New season, same Arsenal. Only this time, the phrase has a much more positive connotation. Almost identical lineups, confidence is high and the football is an invariably enjoyable watch, no matter personal affinities. What will continue? What will change?
At first glance, not much. Arteta fielded a very familiar XI. So familiar that as long as I tell you that Martinelli and Zinchenko played and Partey was fit (… for now), you can probably fill in the blanks. After following most of the pre-season fixtures, Zinchenko was less of a surprise than Martinelli, although I think Arteta and his team will have noticed that Trossard experienced a healthy level of overperformance to wrap up last season and that Martinelli is ultimately the best option. However, if you have watched Arsenal closely enough during Arteta’s tenure it is clear that the three aforementioned players are going to be the first major changes that Arsenal experience during this year’s campaign.
Zinchenko will likely be the first. Constantly labeled a defensive liability (which at times is unfair but largely true) and seemingly stymied as rivals have figured out how to take care of him cheating into the midfield in possession, it is time for a change. And the most recent window reflects it. In many Arsenal analysts’ minds, this has been brewing for almost a year, as Timber was the intended replacement, however with his devastating injury on MW1, it never came to fruition. Now it seems that the ball-carrying Calafiori or the technically gifted Timber, both of which boast much more impressive defensive and physical capabilities, will ultimately be the selection headache for the manager, with Zinchenko falling down to super-sub (at best). Both Calafiori and Timber will be afforded some time to get up to speed, so Zinchenko has some time to save his spot, but unless those out-swinging crosses start to come off, it seems unlikely.
Martinelli is in a slightly different situation. Both have had significant roles to play in the last couple of seasons but both are showing levels that are just not good enough for Arsenal’s current status. Martinelli’s form dipped first and then he dealt with injury, but unfortunately for him, Trossard showed the world what could be from the left wing. Pacey and quintessentially Brazillian with his quick, tricky feet, I will be devastated when we move on. As well, his striking ability is massively underrated but I think a change of pace may be necessary to reinvigorate his career. His best goals will remain untainted in my mind but I don’t think I’ll be able to add to the collection very soon. This isn’t to say he will be moved on, but I think he is at risk of slipping far down the manager’s list.
Similarly, Partey, admittedly much more recently than the other two, showed at the weekend that he has lost what makes him integral to the Arsenal system. His physicality has slipped and a number of times he played passes that led to conceding some substantial goal threats. Simply put, if he remains injury-prone and he isn’t the brilliant player that we’ve known him to be, he won’t be playing by the time Odegaard and the rest of the lads lift The Premier League Trophy in May.
But now on to the positives. The Sunday before the beginning of the new season, a lot of the Pitch Pundits and I took on our annual FPL draft. With my second pick, I grabbed Kai Havertz, the 8th overall pick of the draft. I was elated. The guy ended last season scoring with a Haaland-esque inevitability and frequency. I was immediately questioned. “I can’t believe you picked Havertz before Isak”, PitchBrian said. I told the rest of the draft that I thought Havertz would outperform Isak this season, certainly from an FPL standpoint (where goal contributions are king). PitchAndre countered saying that he would drive Havertz to Newcastle himself. So with that all on record, let’s continue.
After watching Arsenal steam-roll (kinda) Wolves at the weekend, only a fool would rate Kai Havertz behind anyone besides Erling Haaland. Continuing his form from the tail end of last season, Arsenal’s 9 is putting up numbers that any team would benefit from. In his last 15 games in the premier league, he has scored 10 and assisted 7. His form since Christmas has been nothing short of the levels of premier league greats.
The other two superstars from this weekend’s game were the ever-present Bukayo Saka and a newcomer to ‘hero’ level status for The Gunners, David Raya. Saka speaks for himself and many Arsenal fans will tell you that they are tired of singing his praises; his on-field performance takes care of all the talking now. But Raya surprised me yesterday. At first, it was strengthening our number 2 keeper, then it was seeing who the best fit was, THEN it was ‘it’s a fine margin but we’ll make gains anywhere we can’, and now it is obvious to see that Raya has not only improved our distribution, but he’s improved our ability to deal with crosses with his top-level claiming, added a scary hurdle for any opponent in a shootout (think Porto), and now he’s pulling off top 10 of the season level saves twice in one match. I have underestimated Raya for 12 months now, and I think it’s time to stop. If yesterday’s performance is an indication of where he is headed, he is already the most attractive goalkeeping asset, from an FPL standpoint, but he may soon be The Premier League’s new king between the sticks.
Oh, and Mosquera choked Havertz and had some interesting hand placement on Gabi Jesus’ rear… the jokes write themselves.