A special moment unfolded in the Arsenal dressing room after the North London derby. The club released a video on social media showing all the players returning to the tunnel after the 4-1 win over Tottenham. The spotlight was firmly on Eberechi Eze, the hero of the hat-trick. Clown Hincapie replaced Gabriel with a flawless performance.
Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard were also exceptional. After the match, Bukayo Saka was seen happily dancing to the music. Those scenes were really moving. And surprisingly, it wasn’t just their problem. Players such as Victor Gokeres and Martin Odegaard were waiting in the locker room. Even the injured players wanted to join in the fun.
Gabriel was no exception. He joined the celebrations as he left the pitch wearing an Arsenal scarf.
All of the absent players, and quite a few, were keen to take part in the celebrations. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are popular and valuable members of the team.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has often spoken about unity within his team and spoke about the dressing room celebrations and what it meant to his players.
Of course, rival fans may argue that this is completely normal. And it’s exactly what you would expect.
But this is football. There are egos, there are disgruntled players, and there are players who don’t want to celebrate even though they’re not playing.
You might be surprised.
Some soccer players get scared when they get injured and don’t show any interest in recovering. Jesus is a classic example of the opposite. He is enthusiastic, can’t wait to get back on the pitch and is an incredibly positive influence.
Gokeres are very motivated. His thinking is outstanding.
Odegaard is a strong leader and highly respected captain. You don’t have to be a fancy gladiator to lead.
Arteta praises Odegaard for setting the pace and leading the press. If you understand football, you know this is what today’s courageous leaders look like.
Mikel Merino had a strange game. At first, I had a hard time playing with my back to the goal.
He dropped deeper, played with the goal in front of him, and was great after that. This is another proof that the player is a valuable team member.
This group has a cohesiveness that comes from winning. But that’s not all.
Arteta and Arsenal are looking for someone with particular character. They’re looking for players who can help unify the locker room. This is a serious player.
He has enjoyed success with Bayer Leverkusen, giving Ecuador a reputation as a World Cup dark horse. They have great players.
Arsenal signed a player who came in knowing he might have to play second fiddle to Gabriel for a while. But they’ve clearly done their homework and are going to take a chance this time, as he patiently waited his turn.
He didn’t make a single mistake.
This is all about squad building. Arteta strongly believes Arsenal have what it takes to win this season’s title.
They’re in it together. Arsenal have a tough fixture list ahead of them.
You will need rest and rotation. Wednesday is Bayern Munich.
Chelsea on Sunday.
Next week we play Brentford on Wednesday night, followed by an away game at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. That is truly a crime.
However, some would expect the Premier League to intervene at some point after football authorities rearranged the Crystal Palace Carabao Cup draw to ease the competition. Anyone?
This is when the depth of the team becomes important. And all the big guns will be back in the coming weeks and games.
