Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Slow and steady proves winning formula for Arsenal
ARSENAL head into their game against Manchester United this Sunday on the back of five wins from five games. The Gunners have now proven they are a capable side worthy of challenging any team in the Premier League.
A top-four finish and perhaps a challenge for one of the trophies on offer should be their minimum expectation for this season.
Are they going to challenge for the title? It’s still too early to say, but they will certainly not be among the favourites.
While they are playing well, their squad is a little short on experience and quality, which could make it hard to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for league honours.
Since taking charge of Arsenal three years ago, Mike Arteta has brought gradual improvement to the squad, which is the most important thing. One of the master strokes he has already pulled off this season was handing the captaincy to Martin Odegaard, and roping in Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.
It was one of the best transfer windows in recent history for the Gunners.
They may have failed in their quest to finally bring in a quality backup central midfielder, but did part ways with players who did not have a clear role in the side.
The players they have acquired have also started making an impact.
During his time with City, Jesus proved he is a quality player.
However, due to the sheer quality in the Cityzens side, he never got to play in his preferred position, which perhaps hampered his freedom and prevented him from having creative expression.
Now with the Gunners, the Brazil international is getting opportunities to play in his ideal role as a number nine.
Importantly, he is also not a selfish player and creates opportunities for teammates.
Arsenal also now have quality backup options in almost every area of their squad, with the only question being raised about second-choice goalkeeper Matt Turner, who may be required to play in cup games in order to give Aaron Ramsdale a rest.
Even if injury crisis be unlikely
Arsenal do have an
this season, they will to wilt heavily as has happened for more than a decade now when such a situation arose.
The one thing that Arsenal must now re-adapt themselves to is getting criticised even if they win games, as the best do.
The recent 2-1 win against a below-par Aston Villa side was one of their less impressive performances so far this season.
In lieu of them having had 59% ball possession and 22 shots, they really should have punished Steven Gerrard’s side by even more goals.
While they may get away with missing chances against a team such as Villa, this will not be the case when they take on the heavyweights. Bukayo Saka may be a world-class player in the making, but his shooting must improve.