MY ACCOUNT
Arsenal’s start to the season could hardly have gone worse — but since then it has been close to faultless.
Three successive defeats have been followed by an eight-game unbeaten run, including six wins, in the Premier League.
For all the criticism Mikel Arteta has received during his time with the Gunners, his win percentage (54%) is now better than club legend Arsene Wenger (51.4%).
The Spaniard’s side finally looks to be taking shape after he celebrated 100 games as a manager with a 1-0 victory over Watford on Sunday.
Entering the international break fifth in the table, can he lead the Gunners back into the Champions League?
Calming the storm
There was a feeling of crisis at the Emirates in August.
After an eighth-placed finish last season the Gunners started the new campaign with three successive defeats, nine conceded and no goals scored.
Even at that early stage, it seemed unlikely Arteta would survive the barrage of criticism that was coming his way.
But performances in the first three matches versus the eight that have followed are virtually polar opposites.
Starting with a 1-0 victory over strugglers Norwich, the Gunners underwent an upturn in fortunes that not many predicted.
Defensive chaos was replaced with resilience, panicking in possession gave way to coolness on the ball and the forwards began to click into gear.
And they have only got better as their confidence grows.
On Arsenal’s recent resurgence, former player Paul Merson said: “Arsenal are building their team very well at the moment.
“We have to give them credit where it’s due, and they are defeating teams that they should be putting away. Arsenal are looking good at the moment.”
Savvy signings
Their turnaround has been made possible by a smattering of players who arrived in the summer.
Their £149million off-season outlay made them the league’s highest summer spenders as Arteta looked to rebuild.
With not many household names among the incomings, there were doubts as to whether these were the right players to take Arsenal forward.
But Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are all at the core of an impressive new Arsenal back five alongside the returning Gabriel and Kieran Tierney.
Since their dreadful start, Arsenal have conceded just four goals in eight league games.
And Arteta thinks he may have found a dominant back five for years to come.
He recently said: “The potential [to be Arsenal’s defence for the next five years] is there because of the qualities they have individually, how they can complement each other with those qualities and obviously with the age group that we have there.
“If we manage them well and they are willing to sustain that, they have a really bright future.”
In other areas, Albert Sambi Lokonga has slipped into the midfield nicely alongside Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard has shown his class, and left-back Nuno Tavares has performed well in the absence of Tierney in recent weeks.
While certainly a lot of money, it was a big-spending window that needed to happen and the early signs are that it was wisely spent.
Local lads
But for all the signings who have made their mark, two academy graduates have arguably been Arsenal’s top performers.
Bukayo Saka, 20, and Emile Smith Rowe, 21, have become men Arteta can firmly rely on despite their youth.
That is nothing new for Saka after becoming a regular for club and country over the previous two seasons.
But the same can now be said of Smith Rowe, for club at least.
After being handed the No10 shirt following a breakthrough campaign last season, Smith Rowe has given Arsenal a new dimension going forward and often kept £30m Odegaard out of the team.
He already has five goals to his name in all competitions, including the winner on Sunday against Watford.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently reserved big praise for him, saying: “He [Smith Rowe] will get England caps, there’s no doubt about that.
“He’ll have to bide his time as there are other players ahead of him right now.
“To watch him in full flow with the ball — I said in commentary that he’s the best player I’ve seen in the Premier League running with the ball.
“You’re thinking, ‘Have I forgotten someone?’, but when I see him move it just excites me. Running with both feet, the pace he goes at, it’s just a joy to watch when he’s moving with the ball.”
And the first of those England caps does not look too far away for Smith Rowe after he was called up to replace the injured Marcus Rashford in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Smith Rowe and fellow Londoner Saka seem to perfectly represent a young, dynamic and fearless new era for Arsenal.
Test is yet to come
While Arsenal will be pleased with the steadying of their ship, they know that their biggest tests are yet to come.
None of the eight teams they have faced in their unbeaten run are currently in the Premier League’s top six and Arteta’s side failed to beat the only top-half sides they faced in Brighton and Crystal Palace.
Under Arteta, Arsenal have gone on impressive runs before where everything looks to be coming together before a few bad results shift them back into crisis mode.
The next six games are likely to give a more accurate impression of where the Gunners are as a team as they come up against those currently near them in the table.
A trip to Liverpool kicks that stretch off, with games against Manchester United and high-flying West Ham also in that run.
If they can get through those clashes without anything disastrous, the Gunners may just fancy their chances of once again battling it out for a top-four spot.
