Nketiah has filled in ably for Gabriel Jesus. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
2. Arsenal have plenty of striking competition
Despite strong calls for investment in the frontline, Arteta chose to stick with his existing options for this term and has arguably been vindicated after just four matches.
Injury to Gabriel Jesus (again) forced the boss to experiment up top and entrust Eddie Nketiah (again) with the centre-forward berth, and three goal contributions in three outings have repaid that faith in spades.
But the soon-to-be England international made way for a spirited Leandro Trossard against Fulham, while Jesus marked his return with a breakaway goal on Sunday and will expect to reclaim his starting position now that he is fully fit.
Their combined efforts have already made a big difference on the pitch and suggest Arsenal are better stocked up front than many previously thought – leaving us with quite the selection headache.
Of course, they will all get plenty of game time given the busy fixture schedule, but it will be interesting to see who is considered part of our ‘best’ eleven over the coming weeks.
Continued on the next slide…
#Arsenal</a> let Onana have the ball, and he played 9% of their total passes, but we didn't press which is where he thrives. It was targeted and coordinated, led by Martin Ødegaard. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#AFC</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://t.co/9i4mSN8Up6">pic.twitter.com/9i4mSN8Up6
<p>— Adam Keys (@adamkeys_) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://twitter.com/adamkeys_/status/1698634987216556123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2><strong>1. Arsenal are now a less aggressive team</strong></h2>
<p>Perhaps another ‘crazy idea’ that will simultaneously fix our red card issues.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, Arsenal have slightly changed their methods this season and now seem less inclined to try ‘aggressive’, vertical passes through opposition blocks, instead electing to move the ball out wide when in attack.</p>
<p>These adjustments are partly forced by extreme midfield congestion, with wary opposition desperate to keep us away from dangerous central areas.</p>
<p>But they also protect Arsenal from transitions as we are less likely to sloppily lose possession in uncrowded channels, which consequently keeps the number of chances we concede to a minimum.</p>
<p>Our conservatism might represent an antidote for our ‘emotional’ squad and help us to better control games, although wing confinement could likewise kill any offensive momentum.</p>
<p>It is Arteta’s job to find the perfect balance.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 thing we've learned about Arsenal </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_135857" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-135857" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1666,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1609818243-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1666" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1609818243-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1609818243-768x500.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1609818243-1536x1000.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1609818243-2048x1333.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Nketiah has filled in ably for Gabriel Jesus. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2><strong>2. Arsenal have plenty of striking competition</strong></h2>
<p>Despite strong calls for investment in the frontline, Arteta chose to stick with his existing options for this term and has arguably been vindicated after just four matches.</p>
<p>Injury to Gabriel Jesus (again) forced the boss to experiment up top and entrust Eddie Nketiah (again) with the centre-forward berth, and three goal contributions in three outings have repaid that faith in spades.</p>
<p>But the soon-to-be England international made way for a spirited Leandro Trossard against Fulham, while Jesus marked his return with a breakaway goal on Sunday and will expect to reclaim his starting position now that he is fully fit.</p>
<p>Their combined efforts have already made a big difference on the pitch and suggest Arsenal are better stocked up front than many previously thought – leaving us with quite the <a title="3 team selections Mikel Arteta must consider after international break" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/06/3-team-selections-arteta-consider-after-break/" rel="">selection headache.</a></p>
<p>Of course, they will all get plenty of game time given the busy fixture schedule, but it will be interesting to see who is considered part of our ‘best’ eleven over the coming weeks.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 thing we've learned about Arsenal </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_136233" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136233" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1643026277-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1643026277-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1643026277-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1643026277-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1643026277-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Rice has quickly settled at Arsenal. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2><strong>3. Declan Rice is the final piece of the jigsaw</strong></h2>
<p>Early signs indicate you certainly get what you pay for.</p>
<p>Rice arrived at Arsenal with a huge weight on his shoulders and a £105m price tag that even made Pep Guardiola blush, but he is now showing everyone exactly why the Gunners fought so hard for his services.</p>
<p>Although his recent last-gasp strike grabbed all the headlines, the 24-year-old had been a class act <a title="Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/05/arsenal-no-longer-fear-thomas-parteys-absence/" rel="">throughout Sunday’s Emirates showdown</a> and dominated proceedings in midfield- a performance that saw him claim his second Player of the Match award of the campaign.</p>
<p>He boasts the height and physicality to win aerial duels and frequently wins the ball back, yet also excels in more aesthetic ways via his purposeful dribbles and an ability to both spot and execute penetrative passes- qualities which add so much to our collective strengths.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Q8hRuudFoL"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/05/arsenal-no-longer-fear-thomas-parteys-absence/">Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here” — Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/07/3-things-we-have-learned-about-arsenal-this-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/05/arsenal-no-longer-fear-thomas-parteys-absence/embed/#?secret=CQWyn6dlSA#?secret=Q8hRuudFoL" data-secret="Q8hRuudFoL" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div>
<p>Adding that to his leadership and humble nature, Arsenal have got themselves a good one and could now go all the way.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
