Looks like we will have, six years after Leicester’s surprising victory, another unexpected winner in the Premier League. But is Arsenal really a surprise?
There’s something big and surprising happening in North London. More to the point: a new era has begun at Arsenal London – the post-Arsene Wenger era.
After years of wandering and half-measures, after making a fool of itself not once, and after even being at the bottom of the table, Arsenal has reinvented itself.
Arteta’s recipe: a matter of philosophy
It’s clear: Arsenal London has strength again and is clearly following a vision. The architect of this spectacular transformation is undoubtedly Mikel Arteta. A young manager in his forties, a decade (and a bit) younger than Pep Guardiola. A manager who took an idea from Guardiola: the idea of an infinite passing net. A spider’s web that no one in the Premier League can resist today. An idea that he has refined and brought to near perfection because he has the right people in front of him. It’s not just that.
Of course, Xavi’s Barcelona has possession and Lewandowski is in attack, but there’s something sterile, artificial, and ineffective about the Catalans’ game. At Arsenal London the system is alive and kicking. The question is in the right place: why?
Xhaqa the practitioner: a matter of hard work and speed thinking
Because it also has Xhaqa, capable of filtering passes, pushing play forward, putting on the brakes and changing direction, capable of both impressive work rate and excellent speed thinking. Perhaps the most underrated footballer of his generation, Xhaqa today looks the closest to the portrait of the 2020s midfielder. He is what Kanté was in the 2010s.
So Arteta has taught Arsenal the lesson of possession. If you have the ball and if the players don’t make big mistakes, you win. You also need, of course, at least two more aces up your sleeve. And Arsenal and Arteta have them: Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus. Those two Brazilians are such a good fit at Arsenal London because Brazil and Arsenal have, over the years, shared the same philosophy about football. Arsenal’s recent history and Brazil’s ancient history sit on a slightly naive defensive. But when they also manage to defend, Arsenal and Brazil simply become unstoppable.
Plus the wings of perfect flight: Martinelli and Jesus
It’s the most fashionable question in England these days: can Arsenal London take the title? It’s curious and funny that it’s asked: why can’t they? Just because Manchester City and Liverpool are, seen even from Paris, in the Golden Ball ranking, the best European clubs to date (although Real Madrid have won and will win the Champions League)?! Of course, Arsenal can go all the way.
On one condition sine qua non: that its engine doesn’t get the flu – meaning that the wings it flies on don’t get injured. Without Martinelli and Jesus, Arsenal would remain a pass factory, but nothing more.
And the Londoners have another advantage: they don’t play in the Champions League. Their European day is on Thursdays, which means they don’t get lose their morale and can often protect their key players. The Europa League remains a leisure competition.
Pure football
But England has a long, hard league, and there are also the Cups where quintessential British football is played: pure, hard football. In the past Arsenal have suffered badly from injuries. If this cycle resumes, then the title will most likely still go to Manchester. Liverpool (though they narrowly beat City) and Chelsea seem to be on the downward slide though.
So far, the revelation of the autumn in Europe is Arsenal London. Far from the brilliance of the Bergkamp-Henry generation, but closer than ever in the post Arsene-era to another title. With Arteta’s recipe. Who would have bet? Anyone who watches football carefully and understands how the game works, of course.
