Mikel Arteta is bringing a feel-good issue again to Arsenal not seen because the days of the Invincibles, in response to Martin Keown.
The Gunners have made an exquisite begin to the brand new season and went into the worldwide break sitting prime of the Premier League with six wins from seven matches performed.
With a crunch conflict with north London rivals Tottenham developing, it’s time for Arteta’s facet to show they’ve what it takes to mount a real title problem.
Within the 2003/04 season, Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger led his facet to the Premier League title with out shedding a single fixture over the course of the marketing campaign.
That run ultimately stretched to 49 video games and signaled probably the most dominant spells in English soccer historical past, in addition to making historical past with a report that’s nonetheless but to be crushed.
Whereas Arteta’s facet are at the moment a way off such an achievement, issues seem like heading in the right direction, with a powerful summer season switch window rapidly paying dividends on the pitch.
Gabriel Jesus has arrived from Man Metropolis to provide the Gunners an attacking aptitude they’ve lacked over current years, whereas they’ve shored up on the again, too, with William Saliba rising as one of many prime younger defensive skills in Europe and Oleksandr Zinchenko bringing a brand new menace from full-back.
And, on the eve of what could possibly be a defining derby conflict at house towards their greatest rivals, Arsenal legend Keown insists issues are wanting up within the crimson half of north London and the ‘electrical energy’ of the Emirates Stadium is again.
Talking on White and Jordan, Keown mentioned: “These guys are actually constructing a popularity, that’s one thing that doesn’t occur in a single day.
“I keep in mind standing in a tunnel and individuals are Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit and considering, ‘that is over earlier than it begins’ – however that took a very long time.
“From 1997 to once we went unbeaten in 2004, it was about constructing a popularity. Now, they’re constructing it once more.
“Everybody thought Arsenal had a gentle underbelly however that’s not fairly there any extra.
“The 2 central defenders, Saliba and Gabriel, they’re two robust males. They’re robust and win the battles.
“Even Granit Xhaka is now turning into a fan favorite. Who would have thought that was going to occur? So there’s a change happening.
“Arsenal are reemerging.
“I’ve been actually immensely impressed with Arsenal this season, it’s a special Arsenal.
“To go to Brentford and win as they did, emphatically… should you go 12 months in the past it was a horrible begin for Arsenal towards the identical workforce, however they nearly bullied Brentford this time, performed them at their very own recreation.
“Arsenal are actually going by means of the gears. The Spurs gamers who will stroll into that stadium tomorrow on the Emirates will see one thing very completely different.
“It’s a unified floor now with the followers and gamers, they completely 100 per cent imagine on this workforce and there’s an electrical energy the Spurs gamers wouldn’t have seen or performed towards earlier than.
“Arsenal have momentum, they’re profitable video games, they’re going after groups, they’re not sitting again – they’re doing what the Invincibles would have accomplished, or the early Arsenal groups.
“It’s a return to an Arsenal workforce that we as soon as knew.
“Standing of their means is a extremely excellent supervisor with a rather well oiled workforce in Antonio Conte and Tottenham, he actually is a prime, prime coach and they’re unbeaten this season.
“So it’s an enormous recreation and it’s actually tough to name. The place Arsenal and Spurs are, it’s as whilst I can keep in mind it, ever.
“I really feel it might be an enormous disappointment for Spurs in the event that they weren’t to win a trophy. That is the perfect Spurs squad I’ve seen in years.
“However I felt every time we performed these video games that it was extra about enjoying not together with your coronary heart, however enjoying together with your head. Throughout you there’s a storm – the followers, the noise…
“Once I look again at a few of these video games, I’ve seen all of it, however what we’re seeing now’s the closest these two golf equipment have ever been, and that’s when there’s extra using on it than ever.
