
<p>Arsenal went on the road to Oxford in the FA Cup to continue its hot form. Goals from Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah allowed Mikel Arteta’s side to advance to the FA Cup Fourth Round. This is already a better result than what the Gunners did in 2021/22. Last time around, <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/forest-dump-arsenal-out-of-fa-cup-as-spurs-survive-scare-20220109-CMS-365634.html">Nottingham Forest defeated Arsenal</a> in the Third Round.</p>



<p>However, that was a different <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a> team. In both league play and cup action, Arsenal seem to be hitting on all fronts both offensively and defensively. Even though Arteta deployed a lineup that differs from his traditional starting XI, each player performed well. </p>



<p>On the attack, Eddie Nketiah grabbed a brace. Both goals, one-on-ones with Oxford goalkeeper Edward McGinty, showed Nketiah’s patience in front of goal. On one, he dribbled around McGinty before passing into the net. On the other, he dinked it past the goalkeeper for Arsenal’s third. Nketiah is on decent form since the World Cup return. He started each of Arsenal’s four games including this one at Oxford. He now has four goals in those games.</p>



<h2>Second-half flurry pushes Arsenal past Oxford FA Cup</h2>



<p>While Nketiah’s goals steal the headlines, Arsenal ran through its midfield. The opener came from Mohamed Elneny, an unlikely goalscorer, off a set piece. Fabio Vieira whipped the ball into the box with his left foot. Both Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu made an attempt on the ball. Yet, the Egyptian just stuck his head out a little farther.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohamed Elneny gives Arsenal the lead against Oxford United in the FA Cup 👏 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/yGDPU44gtC">pic.twitter.com/yGDPU44gtC</a></p>— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/ESPNPlus/status/1612562271263420417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Fabio Vieira picked up his second assist as he slotted through Nketiah on Arsenal’s second. The Portuguese was making just his 10th start on the season after moving over from Porto in the summer for around <a href="https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com/fabio-vieira/transfers/spieler/537598" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$35 million</a>.</p>



<p>He, along with Elneny and Albert Sambi-Lokonga, represented the ‘cup’ midfield. Sambi-Lokonga and Vieira featured frequently in the Europa League group stage, but have seen scarce action in league play where Arsenal continues to thrive. While that middle three would always be favored against League One side Oxford, they had minimal missteps in this game. </p>



<p>Arsenal’s defense, featuring American Matt Turner in goal, did not yield any considerable chances to Oxford. In the second half, Arsenal shut down the game. Arteta even experimented with Oleksandr Zinchenko in a midfield role, something he does often with the Ukraine National Team.</p>



<h5>Mega clash in FA Cup Fourth Round</h5>



<p>The reward Arsenal earned by defeating Oxford is a trip to the Etihad to take on Manchester City. The two clubs at the top of the table are yet to play this year. Their game early on in the campaign got bumped back due to Arsenal making up a Europa league fixture. </p>



<p>Therefore, this FA Cup tie is the first time fans get to see league-leading Arsenal take on league favorites Manchester City. Even though that game is not until January 28, those two sides look set to continue their fine form.</p>



<p>The only concern would be for <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/charles_watts/status/1612563461845782528" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bukayo Saka</a>. The young English winger left the game early with an injury. He was able to walk off under his own power.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / News Images</em></p>


Arsenal dispatched Oxford in the FA Cup Third Round, setting up a sensational clash with Manchester City in the Fourth Round.

Arsenal score three in second half, defeat Oxford in FA Cup

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<p>Arsenal has reportedly agreed a <a href="https:\/\/theathletic.com/news/arsenal-fabio-vieira-porto/Yzmu3OUDLjBr/">$37 million fee</a> for FC Porto star midfielder Fabio Vieira. The price tag for the playmaker could reach about $42 million with an extra $5.5 million in possible add-ons. Both sides agreed to this fee. Consequently, Vieira’s Greece vacation ended abruptly to complete the deal in London.</p>
<p>Vieira, 22, split his time between the bench and the starting XI this past season with Porto. Nevertheless, the versatile player managed to rack up 14 assists and 34 key passes for the Portuguese champions. More impressive, he did so in just 1,329 total minutes last season. Only Benfica’s Rafa had more assists (15) in the Primeira Liga than Vieira. At the same time, the Porto youngster played 700 fewer minutes than the 29-year-old Rafa in the league.</p>
<p>One of Arsenal’s biggest issues last season was the fact that <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2021/12/20/arsenals-youth-project-continues-to-produce-results/">the young club</a> couldn’t score enough goals. The Gunners only managed 61 goals in the Premier League last season. This tally placed them at sixth-most in the top flight. Arsenal performed well offensively on set pieces and on the counter attack. However, the club scored just 33 total goals from open play last season. For comparison, every other team that finished in the top eight, plus Crystal Palace, had more goals from open play last season.</p>
<h3>Fabio Vieira with Arsenal</h3>
<p>Because of this lack of firepower, manager Mikel Arteta quite clearly needed to improve his team’s attack. A new striker, perhaps a Gabriel Jesus, is the obvious need. But, they could benefit by adding some more creativity as well. Vieira potentially helps boost Arsenal’s offensive output. This comes with his passing abilities and his goal-scoring output. In addition to the youngster racking up 14 league assists, he also added six goals as well. In fact, he even scored 13 goals in just 20 appearances for Portugal’s U-21s.</p>
<p>The 22-year-old playmaker gives Arteta another versatile player to deploy in multiple positions. For instance Vieira could pop up in midfield, attacking midfield, on the flank or as a second striker. Arteta made a clear objective to sign versatile players. Last year, that was Benjamin White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Martin Ødegaard. Fabio Vieira arriving at <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a> signals a continuation of that trend.</p>
<p>Along with versatility, Arteta also tends to favor having a plethora of attacking options in his midfield. In an <a href="https:\/\/www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12034597/mikel-arteta-exclusive-arsenal-ready-to-strengthen-squad-and-solve-creativity-problem">interview with Sky Sports</a> nearly two years ago, he made references to the types of playmakers Arsenal used to have in their squad.</p>
<p>“Look at the players that we had in the past at this club in those positions,” claimed Arteta. “You go back to (Santi) Cazorla, to (Tomas) Rosicky, to (Andrey) Arshavin when he played there, to (Aaron) Ramsey when he played there, to (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan when he came in. Even Jack Wilshere used to play in those pockets all the time.”</p>
<blockquote><p>“That is a lot of players who are now not here. We have to renew that cycle, because if not, those kinds of players won’t be there for us anymore.”</p></blockquote>
<h5>Early judgment and comparison</h5>
<p>Vieira draws comparisons with fellow Portuguese playmaker Bernardo Silva. Arteta worked closely with Bernardo during their time together at Manchester City. With similar playing styles, statures, and left-footed nature, it is an easy connection. However, having just recently turned 22, Vieira likely needs time to acclimate to the Premier League.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Arsenal appear to be getting a very talented player at a price that does not necessarily hinder any other potential moves this summer. The Gunners clearly want Gabriel Jesus to man their front line in attack. Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans is another player that may be close to a move to the Emirates.</p>
<p>While some Arsenal fans have voiced their frustrations via Twitter at the lack of moves so far in the transfer window, despite the window just opening last week, Arteta and company appear ready to quietly make moves behind the scenes.</p>
<p><em>Photo credit: Getty Images</em></p>


Fabio Vieira is the newest player at Arsenal that comes in unproven but with a skill set to match the blossoming Gunners.

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Arsenal score three in second half, defeat Oxford in FA Cup

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