When they aren’t complaining about an officiating injustice, Arsenal are a mightily efficient side that look capable of competing on multiple fronts this season.
Their optimistic dreams of an(other) unbeaten Premier League campaign were controversially dashed at St. James’ Park, but the Gunners are just a point adrift of league leaders Manchester City – a team aiming to become the first ever to win four-straight English league titles.
History suggests an alternate name to the Sky Blues will be engraved on the Premier League trophy come next May, and Arsenal have as good a shot as any to dethrone Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut.
The final international break of the calendar year provides Mikel Arteta with the perfect opportunity to reassess and reevaluate ahead of the festive slog.
Here’s what the Gunners need to do before they return to action away at Brentford.
The novelty of Arsenal’s attacking play last season has seemingly been dashed. As 2022/23 progressed, the Gunners started to face up against defences that sat deeper and that theme has only continued into the new campaign.
Other than their 5-0 thumping of Sheffield United, Arsenal have often failed to put teams away this term. They’ve struggled at times to unpick defences, with Arteta’s patterns perhaps becoming a tad predictable. Moreover, the boss has rarely been able to deploy his favoured front six given due to injuries, while the form of individuals, Martin Odegaard, in particular, has come under scrutiny.
In short, Arteta has seemingly emphasised security over attacking freedom, which has seen the Gunners’ open play xG per game drop to 1.21 from 1.68 last season. While a sounder defence undoubtedly improves Arsenal’s chances of winning the title, they’ve also got to match City at the other end of the pitch.
Arteta’s side are currently the league’s fifth-highest scorers, but they’ve already scored five less than the Cityzens. Moreover, their open-play xG ranks 12th in the division. The Gunners aren’t going to win a league title if such chance-creation issues persist.
Gabriel Jesus, Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka have all missed time due to injuries this season which has doubtlessly played a role in Arsenal’s reduced potency in the final third.
The tone was set on the opening weekend when Jurrien Timber succumbed to an ACL tear. Arsenal seem to have a new injury problem every week. Heading into the international break, Odegaard, Ben White, Thomas Partey, and Emile Smith Rowe are all with Timber on the sidelines. Jesus had been too but he was still called up by Brazil and could end up playing against Argentina.
Arteta has so far mitigated Arsenal’s injury woes pretty well, and it was imperative that the Gunners secured back-to-back wins before the break. A tough schedule beckons as we approach the festive period, and the boss needs some of his key players back.
While Partey and Timber won’t feature again until 2024, we should see Jesus, Odegaard, and White return for Arsenal’s trip to Brentford on 25 November. However, given the Gunners’ frenetic schedule, Arteta can ill-afford to rush any injured stars back.
Perhaps it was Arteta’s ego that convinced Arsenal to spend £65m on Kai Havertz in the summer. Despite the German scoring the game’s only goal in the 2021 Champions League final, very few of a Chelsea persuasion were devastated to see the back of the languid forward.
The start of his Arsenal career has followed a similar theme, with his most notable contribution being a reckless challenge on Sean Longstaff in the Gunners’ defeat to Newcastle which sparked a considerable debate over what the colour of the card should have been.
Havertz is yet to score from open play and has notched just one assist for his new club. Arteta is continuing to force him into the side, but he’s so far proven to be an effective target man when chasing a game. He can win headers, compete for ground duels, and press intensely, but he’s so far offered very little in possession.
Havertz has also failed to fill Granit Xhaka’s void in the left-sided number eight role – another reason for Arsenal’s attacking demise – and Arteta has to consider alternatives. Perhaps Odegaard could drift over to the opposite space, or maybe Oleksandr Zinchenko could perform higher up the pitch.
While Bukayo Saka leads the Arsenal squad with eight Premier League goal contributions, there’s no denying that the club’s two standout performers at the start of 2023/24 have been Declan Rice and William Saliba.
Saliba’s absence crippled the Gunners down the home stretch last season, and he’s started every encounter in 23/24 since recovering from a back injury. The Frenchman is establishing himself as one of the world’s best, and his profile is critical for what Arteta wants to achieve.
Rice has also barely put a foot wrong so far. He has been ubiquitous in the lineup since joining from West Ham. He’s stood up in big games and been the ultimate stabliser amid Partey’s absence. Rice is a do-it-all performer, and you can’t imagine this Gunners outfit functioning without him.
Both players will be in international action over the break, and supporters would be wise to say a prayer or two to ensure they return to London Colney unscathed.
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