan looks very direct and decisive, something that you’ll notice when he checks back and distributes the ball. He and Aubameyang are very intentional in their play, which will be a huge asset to us going into the end of the season.

• Read the blog post from last season where I broke down the impact of losing to bottom-half teams.
• Find the latest highlights and other media here!