Frank believes Gunners are the total real deal
Thomas Frank believes Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into genuine Premier League title contenders this season.
Brentford boss Frank insists Arteta’s Arsenal have already overtaken the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League stakes.
The Bees’ Danish manager rates the Gunners as the English top-flight’s second-best outfit behind Manchester City – but still gives the Emirates Stadium side a chance of league glory this term.
Brentford opened their maiden Premier League campaign with a 2-0 home win against Arsenal
last season, and the Bees host the Gunners in west London again today.
But Frank admitted he considers this secondseason match-up a far tougher prospect, and mainly because of Arsenal’s rapid progress under Arteta.
“In spells they’ve been the best performing team over the first six games,” said Frank.
“I think they’ve been remarkable, especially the intensity.
After Manchester City, they are the best performing team in the league.
“I’ve watched a lot of their games, but their first game, the Friday night opening game against Crystal Palace, I was thinking ‘what? This is another level’. For the
first 20 minutes Crystal Palace didn’t touch the ball, and I thought ‘they can win the Premier League’.
“Now, after City, they are the best performing team in the league.”
Former Arsenal midfielder Arteta’s leftfield ideas highlighted in the fly-on-the-wall Amazon series have generated at times quizzical reactions, but the Gunners have conjured five wins and just one loss in their opening six league encounters this term.
And Frank insisted Arteta deserves nothing but praise for a wideranging Gunners transformation.
“Their players are growing, they’ve got the right players in,” said Frank.
“Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff have proved they have done well. And the board behind him, they are consistent in the way that they work.
“They are building a team that’s young, very exciting.”
Leicester City’s woes continued after they were thumped 6-2 away at Tottenham, with Heungmin Son smashing in a second-half hat-trick.
They took the lead via an eighth-minute Youri Tielemans penalty, but Harry Kane and Eric Dier put Spurs 2-1 up.
James Maddison levelled and Rodrigo Bentancur fired Spurs back in front, before Son took over after the break.