Last season, Arsenal established themselves as the Premier League’s most popular club, a team that used freedom and self-expression to search for something they couldn’t understand. When this top prize came into view, they were understandably a little shocked by its size.
This season, especially away from home, Arsenal are a completely different animal. They were the competition’s top away scorers in the 2022–2023 season. They have scored nine goals in six away games this season, four of them at Bournemouth. None of this is intentional. Arsenal appear to be having a tougher time this season, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli mostly at double grades and Martin Odegaard well below his previous best.
But under these circumstances, the team has to find new ways to win. November is still underway and Arsenal have won three away games against weaker opponents (Crystal Palace, Everton, Brentford) where they have had to dig deeper. A 10-man battle at Selhurst Park, crucial substitutions at Goodison and a late winner at the Gtech Stadium.
This is why Mikel Arteta has always been so active. When the going gets tough, you need the trust of your supporters. This trust depends on the ability to trust the leader to make the most important decisions correctly. The two biggest decisions Arteta made this summer were the signing of Kai Havertz and the change of goalkeepers. Aaron Ramsdale faltered, but Arsenal kept a clean sheet. Havertz has been a huge disappointment this season but eventually scored from open play.
And so faith is restored. Arsenal are different, there is no doubt about that. You don’t run from the front for the middle distance. But this does not necessarily mean that they are worse.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.