Saturday 29 October 2016 12:33, UK
Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and they are going strongly in the Champions League and EFL Cup. Could this be their year, or is it another false dawn? We examine the evidence ahead of Saturday's clash with Sunderland…
Arsenal's goalless draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday took some of the sheen off their strong start to the season. Arsene Wenger's men had put six goals past Ludogorets at the Emirates Stadium just three days earlier, but they were unable to break down Boro's packed defence on their return to domestic action.
It was a frustrating afternoon, but optimism is still the overriding emotion around the club. The Gunners look a different side from the one that was beaten 4-3 by Liverpool on the opening day of the season. They are unbeaten in eight Premier League games since that shambolic afternoon in August. In all competitions, they have only lost one of their last 22.
Wenger can take particular encouragement from their squad depth. This week's EFL Cup win over Reading was not the first time Arsenal's second-string have impressed against lower-league opposition, but their options have been significantly boosted after a summer of big spending.
It's noticeable at the back. Central defence has been a weak spot for Arsenal over the last 10 years, but Shkodran Mustafi has slotted in nicely next to the consistently excellent Laurent Koscielny, and Rob Holding has provided another alternative to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista. Arsenal look stronger as a result, taking eight clean sheets from their first 14 games of the campaign.
David Ospina is an able deputy to Petr Cech in goal, and there is healthy competition between Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs at left-back. The right-back spot is perhaps where Arsenal are lightest, but Hector Bellerin has shown himself to be an outstanding first-choice, and Carl Jenkinson returned to the frame with an encouraging display against Reading in midweek.
Jack Wilshere's loan move to Bournemouth is evidence of Arsenal's midfield depth. The Gunners added Mohamed Elneny to their ranks in January, and this summer they spent £34m on Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international was red carded in their recent win over Swansea, but, like Santi Cazorla, he is a technical player with the guile to unlock defences.
Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin are also in the mix for the midfield places, and then there's the attack. Alexis Sanchez's move into the middle has had a transformative effect. Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott are scoring freely, Alex Iwobi is knitting things together, and the likes of Lucas Perez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have impressed when called upon too.
Arsenal's reliance on Olivier Giroud has held them back in recent seasons, but the Frenchman suddenly looks like the plan B, and they have Danny Welbeck to return from injury too. Arsenal can field two strong teams, and it seems the competition for places is helping.
"This year we have obviously had a few additions and they've settled in really well," said Walcott recently. "But it's not just the starting XI, it's the whole squad - 25 of us that are working hard, day in and day out. You can see that on the pitch. It gets the best out of everyone. When you're called upon you need to be able to make the difference."
Perhaps, though, Walcott's comments are a reason for caution as well as optimism. The England international has shone sporadically in the past, with his eye-catching spells always followed by a drop-off in form or an unfortunately-timed injury.
It's reflective of his club. This is not the first time Arsenal have started strongly in recent years. In 2013/14 they went 12 games without losing after a defeat by Aston Villa on the opening day, and the mind also drifts back to 2007/08, when Wenger's men opened with a 21-game unbeaten streak. In both those seasons, as in so many others, their title challenges fell away.
The statistics throw up warning signs too. The speed and variety of Arsenal's new-look attack has been devastating at times, but a lack of creativity was an issue against Middlesbrough, and their chance creation is down from 12.3 per game last season to 10.6 this season. According to Opta, clear-cut chances are down from 2.3 per game to 1.2.
Arsenal have offset that with improved finishing (their shot conversion rate of 20.7 per cent is the best in the Premier League), but no side sustained such a high conversion rate across the whole of last season, and it might become an issue if the forwards start to fluff their lines.
The next few weeks should tell us a lot more about this Arsenal side's credentials. The Gunners have averaged fewer points per game in November than in any other month under Wenger, and this year their schedule includes clashes with Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in Europe.
Before that, there is the long trip Sunderland, which is likely to provide another test of their creativity against a deep-lying defence. Arsenal's squad is undoubtedly stronger and there have been positive signs in their performances, but there should be caution too. How they handle their next challenges could be significant.
