The expectation of Arsenal at the beginning of the season was to show significant progress from the two disappointing eighth-place finishes under Mikel Arteta.
Granted the first season was a rescue job after Unai Emery had dropped Arsenal into the bottom half of the table, however, there remained several doubts about whether the current Spanish manager could bring the Gunners back to the right path.
This season has however exceeded most fans’ expectations and the club sit as firm favourites to achieve a top-four finish for the first time since Arsene Wenger was at the club. Champions League nights have been sorely missed by supporters and the club’s financial reports.
Mikel Arteta has changed a lot since his appointment but this season there have been three key changes in the squad that have contributed to this turn of form and progression towards the top four, in particular, since the turn of the new year.
Firstly is the switch of formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3. Arteta spoke in December of 2020 about how the side was lacking several players to play the desired way.
"We want to move to a 4-3-3 but for that, you need a lot of specificity in every position but now in five or six positions, we don’t have it," he said.
"The aggressiveness, the effectiveness, the amount of steals [ball recoveries] we make in opposition half I think we have been very steady against some big clubs.
"I think that what we miss is in the opponent’s area and the last part of the pitch. We have to find the key in the attack, that last decision, that last pass, that last cross to create a goal situation, a goal, a shot, a corner, etc."
However, after Arteta signed six players in the summer 2021 window, the change has finally arrived with Thomas Partey playing as the sole six, Granit Xhaka operating as a six-eight hybrid at left centre-midfield and Martin Odegaard playing the eight-ten role at right central midfield.
It has correlated to four back-to-back victories and looks the way forward for the team.
Secondly is the continual overhaul of the squad which has recently seen former club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave. Prior to his departure, Arsenal scored 18 goals in the 14 Premier League games the Gabon striker featured in.
Since he has left, the ten subsequent league games have amassed 23 goals. Arsenal have been more potent, and the role filled by Alexandre Lacazette has enhanced the performances of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in particular.
The issues behind the scenes were frequent and in his absence, the Arsenal squad has continued onwards, focused on the task at hand without distraction. Arteta has made ensuring full commitment from his players is one of the non-negotiables instilled in them.
Lastly, is the faith put in the likes of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey. The pair have had their critics however both returning to the team have seen a serious upturn in form for the side. In the last eleven league games they have played together, Arsenal have won nine.
With the future of Xhaka remaining uncertain, however, with football.london understanding that Roma are expected to return with a bid in the summer, Arteta may have a challenge to ensure he secures the correct replacement.
What is for sure is that should Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, ahead of what many felt was the expectation, the next stages of the plan are exciting to consider what they might be.
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