Arsenal, the boss is not incognito / Premier League / J21 / Arsenal-MU (3-2) / January 22, 2023 / SOFOOT.com

Never since its opening in July 2006 has the Emirates Stadium looked like a fire. Again this season, when Eddie Nketiah put the ball into the net and handed the win to 90^e up to the minute Gunners, in a very high-profile clash against Manchester United, Arsenal’s den rose as one and howled the glory of his team, allergic to defeat. By washing away the humiliation of their only defeat on Old Trafford turf this season in the first leg, Arsenal also cemented their unbeaten status – or nearly so – and kept their pursuers at bay in the race for the Premier League title. After twenty league games this season, the question is no longer when Arsenal will falter, but how they can escape the title. Gunners.

A collective scattered on the streets

The scenario of the match against MU perfectly sums up what Arsenal have been this season: thanks to Mikel Arteta’s perfectly organized collective, the team is effective both in attack and defense (second offense and second defense in the championship) and able to dominate their opponents. Count on individual exploits in hot moments, such as Aaron Ramsdale’s parade past Marcus Rashford or even Bukayo Saka’s sumptuous goal this Sunday. Especially when producing a compelling game Gunners alternate between express transition stages and possession stages to find the correct transition. “It was a very passionate match full of emotionsadmitted Arteta after the meeting. We couldn’t have had a better game, especially in the second half, our performance was exceptional. We knew how to be patient and decisive at the same time. We never panicked because we always believed that victory was possible tonight. Several times we were able to clear the surface, but were unsuccessful. Fortunately, we were rewarded in the end. » An unsettling and unsettling calm, as Arsenal have accustomed us to for centuries.

“Arsenal” made 63 touches in the box of “Manchester United” in this match. To date, no side has scored more goals in a game of the Premier League in 2022-2023.#AFK #UNSARM pic.twitter.com/s0rgwT5klr

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 22, 2023

Mikel Arteta’s great victory is also due to the integration and use of his players since the beginning of the season. Defensively, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester City tried two winning bets: Alexander Zinchenko replaced Emirates darling Kieran Tierney on the left wing, thus offering the Spanish coach the luxury of having an extra organizer. Ben White moved to the right after the quick integration of himself and William Saliba into central defense in the center of play in the attacking phases. As such, the England international has become a defender who runs in his lane while offering defensive stability. In the middle, the duo of Granit Xhaka-Thomas Partey, after two years of struggle, the Swiss was finally looking for himself and the Ghanaian chained injuries, behind Martin Ødegaard, the outstanding leader, finally justified the victory. the hype around him when he was fifteen. Finally, Arteta hit three blasters to find the winning combination in front: Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. Even when he is hit hard by the Brazilian centre-forward’s injury, he can count on Eddie Nketiah, who is a true clone of Jesus and can play with precision as a second. outshining teammates and solving delicate situations like this Sunday evening’s life-saving stunt.

The air of invincibles

This 2022-2023 vintage from Arsenal looks week-to-week with no real flaws and has had a number of good performances. With 16 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss in 19 games this season Gunners they are making the best start to the season in their history and have 50 points at the halfway point, plus 15 points out of 18 points. The big six, Arsenal’s weak spot for years. Statistics that “Manchester City” and “Liverpool” have become accustomed to in recent seasons. However Reds, like Chelsea and Tottenham, is very disappointing for the moment, with only Manchester City trying to keep up with Arsenal, with a five-point gap, but a game more controversial. With Arsenal not lifting the Premier League trophy since 2004, the year of the Invincibles, there is plenty of controversy to keep you dreaming in north London. If the story looks good, we will have to wait until February 15 and shock citizens to really believe it, because happiness has eluded the Emirates Stadium for fifteen years.

By Fabien Gelinat