Adamo Marinelli
Jan. 2, 2023
Arsenal are having the best start to their season since the Invincibles, winning 14 of their first 16 matches, only drawing and losing one game, totaling a whopping 43 points, enough to claim the top spot in the Premier League table, seven points against Manchester City who have won 11 matches, drawn three and lost two (36 points) and nine points ahead of third place Newcastle United who have won nine matches, drawn seven and lost only one (34 points).
Arsenal has been atop the Premier League table for nearly the entire season and is doing it in style. Arsenal has scored 40 goals, second most in the EPL, only four behind Man City’s league-leading 44 goals, and has only conceded 14 goals, second best in the league, just behind Newcastle, who have only conceded 11 goals thanks to excellent defensive play from their back four and goalkeeper Nick Pope.
In the one game they lost, 3-1 away at Old Trafford, Arsenal dominated the match, controlled possession against Manchester United, and outshot their opposition. However, Manchester United’s counter-attack struck twice and Arsenal had an early goal disallowed that changed the composition of the entire match. Their lone draw came against Southhampton. Arsenal controlled the match, just couldn’t finish the chances they created in the final third, and gave up a late goal.
How has Arsenal been so dominant this season? They trusted the process, they’re playing strong and coordinated football and they are
It all started with the transfer window in the last few seasons. Manager Mikel Arteta has refurbished the squad, selling older, underperforming players like Pierre Emerick Aubamayeng, David Luiz, Nicolas Pepe, and Bernd Leno among others, and instead bringing in and developing young stars like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Ben White, William Saliba, Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Thomas Partey among others.
Arsenal has been active on the transfer market in the last few seasons bringing in guys like Ramsdale, White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Odegaard, Tomiyasu, and most recently Gabriel Jesus and Oleksander Zinchenko from Man City and Fabio Viera from Portugal.
Granit Xhaka has been the mainstay at Arsenal for many seasons but his form has been revitalized this season under Arteta’s new system after a handful of tough years, dealing with many disciplinary issues. He is now excelling thanks to more playtime, more disciplined play, and more freedom to attack. He has the ability to score impressive goals and he has a few this season.
Arteta has the team believing, and playing well alongside each other and the results have
shown on the field. They are scoring at will, their ball movement is great, their defense - which has been a liability in years past is one of the strongest components of the team and they just dominate games: they control possession and play at their pace from kickoff to final whistle.
Arsenal’s group of players clearly have chemistry together and they are playing a smart and effective style of football.
Arsenal has dominated possession time in numerous games this season, they have put a lot of focus on a strong defensive press high up the field which creates takeaways, attacking and defending set pieces - which Arsenal teams in previous years couldn’t do - and quickly responding after conceding a goal.
In the past, conceding a goal, especially early in the first half would rattle Arsenal and completely throw off their game plan.
Arsenal has scored first in 13 of their 16 matches. They won all of those matches except their 1-1 draw to Southampton. In the three games they conceded first, they came back to win against Fulham and Westham United, their only loss was against Manchester United.
Arsenal does not get rattled after conceding; they stick to their game plan and continue to press defensively, attack, and create scoring chances.
To continue, Arsenal is equally as good on the road as they are at home. They have won all seven of their home games and on the road, they’ve won seven, and only drawn and lost one.
In addition, Arsenal believes in a strong positional rotation and has many players that can play in numerous positions. Gabriel Martinelli can play up front or on the wing, Bukayo Saka can play as a fullback or a winger, Ben White can play at center-back or right-back, Takehiro Tomiyasu can play at left or right-back, Martin Odegaard can play virtually anywhere in the midfield and Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey can both play as defensive number sixes while also moving up to attack among many others.
They also have more depth on the bench than you think, with pieces like Eddie Nketiah at striker, Reiss Nelson and Marquinhos in attack, the dynamic Emile Smith-Rowe - who is poised to return from injury sometime in January, and Fabio Viera in the midfield and Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding in defense.
This is important because, in the event of an injury, Arteta can shift the versatile squad and plug in quality players from the bench to take their place. In absence of striker Gabriel Jesus who is out until at least February with an injury, Arsenal has played two games, won both, and scored seven goals. Arsenal’s entire front three of Saka, Martinelli, and Nketiah have scored in both games and they are still creating chances at ease; they haven’t missed a beat and Nketiah is proving the doubters wrong with strong performances in Jesus’ absence.
Arsenal also appears to be willing to strengthen their squad in the transfer window. They made a second bid for Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk, 21, from Shakhtar Donetsk, which is almost a certainty at this point. He is willing to come to Arsenal and his shooting, passing, and finishing skills would be an immense help to Arsenal.
Arsenal is also allegedly a frontrunner in an agreement with Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix, but the $21 million loan price is slightly high for six months of service and is an obstacle in the signing process. In addition, other clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea are also considering pursuing him.
Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, Brighton midfielder and World Cup winner Alexis McAllister and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovick are all other names Arsenal has been linked to and any of these players would help strengthen Arsenal’s lineup, add to their depth, and would aid with their title charge.
Overall, Arteta’s brilliant tactics and playstyle on both offense (creating shots, ball movement in transition) and defense (high press, forcing turnovers), Arsenal’s team dynamic, chemistry, togetherness, and the belief that they have the talent to win the league, as well as having one of the youngest squads in the league, especially up front, have contributed to Arsenal’s success this year.
They are 14-1-1 in the first 16 games and have looked great in almost every game. They were top of the table at the World Cup break, top at Christmas, and top at New Year. Seven of the last 10 teams top of the table at Christmas went on to win the league, including 2015-16 Leicester City. The only team to fail to do so was Liverpool on three occasions.
Their work is not done, Arsenal still has a long way to go before lifting their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years but they are poised to do so. They have a great manager, many excellent players, and confidence in their abilities. If they stay healthy and strengthen their squad in the transfer window, they very well may win the league.
Their next game is a tough one, as they will host a red-hot Newcastle squad who have only lost one game this season at home on Jan. 3. Come on you Gunners.
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