Arsenal look like contenders
Mikel Arteta was eager to downplay expectations after Arsenal’s north London derby win over Tottenham. “We have done nothing yet,” he said in his post-match press conference.
But the jubilant Arsenal supporters who filed out of the Emirates Stadium, singing as they went, following a resounding victory which took them four points clear of second-placed Manchester City, are unlikely to listen. Their team look like contenders.
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Highlights from Arsenal’s win against Tottenham in the Premier League
Why shouldn’t they dream? Arsenal have taken 21 points from a possible 24 so far this season and their latest victory, achieved in a raucous atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, showed for the first time that they can do it against big-six opposition.
Their transformation is above all down to personnel. Rob Holding, Cedric Soares and Mohamed Elneny, all of whom started the costly 3-0 loss to Spurs in May, are gone from the team. In, instead, are William Saliba, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.