Are Arsenal able to deliver residence the most important trophy in North London?
On Tuesday night time, the Gunners made an enormous assertion by beating Atletico Madrid 4-0 within the Champions League, with all of their objectives coming in a 12-minute second half.
New striker Victor Gokeres scored twice to take a number of the stress off his shoulders, whereas fellow summer season signing Martin Zvimendi produced one other eye-catching efficiency.
The signings made this summer season have thus taken Mikel Arteta’s aspect to a different stage, however is stability one of many under-the-radar causes for the Gunners’ latest run of kind?
Arsenal’s proper aspect bias
Throughout their final title problem, the vast majority of Arsenal’s assaults got here from the proper flank.
Arteta’s Gunners’ finest kind got here within the second half of the 2023/24 season, once they received 16 of their 18 Premier League video games, with Benjamin White, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka attacking the trident from a distance from the proper, their most harmful outlet.
As famous by The Athletic, the most typical combos contain White overlapping, thereby creating area for Saka, and Odegaard’s foremost process is to seek out one or the opposite, and this works due to White’s “energetic and well-timed runs”, Odegaard’s “beautiful passing”, and Saka’s “dribbling capability (which makes groups double for him)”.
In the meantime, the Telegraph explains {that a} whopping 45% of assaults final season got here from the proper flank, up from 38% and 41% within the earlier two seasons, and that this has been a transparent sample over time and turns into an issue when opponents can neutralize this.
They might have included dozens of objectives to indicate the menace Arsenal pose from the proper, however Kai Havertz’s late successful purpose towards Brentford in March 2024 is an efficient instance of that.
Now, whereas Arteta’s squad has change into way more balanced with latest signings and is not reliant solely on a number of Saka Magic gamers, neither Whyte nor Odegaard have been notably spectacular to date this season for quite a lot of causes.
Arteta has thus reshaped his left flank, however has this change into simply as efficient?
Arsenal’s new look artistic left aspect
The place Oleksandr Zinchenko as soon as stood as Arsenal’s phenomenal left-back, that place is now occupied by Riccardo Calafioli.
The Italian has began all eight Premier League video games to date, and after final weekend’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, the Italian was paradoxically described as each “very stable defensively” and “probably the most thrilling man in sports activities leisure”.
The desk under reveals the significance of Kalaifoli this season.
Calafiori’s PL statistics 2025/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
statistics | Calafioli | PL rank |
minutes | 614 | sixth place |
the purpose | 1 | fifth place |
help | 2 | 1st place |
shot | 16 | second |
The motion that creates the shot | 17 | 4th place |
Motion to set objectives | 5 | 1st place |
progressive carry | 16 | 4th place |
deal with | 12 | third place |
clearance | 20 | third place |
Variety of balls collected | 30 | second |
Statistics by FBref | ||
Because the desk reveals, surprisingly, Gokeres is the one Arsenal participant who has tried extra pictures within the Premier League this season, whereas the Italian has contributed in all areas of the pitch, together with the truth that he’s second solely to Declan Rice in ball recoveries.
However as White can attest from the opposite aspect, a ahead full-back is just pretty much as good because the participant in entrance of him. So might Eberechi Eze be that participant for Calafioli?
The England worldwide is presently substituted on the proper for Odegaard, with Leandro Trossard, who scored the decisive purpose this week, and Gabriel Martinelli sharing time on the left.
However, Eze’s pure tendency is to float to the left, and he has to battle it in the intervening time.
Analyst Ben Mattinson due to this fact postulated in 2024 that the pair might change into one thing like “Whyte and Saka on the left wing”, noting that there are “many similarities”, including that Calafioli has “a wonderful profession” and Eze “artistic”, concluding that this may very well be sufficient to guide Arsenal to the Premier League title.
The person, who arrived from Crystal Palace in August, was so excited that he supplied his third help for Arsenal on Tuesday, organising the primary of Gokeres’ two objectives, whereas he himself opened his account for the Gunners with Port Vale within the EFL Cup final month.
Eze, who has beforehand been frequently deployed within the center, can be beginning on the left as Arteta seems to be for extra central creativity.
The most effective instance of his capability from huge positions was towards Nottingham Forest, when, as you may anticipate, Calafioli dived from behind on the sting of a pushed ball that went excessive and squared it for Gökeres to fit into the purpose.
This purpose might show to be only a pastime to indicate what this £110m pair can contribute this season, so if Arsenal’s left aspect might be as robust as their proper aspect, supporters have each cause to consider this might really be their yr.
