Arsenal offer glimpse of bright future under Mikel Arteta with potent mix of youth and experience
Some managers may have decried the FA Cup over the weekend but it is proving the perfect vessel for Mikel Arteta to demonstrate where he can take Arsenal.
Despite Brentford making nine changes for their tie with Leicester, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announcing he won't even bother to turn up for their replay with Shrewsbury, Arsenal put on a fine example of what the future could hold under the Spaniard as a potent mix of potential and experience banished Bournemouth to set up a fifth round trip to Portsmouth.
The FA Cup provided solace for Arsenal across Arsene Wenger's turbulent final years and the seasons that have passed since. They have now reached the fifth round in seven of the previous nine seasons, and Arteta knows himself exactly where this competition lies in the history of the club. The FA Cup salvaged the late years of his former manager's tenure, but Arteta will be hoping it can be the platform to spark his own coaching career into life.
A commitment to youth going forward brought a dazzling first half from Arsenal in which a strong and ambitious Joe Willock shone as Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah found the back of the net, both goals forged in the Gunners academy. Gabriel Martinelli, 18, and 24-year-old Nicolas Pepe made up a front four which offered plenty of hope across the opening 45 minutes.
While Pepe was largely ineffective, the trio accompanying him tormented their south coast hosts. Bournemouth didn't put up much of a fight as Arsenal raced into a comfortable lead.
Come the second half it was the turn of the more experienced members of Arteta's side to take command and defend that lead. Granit Xhaka looks a man transformed under the former Gunners captain. Few expected the Swiss midfielder to be an Arsenal player this deep into January, but he dictated deep from midfield, dropping into the space vacated by Saka when the winger turned full-back dashed forward.
"In the first-half I think we were really, really good," said Arteta. "I'm excited that everything we planned came together in a good way.
"They [the young players] are important, the core of that team at the moment. So to play with that accountability, I really like it.
"They were terrific, their work-rate, and for me as well the courage to play, to make big decisions and not just play it safe."
As has often been the case under Arteta so far, the Gunners tailed off a little in the second half. The Spaniard kept on at them, harrying Nketiah to press as the 20-year-old ran himself into the ground on a first start since returning to the club from Leeds, but there was a noticeable dip.
Bournemouth did little to capitalise. A Sam Surridge goal - his first for the club - offered hope two minutes into injury time, but the hosts did not deserve a replay.
Against better sides, it could have been a far nervier evening for Arsenal and Arteta. If the first half offered a glimpse into the future, the slower second perhaps highlighted what needs to change in order to reach the heights Arteta is aiming for.
"We’re all trying to get fitter to play that sort of game," said Willock. "It’s Arsenal Football Club. We’ve never sat back, we’ve always pressed and always played brilliant football. That demands fitness. That’s what we’re trying to do.
"Last night we did it for certain periods of the game and it won us the game. We need to carry it over the 90 minutes, then we can be a force."
It will take a lot of time and work to establish Arsenal as a force in the Premier League once more, but while his top flight rivals bemoan the FA Cup, it looks to be a doorway to a new era under Arteta.
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