Sunday 24 April 2016 16:18, UK
It has been a deeply frustrating period for Arsenal, but Mohamed Elneny's performances have been a source of encouragement. The Egyptian impressed again in their 2-0 win over West Brom on Thursday night…
The empty seats around the Emirates Stadium told their own story. Disenchantment among Arsenal supporters has hit new heights in recent weeks, and for the visit of West Brom many season-ticket holders elected not to return to the scene of Sunday's insipid 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
It was hardly surprising given how the season has unfolded for Arsene Wenger's side. A two-point lead at the top of the table has been turned into a 10-point deficit since the start of January, and what looked like a glorious shot at the title has descended into a familiar scramble for the top-four.
As a result of the recent collapse, there was another muted atmosphere and a distinctly end-of-season feel for their meeting with West Brom. But while the 2-0 victory comes too late to revive Arsenal's title challenge after consecutive draws against West Ham and Palace, Alexis Sanchez's brilliant double was not the only positive.
Mohamed Elneny provided another example of what he has to offer. Central midfield became a problem position for Arsenal when they lost Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla to injury in the space of eight days in November, but their January signing has brought balance and composure back to the heart of the team since being thrown into his first Premier League start at White Hart Lane last month.
Elneny's combination of intelligent distribution, tactical discipline and spatial awareness will never dominate the headlines, but it is certainly a valuable skill-set. He set a Premier League record for the season when he completed 122 of 127 passes in Arsenal's 4-0 win over Watford and there was more of the same against West Brom as he took it in turns with Aaron Ramsey to attack and defend.
The Egyptian constantly made himself available to his team-mates, dropping into pockets of space or receiving the ball in tight areas before calmly recycling possession and keeping Arsenal ticking over. He was involved in the build-up to Sanchez's sixth-minute opener, and by the end of the game he had completed 88 of his 96 passes.
Elneny was productive in a defensive sense, too, completing more ball recoveries (eight) than any other player on the pitch. There was an important block from a Darren Fletcher shot midway through the first half, and he was at his best a few minutes later to steal possession from Sandro in the centre circle and immediately send a slide-rule pass through to Mesut Ozil - who was just offside.
Elneny's immediate impact is impressive for a player who hadn't featured in any major European league before joining the Gunners - but he insists he never doubted himself. "Some said I would find it hard to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League but I thought otherwise," he said this week. "I even told my agent to give me three weeks to show him how well I could adapt."
Elneny's adaption has been made easier thanks to his remarkable stamina. The 23-year-old has provided an injection of energy and dynamism since breaking into the Arsenal team, and he has now covered more ground than anyone else on the pitch in each of the three Premier League starts in which he has completed the 90 minutes.
Hard running is a valuable asset in furious pace of Premier League football, and Elneny has been building up his stamina since his early years in Egypt. "Running is part of my job, and I like to be in motion," he said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung during his time at Basel. "As a child, I often played for 10 hours on the street, and that's where I learned to run non-stop in the heat. I have to help the team with my strengths."
That selflessness and determination is exactly what Arsenal need if they are to finish the season strongly. The Premier League title may be out of reach and a top-four finish is unlikely to appease the supporters who stayed away on Thursday night, but Elneny certainly won't be throwing in the towel. Amid the gloom of another season of what-might-have-been, their new signing's impact is providing a glimmer of light.
