After six goals and maximum points from two games, Arsenal’s attack is rightly receiving plenty of plaudits.
New signing Gabriel Jesus has transformed their forward line, while Gabriel Martinelli’s performances have gone up a gear from last season.
Throw in the fact Bukayo Saka has made only a steady start, and Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira are just coming back from injury, and it is easy to see why there is such a buzz around the potential of Arsenal’s attack.
“I think it lifts the standards with the way that he (Jesus) is training every day and the way that he’s talking and the way that they are connecting,” said Mikel Arteta.
“If you want to be at the top then we’re going to have to score a lot of goals and we cannot rely on two or three players.”
There is a new-found versatility to the attack, but it is the same story in defence and tomorrow’s trip to Bournemouth is a chance to show that.
Arteta has played the same back four in the opening two games, with Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko impressing at full-back and Gabriel and William Saliba forming a strong partnership in the heart of defence.
That has all happened in the absence of Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who have been working their way to full fitness. However, both are now back, giving Arteta plenty to ponder when it comes to selection.
Last season, Arsenal struggled when Tierney and Tomiyasu were out for large periods. That was particularly the case towards the end of the campaign, when a knee injury sidelined Tierney for the final two months.
Pre-season and the two games of this campaign, however, suggest Arteta has the depth and versatility he has yearned for in defence. Suddenly Tierney or Tomiyasu being injured is not a crisis, but a chance for White or Zinchenko to state their case to keep the shirt.
“He (Tierney) is an amazing player. Even when I was at City I was watching his games,” said Zinchenko. “He has ability, qualities, and I think it is good competition for each of us. We are going to push each other, and that’s the key. That’s how we need to move on. The most important thing is both of us want to try and help the team as much as we can.”
Arteta has experimented during training in recent weeks. Tomiyasu has lined up at centre-back occasionally — where he has played for Japan — and his ability to operate across the defence emphasises Arsenal’s versatility there.
Now there is not a sense of there being a set back four, but instead the chance for Arteta to adopt a ‘horses-for-courses’ approach.
Arsenal dominated possession in their first two games and that suited White and Zinchenko. In possession, they have pushed high and tucked in, essentially joining Thomas Partey in midfield and allowing Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard to bomb on.
It has meant that with the ball Arsenal are basically playing a 2-3-5 formation, with White and Zinchenko acting as auxiliary midfielders who can dictate the tempo of the game.
That, however, will not always be the best strategy.
Tomorrow, for example, Bournemouth’s added height in attack in the form of Kieffer Moore may make Arteta play Tierney and Tomiyasu. Tierney is an excellent one-on-one defender, meaning he can cut off crosses into the box, while at 6ft 2in Tomiyasu is one of the tallest right-backs in the top flight.
It all underlines how Arteta has options at the back that simply did not exist last season.
Arsenal’s defence, and not just their attack, has been transformed.
