Five out of their last five, in the League; top of their Champions League group with maximum points; and advancing to the next round of the Capital One Cup, having played a relatively weakened side – things are going more than okay for Arsenal. It has been an impressive opening to the season. Players have improved, the squad has improved, the mentality and tactical awareness has, too. It hasn’t just been a one dimensional change. It has been a long process, through which certain Arsenal fans all but hung Arsène Wenger out to dry.
It has been a culmination of aspects that have led to this. Signs were glaringly obvious from March. This cohesive unit won the Arsène Wenger trophy – fourth position. It’s what they’ve been assembled to do; nobody can see beyond that for the team, or even imagine it. Insulting to the team? Perhaps not. But with Aaron Ramsey seemingly having watched every Arturo Vidal video on the internet over the summer, and Olivier Giroud determined to make himself another Frenchman immortalised outside The Emirates, this team may argue its case over the nine-month-long trial that is the 2013/14 season.
The point that highlights itself to the jury is the conviction the team carry to win games. Sunderland may testify otherwise, but that would be a desperate cry from the corner of the room. Aside from the opening day of the season, the camaraderie that the squad possesses has been the most prevalent factor, linking below par performances to a fantastic string of results. They are playing for each other, and more importantly – for Wenger.
It’s not as though the entire season has been based on purely mediocre performances and great results. There has been more than the pitter-patter on the window; more than just a suggestion that the team are actually good. Wenger’s stepped back and doing what made him so successful – he’s extracting all the quality he can from each individual and injecting it into a group of players, for them all to benefit. The team has seemingly morphed into this one organism that live off each other. It’s interdependence over independence.
Olivier Giroud highlights this point in glowing resplendence. Had things gone how Wenger had initially planned this summer, Giroud would be watching Gonzalo Higuaín run defences ragged. He’d be second in line and perhaps a dejected figure. Yet he has contributed to seven goals in eight appearances. He has benefited immensely from those around him, and a certain German in particular. Mesut Özil has Arsenal fans eating out of the palm of his hand. There would be an extended culinary analogy of him ‘putting it on a plate’ for his team-mates, but that’s one I’m yet to link. Away from food and back to football: it’s his intelligence, nonchalance and efficiency with the ball at his feet that has made everybody around him an improvement, in their own right.
Arsène Wenger included. He can dare to experiment with his formations and tactics now. The last few seasons were defined by this single-minded, misplaced trust in the 4-2-3-1. Yes, that has been Arsenal’s template of formation this season, but there have been minor adjustments to particular areas that turn the entire system on its head. This is what won Arsenal the game against Napoli. The narrow five-man midfield weren’t forced from out to in; they played a natural game, which just so happened to provide width for the team. Rosicky, Ramsey and Özil drifted out when they wanted to find space; and by playing as a single entity at times, they outnumbered Napoli in wide areas. Even Giroud joined in, and that’s exactly what created the first goal.
Small things like that – that are actually pretty big – win contests over zones of the pitch. But that’s not the only area that has been reminiscent of the Wenger of old; his astute transfer activity has had a part to play. Özil certainly is the flag-bearer for that, but Flamini chasing in his jet black boots runs a close second. He has played a less refined holding role than Arteta does, but has had possibly a bigger impact – in context of battling for wins – than the Spaniard may have. Flamini’s been the emblem of the performances and paths Arsenal games have taken this season. Almost a Machiavellian ‘the end justifies the means’ sort of approach. But with no blood shed. Although, exceptions can always be made. He’s vocal, and always in your face.
But as rosy as the recent form of the team has been, there are some inescapable truths. This Arsenal squad isn’t the best in the league. That’s based purely on talent. It has a fair bit of depth, but their rivals do too, with superior quality. The Arsenal team is studded with perhaps three truly world class players. This looks like it will potentially change in time, but as of now it’s all developmental. Their only real striker, although on scintillating form, isn’t what the team has been used to. If there’s a point of stagnation in a game, you wouldn’t expect Giroud to do something outrageous that will rescue a point or salvage three. His link up play, granted: it’s good, is still very rudimentary. He needs the others around him to play – as with most strikers; but that reliance isn’t necessarily reciprocated, no matter how much attacking moves may be centred around his positioning.
Another concern is that tireless cliché: ‘They aren’t used to winning trophies. They don’t know how to do it.’ It is an annoying statement, where one would assume that quality would render it impertinent; but it does hold true to a certain extent.
Even on that grim note, the ambition, the optimism and the renewed belief has laced itself into the Emirates air. Fans have plenty to be positive about. They aren’t just signs anymore – they are tangibles. But it must all be approached with caution. This season, even if it doesn’t end in obtaining silverware could be the transition season. When you’re flying high, there’s a lot to lose, but even more to gain.
If you find yourself doubting Wenger, just remember: he’s the man who prised Mesut Özil away from Real Madrid.
