England leaders Arsenal: From rubble to title contender – Sport

The player who is a prime example of Arsenal’s recent history had an inkling that this season could be different. “I already said it in preparation: Something special can happen this year,” said Granit Xhaka late on Sunday afternoon. Something special, that’s first of all an abstract formulation that doesn’t necessarily mean that the story will be a fairy tale, i.e. maybe even end with a championship. But you don’t need to look far into the future anyway: The fact that FC Arsenal is at the top of the table after the tenth matchday of the Premier League is special enough.

A rapid 3-2 win against Liverpool meant not only that Jürgen Klopp and his team had an unprecedentedly bad start to the season in tenth place, but also that the currently best team in England is once again coming from the capital. Manchester City won again 4-0, this time against Southampton, and of course Erling Haaland scored again. But: Arsenal FC is one point ahead.

It’s not all a coincidence, as one might have thought after a passable start to the season. Rather, the rise of the north Londoners is the result of a much-touted process, this expression has become a dictum at Arsenal: “Trust the Process”. It is a process that shows what patience can lead to: last year it almost failed.

A year ago Arsenal were last without a point, Arteta’s credit was wasted

At the end of August 2021, Arsenal FC was bottom without a point after a 5-0 loss to City. Mikel Arteta, then as now the youngest coach in the Premier League, was accused by the media and fans as the main culprit: the experiment with talent on the bench had failed, they said, and someone of the caliber of Arsène Wenger was urgently needed again. Even as a former Arsenal player, Arteta didn’t get credit. Well-known, albeit feisty, TV presenter and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan summed it up: “This is f****** shambles”.

A verdict that was easy to agree with during the first half of the season: in terms of play, it was enough against middle-class teams, but not against the elite. And when captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sacked and sold after an internal dispute in the winter, it appeared to be another sordid chapter in the long-established club’s decline.

Arteta changed the defensive balance. That gives the offensive room for creativity

Before Aubameyang, Xhaka was kicked out as captain in autumn 2019 because he verbally abused the supporters after a game. The then coach Unai Emery suspended him. Arteta pardoned the Swiss after his arrival in December, but Xhaka had to pay for his stay by serving as a scapegoat for a year and a half – even in the spring of 2020, when the club and the US owner family Kroenke were massively attacked because Arsenal was one wanted to be the breakaway club swapping the Premier League for the Super League.

In this context, it is remarkable how effervescent the cheering echoed through the Emirates Stadium for the first time this year. Not just because the Super League is history for now, but also because skeptical players like Xhaka are playing better than ever. A title candidate has emerged from the rubble.

Arteta came as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach with the vision of courageous possession football, which initially failed because the team consisted of a collection of complicated individuals who could not be pushed into a concept. It’s no coincidence that two keys to success are Man City signings Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. Jesus scores more goals than under Guardiola, he recently said that he finally felt “free” again. Zinchenko reinterprets the role of full-back and moves the game more to the center – putting Xhaka in the spotlight.

Once a scapegoat, now a celebrated playmaker: The Swiss Granit Xhaka is no longer just a defensive sweeper, but is increasingly directing Arsenal’s offensive.

(Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Swiss can no longer only be seen as a ball distributor and defensive six as in the past, but is increasingly pushing forward on the offensive: only Kevin De Bruyne has prepared more shots than Xhaka, who also repeatedly appeared in the opposing penalty area against Liverpool. These overlaps create freedom for the offensive faction: Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and especially Bukayo Saka are responsible for the record of eight home wins in a row with 24 goals. Against Liverpool it was above all the creativity of the three that made the difference: Arsenal appear determined and, with Jesus as a goalscorer, extremely dangerous.

Saka scored twice against Liverpool, and he can also be included in the list of those who have played their way back into hearts: the missed penalty in the 2021 European Championship final and subsequent racist failures accompanied the 21-year-old throughout last season, this year he is one of the best players in the league.

Jürgen Klopp also needed two years with Liverpool FC before success came

In terms of play, the victories against Tottenham last week and now against Liverpool have shown that Arsenal can no longer only win against the middle class, but have also become a real top team under Arteta. A development that is reminiscent of Klopp and his team in terms of football: it also took the German coach two years to develop his ideas – only then did success come.

Above all, however, Arsenal FC have made their peace with their environment, individually and as a team. The chaotic years following the departure of eternal coach Wenger are over. Arteta no longer only gets the trust of the club owners, but now even from critics such as moderator Morgan, who apologized on Twitter after the game against Liverpool and wrote that he now also trusts the process.

“You can see the connection between the club, the team and the fans,” said Xhaka in an interview after the game. “What happened just happened,” back then, in the rubble heap era. It remains to be seen whether something special will really happen at the end of the season, whether perhaps another trophy will go to Arsenal’s arsenal, says the Swiss: “I’m just enjoying it at the moment.”

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