Arsenal have finally found their attacking chemistry under Arteta

Four goals at Leeds, four goals again against Sunderland and then a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich City rounded off perfect eight days for the Gunners.

Arsenal have looked a different self. They have been hard to break defensively, while complicated to stop offensively.

This Arsenal squad is finally looking like an attacking team capable of mounting a top four challenge.

Mikel Arteta’s men now see themselves six points clear of fifth placed Tottenham Hot*pur. If they continue to put in these kinds of performances, few teams would seriously challenge them for a top four spot.

Defensively, the London side have always been robust under manager Mikel Arteta. The team lifted the FA Cup crown by being a squad who were rock solid.

The real questions always revolved around whether they can do some good in the final third. The Gunners have looked blunt going forward but that thing is slowly becoming a problem of the past.

Last season they were the ninth best team in England in terms of goals scored with 55 goals. They now have already scored 32 goals, which places them in fourth position.

They also have the fourth most shots and fifth most shorts on target.

Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe have been the architects of this fluid team. The quartet are technical players who don’t dwell on the ball for too long.

They have hardly made Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s absence felt. They are the ones who will take Arsenal back to where they belong.

Alexander Lacazette is also a person who deserves credit. Due to his pretty good hold up and link-up play, the young guns have been able to express themselves.

That isn’t the case when Aubameyang spearheads the team. If the North London outfit can replace the former Borussia Dortmund man with a person with the right profile, this Arsenal team can reach heights the Gunners fans would not have imagined a year or two ago.

Yash Bisht

Tags Bukayo Saka Emile Smith Rowe Gabriel Martinelli Martin Odegaard

40 Comments

  1. What do we do though?

    Swap Auba in Jan with someone else from whatever club (barca want him) wish to do so and offer Laca a new deal?

    Probabaly best move now Laca is Captain also and makes this team come together as a unit with his hold up play, one touch and nice movements into space to let the youngsters do their magic.

    If Eddie wants to go then sell him in January and Balogun on loan some where for the rest of the season for game time.

    We can still sign another striker if we need to i am sure if that. If Laca is to leave then have a look at Ivan TTony from Brentford in January. Worth a punt in my opinion

    1. Toney is a decent player but would be ridiculously
      expensive in January, especially if Brentford
      continue to slide down the table toward a relegation
      battle. DCL and Vlahovic are even more expensive
      and I can’t see Everton sanctioning such a deal even
      though the Englishmen has been hurt most of the
      season.

      I personally would love to see AFC target Arthur
      Cabral from Basel or Darwin Nunez from Benefica.
      Both players brilliantly fit in the particular player
      profile that both Edu and MA covet and neither
      would break the bank. Cabral IMWO would be the
      more likely of the two based on price and availability.
      If neither are willing to move than Arsenal would be
      wise to check Madrid’s temperature on Jovic . A loan
      move for the Serbian wouldn’t be the worst case
      scenario.

      And with AMN on his way to Roma I can’t fathom
      MA isn’t targeting a new midfielder or two as I type.
      Give me two of Renato Sanchez, Boubacar Kamara,
      Denis Zakarka, and Bruno Guimares and Arsenals
      midfield is set for the next decade.

      If Arsenal are serious about CL futbol they have to
      be active and aggressive in January, no excuses.

    2. Sean, sorry to disillusion you with a dose of reality, but there is not a single club anywhere who will be prepared to take idle Auba AND take on his obscene salary. To get him gone we will need to pay a substantial part of his salary to any possible suitor.

  2. Don’t offer Laca a new deal. He’ll slide like Ozil and now Auba.

    You can give Laca 1yr extention on his current deal else big no.

    1. I agree. I want Laca to get a 1 year extension coz he is really linking up play well. He is our false 9, Firmino-type striker who scores very little but creates a lot of space for the others. Giroud could do all that Laca does and still score. It’s a shame I never fully appreciated his skill-set until he left.

  3. Thank God, it wasn’t late, I mean so late, before Arteta realized how much Auba was hurting the team. I don’t just understand how long it took him to realize the ineffectiveness of Auba in the Arsenal team and ofcourse, being a manager who picks player based on training ground actions, he surely might get deluded, most times. Auba has done his bit for the team but in the past……… Time has come for him to go!
    I love Martinelli🥰

  4. Since the 0-3 we have gone 11 wins 2 draws 3 losses. 2nd best team since 28th of August. 35 points from 48 is second only by just 1 point to Man City. Amazing. All 3 losses were away games including top sides Liverpool and Man U. The 0-3 came about because of a perfect storm illness at Brentford then Chelsea on fire and away to the Champions. There has been no magical formular. Results have been mostly predictable. The team have simply won almost every game we should Norwich Spurs Villa Watford Newcastle Suthamptom Westham, all at home. Burnley away, Leeds and Norwich away (both injury ravaged). Losses at Liverpool and Utd were expected. The only surprises have been the away win at Leicester the away loss at Everton and the home draw with Villa. So 16 predictable results from 19 games is no surprise. Artea must take all the credit. What won me over was when we went 0-3 he remained totally convinced of his ability and did not blame any players. I recognised then the steely resolve of the gaffer. The only time he was outspoken was the losses to Man City and Everton. Otherwise he has stood rock solid behind his players. Xhaka Lacazette and now Aubameyang he has stayed loyal to. He gave starting roles to all 6 of the new boys. Ramsdale Tomi White Odegaard then Tavares while Lokonga is being held back a little. ESR and Saka he gave confidence to. Martinelli he made wait tll he was fully recovered. Pepe has been made to wait but is now gradually being reintoduced. I believe Auba will come back and Saliba when Arteta believes they are ready. Niles and Nketiah are a wait and see Areta will not be hurried. Holding Chambers seem to be lock quota players. Second half of the season will be about continue to collect points from games we should win. Chelsea have turned the corner we won’t catch them. United if they click hvae a better squad. Spurs rely totally on Kane and Son but like us now have no European football but I still think we will beat Spurs for 5th which half way through the process would be entirely satisfactory.

  5. We had game tasters earlier in the season when Lacca played as he is and he is a great foil for the young speed merchants. Laccas involvement is huge in Saka Esr and Martinelli being able to do what they do best. It still yet remains to be seen upto what level of opponents it works.

  6. ….Arteta is a slow learner…..but he learns…..hopefully Arteta becomes a very good manager….I’ll pray…….!

    1. Well, say my friend.

      Finally, he started learning from his mistakes and surprisingly everything is going well!

      Even playing White as a RB was a good thing today!

  7. The question not being asked though, is why the quartet of players mentions…. all available to MA last season, were not recognised then?
    Fans were calling for ESR and Martinelli and it was only injuries that meant MA was made to play them.
    His insistence on Willian and offering Aubameyang that grotesque contract cannot be ignored AND the fact that he named Aubameyang as captain makes it even worse.

    I’m not arguing against the article, but once again ask for some sensible thinking.

    Leeds were decimated ( 8 first team players out ) Sunderland a third tier club and Norwich bottom of the league, with a – 30 goal deficit.
    Let’s keep our feet firmly on the ground, while enjoying these results… congratulate the players and manager, but remember the level of the opposition mentioned in the article.

    1. Agreed Ken. We should be beating the teams thia last week by those numbers! All were very poor but good to see we are finally scoring a lot of goals
      Wolves will be a tough test so perhaps good we got postponed as would have been a tough game so soon.

      Lets see if Spuds or Man U win all of their games in hand and then see where we are…but points in the Bank !

    2. I run the risk of the wrath of a certain poster for being blind but the truth is, most of Arsenal improvements and changes have been forced or stumbled on. Pepe last season sat on the bench 3 months befoe Willian got injured, we ended up with Ramsdale but only after selling the wrong keeper, Esr got his chance last season after Odergaards injury, Lacca got his start after the Auba situation as well as Martinelli sat on the bench before. Others as well but whatever happens if we end up 4th this season Arteta himself will have improved the team, even if he stymbled on some things because he is the manager and ultimately its league position that only counts. The money he has spent and 2 years in charge, results should now be expected and against top opposition.

      1. You are mistaken Reggie. I pity blind people and believe your admission above, in print, that you are one and have no wrath towards their and your unfortunate disability.

    3. We are scoring a lot of goals against weaker opposition. That speak as much about our strength as their weakness. If we had struggled to beat Sunderland, Leeds and Norwich or won with a one goal, that should have been a concern.

    4. Ken 1945 I understand your point of view but the difference in age between the squads on the day vs Leeds was 1 year.

      1. But that doesn’t change the fact that Leeds had 8 first team players out and, I believe, a 15 year old i
        on the substitutes bench does it?

      1. I think I remember some headlines calling Auba captain fantastic when he was scoring the goals.. when the goals disappeared, there probably was belief that it was just momentary and he’d be back to his best.. maybe that’s why he wasn’t stripped earlier

  8. Job well done. Arsenal cannot go back to Aubameyang, and must sell him and Nketiah in the January transfer window. They’re both poachers and don’t fit in this new attacking system. Arsenal must buy Arthur Cabral in January to help Lacazette , who can’t play every game. Also, Arsenal must buy Boubacar Kamara, as in January, Xhaha and Lokonga will be the only defensive midfielders available. Both players are quite affordable and talented. Arsenal must strengthen in the January transfer window to ensure a top four finish.

    1. Xhaka and Lokonga are enough. AFCON will only last 3-4 weeks so no need for buying yet another midfielder who will be relegated to the bench when Partey is back. If Lokonga or Xhaka get injured we will use Patino or ESR or AMN if he will still be with us.

  9. Get another attacker, sell AUBA and Nketiah and get one more player in the MD position, keep the same formation and always play for the win, these youngsters are fun to watch!

    MA keep using your brain!

  10. Its very simply Auba is not our problem…its Arteta telling us Auba is not part of what his building. He knew this from day one but kept us in d dark. This is the best time he can unviel his master plan. He just needed Martinelli to turn up thatd why hes been benched.

    Alot of decisions will be made, but wat i want is a good fight with Man City and other big 2…..

    Building a team aint easy a job….remember a lot of players became coaches, but failed woefully

    Lets see what can can do

    1. If he knew Aubameyang wasn’t part of the plan from day one, why did he give him a three year contract at a reported £300,000 plus a week?

      1. Why didnt we sell AMN for 20 mil, when we could? Why did we sell Martinez for 17 mil? Why did we sell Mavropanos for 2 mil? Why have we put an 8 mil clause in Gouendouzis loan? Why didn’t we sell Xhaka for 10 mil? Why did we piss off Saliba? Not all the managers decisions im sure but all strange ones that didn’t/dont make financial sense.

        1. Spot on Reggie. A lot of decisions so far don’t make sense.
          And I think some of it is playing to the gallery of fans wishes. AMN deal was probably stopped due to outcry

      2. Cos most gunners fans love Auba then….if he sold him then and we couldnt score goals…..the fans wont forgive em

        1. The fans asking these questions are simply looking for ways to criticise much of which is with the benefit of hindsight.

          1. Wrong David, most of us were calling the deals out at the time for what they were, it isnt hindsight at all.

            1. But people also demanded that the club give Auba whatever he wants.. and there was not a single day (for a whole month?) when there was no talk about his contact situation until it was announced

    2. Shamelessly giving undeserved credit.

      “This is the best time he can unviel his master plan. He just needed Martinelli to turn up thatd why hes been benched”

      Seriously?

  11. Hate him or not Xhaka remains one of our best midfielders and as long as he is fit, he will play. I have come to realize that some people’s opinion of a good midfielder is someone who is very technical and must be able to dribble, yes, but that is not all there is to be a good midfielder. With Xhaka in the middle we don’t get bullied by every tom dick and Harry anymore. I remember some people clamouring for his quick return when he was out injured. His team mates respect him. He deserves the some respect!!

  12. What to do with Aubameyang. I’d sell him if I could but 300kpw is the same stumbling block that made it impossible to sell Ozil. We should ease him back into the squad after AFCON as a supersub. Hopefully he will regain his form and we can salvage the remaining 1.5 years left in his deal.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors