Arsenal supporters are having fun right now. It must be weirdly disconcerting to outsiders who’ve spent the last decade reaching for the popcorn while we bicker about anything and everything.
Why are we enjoying ourselves? Because we like what we see. We have a young, vibrant team that inspires belief, a manager who has a clear plan and owners who appear to have woken up after years sleeping at the wheel. The direction of travel is upwards. Momentum and optimism is growing. The Emirates is a cauldron of noise. And the results are coming.
Don’t get me wrong, beating four middling sides over the course of a month is not proof that the Gunners are world beaters. Far from it. However, the performances have been very encouraging. Gabriel Jesus feels like the missing piece of a puzzle, we have strength in depth in almost every position, the team is tactically versatile and you sense a real determination to put right the disappointing end to last season.
Arsenal are not going to win the Premier League – this is not a controversial statement – but we may well end our Champions League exodus and win a few hearts and minds along the way.
Elliot Smith, host of Arsenal Vision podcast
It has been a dream start to the season for Arsenal fans, but while sceptics might point to a forgiving run of fixtures as a reason to dismiss the hype, I think that overlooks a few crucial early data points.
Firstly, there’s Gabriel Jesus’ scintillating form. Arsenal invested in the idea that Jesus could be the centre-forward that was missing last season. Some doubted his capabilities for the role but he’s already shown that he’s a fit for the way Mikel Arteta wants his striker to play.
Beyond Jesus’s influence, there have already been important contributions from William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Arsenal’s last two seasons were derailed in large part thanks to injuries at the back; with Saliba and Zinchenko in the fold and playing well, Arsenal have managed a perfect opening to the season despite limited minutes for Kieran Tierney or Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom are just back from injury. A few months ago, that would’ve been unthinkable.
Lastly, there’s clear improvement in Arsenal’s attack overall. Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Jesus have shown a great understanding together and combined with a more intense pressing system, Arsenal have built the kind of attack needed to push up the table.
Crazier things have happened than Arsenal going on to win the title, but even if that’s not ultimately the prize on offer, the early signs suggest Arsenal will be difficult to dislodge from the top four come May.
