Mikel Arteta has built a great team at the Emirates but will be keen to win silver, especially after Tuesday night’s statement win.
The problem with declaring victory is that the expectation level suddenly rises. That’s exactly what Arsenal crushed Atletico Madrid with four goals in the Champions League.
Suddenly, people were talking about whether they could win, whether they should win, and whether this could be their year. Also on Amazon Prime TV commentary, John Champion stated that Arsenal are contenders for both the Champions League and Premier League.
His co-commentator Alan Shearer was quick to back that up, effectively saying there were no excuses for Mikel Arteta, he had to get one win. But can he actually win both? Is it realistic? Yes, that’s right. But Shearer is right. They must win at least one game.
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Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, losing to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, but still clearly showed they have the pedigree and experience to be one of the main contenders.
Arsenal lead the Premier League with three points ahead of Manchester City and four points ahead of Liverpool, with bookmakers pegging Arteta’s side as clear favorites to win the title.
After a summer spending spree of over £300m, they field a phenomenal squad, arguably the best Arteta has had in almost six years in charge. Whether it is the best team or not remains to be seen, as that will only be proven by which team wins. Liverpool had their best season last season and spent a lot of money in the summer, so it’s hard to argue that their season is their best.
But one thing is clear: Arsenal have the depth and quality to rival any of their rivals in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Gabriel Martinelli was the absolute standout against Atlético, even in one of the areas that probably had some question marks, namely the left flank. His attitude and drive were sensational.
Victor Goqueres took some time to settle down, but one of the main reasons Arsenal signed him from Sporting Lisbon was because he not only scored a lot of goals in the Portuguese league, but also in the Champions League, including a hat-trick against Manchester City.
Gokeres scored twice against Atletico and gave a lovely post-match interview with CBS, sharing a laugh with Thierry Henry, Mika Richards and Jamie Carragher. He talked about winning trophies and improving his game. But if you ever needed to prove the value of postgame interviews, this was the perfect tool.
Gökeres looked confident and very good, and if there had been any doubts before, this actually showed that he has conviction, humility, and style. There’s a lot in the football fishbowl about perception and he could easily change the cynic’s view in that interview.
Arsenal are very solid at the back. They kept clean sheets for fun and Gabriel was an absolute monster as he was great in scoring, assisting and defending.
Bukayo Saka was very sharp in the first half. But perhaps most impressively, Atlético started the second half well and Arsenal responded by stepping in and slamming home four goals in 13 minutes. What a reaction! It was breathtaking.
This type of result attracts attention and adds to the pressure. Arteta has won one trophy in almost six years, the FA Cup, and there is no doubt that he will have to win another trophy this year, perhaps even bigger.
Everything is very positive right now and the club really loves Arteta. There’s no question he’s under pressure internally.
But you’d be kidding yourself to think that the fanbase – who, let’s be honest, should have some right to (I said it)) – wouldn’t be outraged if Arsenal ended this season empty-handed.
There is a lot of promise and talent and Arsenal need to make this their year. They certainly have the depth on the team to do that.
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