Are Arsenal now able to convey the largest trophies again to North London?
On Tuesday night time, the Gunners despatched out a severe assertion by smashing Atlético Madrid 4-0 within the Champions League, all of the targets coming throughout a 12-minute second-half scoring spree.
New striker Viktor Gyökeres scored twice, easing a number of the stress on his shoulders, whereas fellow summer season signing Martín Zubimendi put in one other eye-catching show.
Thus, the additions made this summer season have elevated Mikel Arteta’s staff to a different degree, however is steadiness one of many under-the-radar the explanation why the Gunners have discovered red-hot type of late?
Arsenal’s right-sided bias
Throughout their earlier title challenges, a excessive proportion of Arsenal’s assaults have come down their proper flank.
The Gunners’ peak type below Arteta got here in the course of the second half of the 2023/24 marketing campaign, profitable 16 of 18 Premier League matches, with the Benjamin White, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka attacking trident down the right-hand aspect, by far, their most harmful outlet.
As documented by the Athletic, the commonest mixture would see White overlapping, thereby making area for Saka, with Ødegaard’s major activity to seek out one or the opposite, this functioning because of White’s ‘energetic and well-timed runs’ alongside Ødegaard’s ‘beautiful passing’ in addition to Saka’s ‘dribbling means [which] forces groups to double up on him’
Meantime, the Telegraph outlined {that a} whopping 45% of their assaults final season got here down the appropriate flank, up from 38% and 41% the earlier two campaigns, making this a transparent sample throughout an elongated time period, one thing they describe as a difficulty when the opposition are capable of nullify this.
We may have included dozens of targets to reveal the risk Arsenal pose down their right-hand aspect, however Kai Havertz’s late winner towards Brentford in March 2024 illustrates it properly.
Now, latest acquisitions have made Arteta’s staff considerably extra balanced, now not solely reliant on some Saka magic, whereas neither White nor Ødegaard have featured notably a lot, for numerous causes, up to now this season.
Thus, Arteta has reshaped his left aspect, so has this turn out to be equally as efficient?
Arsenal’s new look artistic left-side
The place as soon as Oleksandr Zinchenko stood as Arsenal’s marauding left-back, Riccardo Calafiori is the present occupant of that place.
The Italian has began all eight Premier League video games up to now, paradoxically described as each ”defensively very strong’ and “essentially the most electrifying man in sports activities leisure” following final weekend’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The desk beneath paperwork Calaifori’s significance this season.
Calafiori’s PL stats 2025/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats | Calafiori | PL rank |
Minutes | 614 | sixth |
Targets | 1 | fifth |
Assists | 2 | 1st |
Photographs | 16 | 2nd |
Shot-creating actions | 17 | 4th |
Objective-creating actions | 5 | 1st |
Progressive carries | 16 | 4th |
Tackles | 12 | third |
Clearances | 20 | third |
Ball recoveries | 30 | 2nd |
Stats by way of FBref | ||
Because the desk notes, amazingly, solely Gyökeres has tried extra pictures amongst Arsenal gamers within the Premier League this season, whereas the Italian is contributing throughout all areas of the pitch, together with the actual fact he is second solely to Declan Rice by way of ball recoveries.
Nevertheless, as White can testify from the opposite flank, a full-back going ahead is just nearly as good because the gamers he has in entrance of him, so may Eberechi Eze be that man for Calafiori?
Proper now, the England worldwide is being deployed extra in the direction of the appropriate, deputising for Ødegaard, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, each of whom have scored essential targets this week, time-sharing on the left flank.
However, Eze’s pure tendency is to float to the left, one thing he is having to battle towards for the time being.
Thus, analyst Ben Mattinson posited again in 2024 that the pair could possibly be one thing of a “left-sided White and Saka”, noting that there are “a variety of similarities”, including that Calafiori is a “higher service” and Eze is “artistic”, concluding that this could possibly be sufficient to fireplace Arsenal to the Premier League title.
The person who arrived from Crystal Palace, an excessive amount of pleasure, in August notched his third help for Arsenal on Tuesday, organising the primary of Gyökeres’ two targets, whereas he himself opened his Gunners account at Port Vale within the EFL Cup final month.
As Arteta searches for extra central creativity, Eze has frequently been deployed by means of the center up to now, however has began on the left too.
The most effective instance of what he’s able to from a wider place got here towards Nottingham Forest, bursting in behind to get on the top of a pushed ball excessive by, you guessed it, Calafiori, earlier than squaring it for Gyökeres to faucet residence.
This purpose may show to be simply an amuse bouche of what this £110m pair are capable of contribute this season so, if Arsenal’s left aspect turns into wherever close to as potent as their proper, supporters have each purpose to consider that this genuinely could possibly be their 12 months.
