Premier League. Gabriel Jesus, Saliba, maturity… The reasons for Arsenal’s hot start to the season

Erling Haaland stuns, day after day, the Premier League. His latest victim? Manchester United, pulverized in a one-way derby (6-3), where the Norwegian offered himself a hat-trick, taking his tally to 14 goals in eight rounds. However, his Citizens do not sit at the top of the English championship. Blame it on Londoners Arsenal, surprising leader of the Premier League, with 7 wins in 8 games.

First perceived as an abnormality, observers and supporters are beginning to get used to this idea of ​​seeing the “Gunners” leaders of a ranking which is already delivering its first verdicts, as evidenced by the catastrophic start to the season for Leicester (20th, 1 point). Only Manchester City (20 points) manages to maintain the pace of Mikel Arteta’s players (21 points).

Apart from a misstep at Old Trafford (3-1 defeat), Arsenal therefore made a perfect start. Sometimes mocked for having benefited from an affordable opening calendar (Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth and Fulham), the Gunners responded in the North London derby (3-1). Facing Tottenham, Martin Ødegaard and his friends recited their football, confirming their good dispositions, affirming their ambitions.

Gabriel Jesus, the X factor

Good arrangements which confirm the excellent work done in the off-season by Mikel Arteta and his managers. Last season, despite a disappointing 5th place, Arsenal had laid much of the foundation needed for a return to the fore. With the confirmation of Bukayo Saka as the star of the team, the affirmation of Martin Ødegaard (named captain this summer), the revelation of Aaron Ramsdale, the framework of a team that can play for the top places has appeared. But a piece was missing from the puzzle: a center forward capable of tipping the Gunners into a new dimension.

This rare pearl, Arsenal found it in the person of Gabriel Jesus. And the Londoners did not look too far, stealing it from Manchester City against fifty million euros. The arrival of Jesus, the third Gabriel of the name after Gabriel Maghalaes and Gabriel Martinelli, transformed the offensive animation of the Gunners.

More pressing, more available but above all more decisive than Alexandre Lacazette, Jesus was quick to put the Emirates Stadium in his pocket. Seven goals in pre-season, five achievements and three assists in the league, the Brazilian has acclimatized perfectly to Arteta’s system. It must be said that the two men know each other well after the passage of the Spanish technician as assistant to Pep Guardiola in Manchester.

“He creates chaos, he creates uncertainty and he is always on your back, underlined the Gunners coach at the end of July. He’s always there to steal the ball from you, he’s always in front of goal. » Capable of both brilliant inspiration like his first goal against Leicester and a snatch goal like the one against SpursJesus fully assumes the status of attacking leader, a status he had never had under Guardiola.

Saliba – Xhaka, comebacks

The arrival of the Auriverde transformed Arsenal. But he’s not the only one to have had a key impact on the Gunners’ new face. After being strolled on loan (Saint-Étienne, Nice, Marseille), William Saliba has finally put his luggage in London. This time, the Frenchman had his chance in Mikel Arteta’s eleven. And that’s an understatement to say that it lived up to expectations.

Impressive with solidity and lucidity, Saliba charmed the Emirates supporters. Elected man of the match for his first Premier League meeting, the former Marseillais even has his own song to the tune of the famous song “Tequila”. “Arsenal fans are going to be excited about Saliba for a long time. slipped Jamie Caragher, the former defender of Liverpool, at the microphone of Sky Sports. I think it’s a safe bet. »

Pushing Ben White to the right-back position, where the 24-year-old Englishman adapted brilliantly, William Saliba became indisputable in London, where he started all Premier League matches.

But in London, the Frenchman is not the only one to have won the hearts of the fans. Granit Xhaka, just 30, has just pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks in English football history. At the end of 2019, when he gave up his place under the whistles during a match against Crystal Palace, the Swiss had insulted the supporters. As a result, he was dismissed from his role as captain by Unai Emery.

“Three years ago, I left, explained Xhaka to CBS Sport. My bags were packed, but I had a meeting with Mikel when he came – he wanted to hear my opinion on what had happened and I explained to him. Obviously I knew his name but not the person and I said ‘I’m gone, I can’t wear the Arsenal shirt anymore’. He said: “Give me a chance for six months and if you are still not satisfied after six months, I will help you leave if you want”. I haven’t told anyone about it and normally I don’t do that. But I said, ‘OK, Mikel, I’ll stay for you.’ And I’m still here. »

Three years later, Xhaka is therefore still an Arsenal player, has worn the captain’s armband again and is making his best start to the season since signing in 2016. Since the arrival of Oleksander Zinchenko, who is positioned in the Focus on the phases of possession of the Gunners, the Swiss evolves higher on the ground. A new role that he seems to fully appreciate, as evidenced by his statistics.

With two goals and three assists, the Swiss international is already more decisive in eight games than in all of last season. As a symbol, he too has the right to his song this season: “We have Granit Xhaka! “.

The season of maturity?

The youngest squad in the Premier League last season, Arsenal sometimes paid for their lack of experience. The disappointment of missing the Champions League inevitably matured Bukayo Saka (21 years old), Gabriel Martinelli (21 years old), Emile Smith-Rowe (22 years old) and another Martin Ødegaard (23 years old).

This youth, Mikel Arteta sees it as a real strength. The signings of Gabriel Jesus (25) and Fabio Vieira (22) also go in this direction. The Spaniard wants to draw a line under the previous generation, where thirtysomethings like Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Mesut Özil have not always met the expectations placed on them.

Against Brentford (0-3) or Crystal Palace (0-2), Arsenal constantly seemed in control. A new attitude, which contrasts with past periods when the Gunners have sometimes yielded to pressure in meetings supposed to be within their reach. “Arsenal showed things they haven’t always shown in the past, including a lot of control, analyzes the consultant Philippe Auclair, at the microphone ofEurope 1. The Gunners have answered questions about the quality of this team and its ambitions. Nobody, not even Antonio Conte, had anything to say about the victory of the Arteta players (if you derby). »

It remains to be seen how far this team can go. Often attractive in the game, the Gunners seem to have passed a course. If they are still far behind Manchester City and even Liverpool, the Londoners now have all the cards to finally find the Champions League. If they manage to navigate between injuries (Partey, Zinchenko, Ødegaard or even Smith-Rowe have all missed at least one game this season), the top 4 are reaching out to them.

The shock against Liverpool next Sunday (5:30 p.m.) has everything from the ideal opportunity to bury the former Arsenal definitively and finally dream of bright days.

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