Are Arsenal genuine title challengers?
Arsenal have so far enjoyed their best start to a Premier League season in the club’s history, sitting atop the log standings, having won nine of the 11 games they have played so far. While many are pleasantly surprised by the manner in which the Gunners have kicked off the campaign, others are expecting the bubble to burst! The north Londoners have taken advantage of other potential frontrunners floundering and now look like the team that could perhaps push reigning champions Manchester City till the end in their pursuit to claim the league title. Soccer Laduma international football writer Kamogelo Motecwane takes a look at how genuine a championship charge Mikel Arteta’s men can mount this season.
Performing above expectations
The first sight of Mikel Arteta in the dugout for Arsenal was on 26 December 2019. On that wet and cold night at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, he was only able to come away from the South Coast with a point as he looked to get to grips with life in the Gunners’ hotseat. Up until that point, the side from the English capital had managed only one league win from their previous 11 matches and were languishing in the bottom half of the table. Fast-forward close to three years later and the Spanish tactician and his men’s fortunes have changed dramatically. As he embarks on only his third full season in football management, the San Sebastien native has the youngest side in the Premier League contending for the league title, a remarkable turnaround considering his two eighth-place finishes in his first two seasons as head coach.
The 2021/22 campaign was very different to the one Arsenal are currently having. However, what started off as a disastrous campaign for the 13-time English champions turned out to be one that illustrated the manager and his team’s potential. In what was supposed to be a season in which they got back into the European places, Arsenal found themselves rising above the confines of expectations placed upon them by the English media and challenged for the UEFA Champions League positions right until the final day of the league season. While they ultimately failed to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition, the team showed how quickly Arteta expedited the reconstruction of Arsenal and this season’s early success seems to be a by-product of that progress. Like at the beginning of last season, some went as far as to predict that Arsenal would battle to qualify for European football. Now, though, it seems that, as a result of the foundations that were laid during the previous campaign, the players who were brought in during the offseason and Arteta’s ability to coach players into being better footballers, Arsenal could make a genuine push for the EPL trophy as they continue on an upward trajectory.
Arsenal’s new young guns
An aspect Arsenal, Arteta and sporting director Edu seem to be continually getting right is recruitment. The acquisitions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko this past transfer window from the Citizens have significantly improved the team, not just on the field but also off it, with the pair having been serial winners for the past four years at Manchester City. Both players joined the Gunners with a pre-existing relationship with Arteta following their years with the Spaniard spent at the Etihad Stadium, allowing them to integrate into the Gunners squad quickly and easily. The seeds Arteta planted at the Emirates
Stadium during his first transfer window are finally bearing fruit in the early parts of this campaign as along with signings of the aforementioned ex-City duo, the acquisitions of the likes of Thomas Partey, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu have added to a versatile and entertaining side. The new additions to the team have also helped Arteta utilise different systems, with Zinchenko offering a unique quality when used at left back. Kieran Tierney, who is arguably more defensive-minded, might prefer the role of a traditional fullback, whereas the Ukraine international is comfortable occupying spaces in central midfield to give Arsenal more bodies in the middle of the park, allowing for better ball retention in tight spaces.
The Gunners’ fresh faces, along with the rest of the squad, have come together to make the side a difficult opponent, one that adjusts to tough periods mid-game and still picks up crucial points at away grounds. Arsenal’s defensive stability has also improved since William Saliba’s return from loan, with the France international quickly becoming one of the standout players of the season so far. The 21-year-old, who has already been capped seven times for his country, spent the previous two campaigns on loan deals at Nice and Marseille, where he impressed enough for Arteta to finally give him his chance in Red and White. The central defender, once regarded by many as a player who might never make the grade at Arsenal, has become an instant starter, much to the surprise of those who doubted him. Saliba looks composed and elegant on the ball under pressure and has an impressive passing range, while he is equally as comfortable carrying the ball out of defence. At the same time, Saliba appears to have the tenacity and grit required to impose himself on high-level attackers too.
What happens at the top happens at the bottom
A fundamental principle in mathematics is whatever happens at the top of the fraction also happens at the bottom. The London club’s form so far this season is undoubtedly a by-product of establishing cohesion within the club’s hierarchy. An aspect of Arsenal’s All or Nothing documentary that may have gone overlooked was Arteta’s involvement in important meetings with the club’s chiefs. The documentary illustrated that, at least in more recent times, everyone at Arsenal is intent on being on the same page. Last season, Arteta was able to banish then-club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was also the team’s highest-paid player at the time, from the squad following a disciplinary issue, a decision backed by the board. While they wouldn’t have been thrilled about making the former striker train alone, everyone at the club appeared to understand the long-term benefits of setting strong values, despite it negatively impacting the team in the short term. Even though goals would prove hard to come by later in the season, which ultimately culminated in their inability to qualify for the Champions League, there is clear synergy at boardroom level which is transcending on to the pitch.
Post-FIFA World Cup slump?
The 2022/23 season is a unique one due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup that is set to be held in Qatar during the middle of the campaign. These exceptional circumstances have led to concerns that teams around Europe, including Arsenal, could experience a slump after the tournament. A lot of key players in the Gunners’ squad are likely to be heading to the World Cup in November, such as England international Bukayo Saka, Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka and French defender Saliba, who could play a big part in the reigning world champions’ side following Manchester United star Raphael Varane’s recent injury. Naturally, there is a worry that this disruption will lead to Arsenal losing form when the Premier League resumes, although there is no doubt that Arteta will do everything possible to ensure his players regain focus quickly so as not to negatively impact his side’s chances of challenging City for the EPL title. The Citizens, of course, will see an even larger chunk of their squad depart for Qatar in a few weeks’ time, with many of their players playing for nations who are among those tipped to make a deep run in the tournament. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are all certified starters for their respective countries too, whereas the same can’t be said for all of those Arsenal players who could make the trip to the Middle East. ❐