Former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has praised Mikel Arteta for the way he has managed to eradicate the “Old Arsenal ” mentality at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have enjoyed an excellent start to the season and sit top of the league having won six out of their opening seven matches of the campaign - their only loss coming at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
They go into the current international break in excellent health having dismissed of Brentford 3-0 last time out - a match they actually lost last season on the opening day of the campaign.
Foster has hailed Arteta for the new-found mentality that he appears to have established in North London, whilst pointing to the key role that the likes of Martin Odegaard and the much-maligned Granit Xhaka have played in the Gunners’ impressive form this season.
He has also praised summer arrivals Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus for contributing to that mentality after their impressive starts in North London following summer moves from Manchester City.
Speaking on The Football Fallout, the recently-retired goalkeeper said: “The good thing to see from an Arsenal point of view, obviously Odegaard ruled out injured, and then to still go away to Brentford.
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“Old Arsenal lose that game you know. Old Arsenal would have buckled there and this is what I think.
“The difference this time is they’re a year or two older as people but they’ve got winners in the team now. Xhaka, yeah mentality, who used to just be a canon just going around getting red cards right, left and centre seems to have genuinely stepped up and gone ‘right, you see these boys, I’m going to look after you now, I’m going to be the captain’.
“And it’s showing on the pitch, he’s a leader. You’ve got Gabi Jesus in there, Zinchenko may be injured at the minute but he’s still that leader in the dressing room, you see what I mean?
“That’s the bit for me at the minute, Arsenal seem to have a lot more than what they used to. Whether they’ll have enough to win, for sure I’m not sure but.”
Arsenal have a tough test next time out as they aim to extend their brilliant start to the new season. The Gunners face off with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium following the international break.
Like Arteta’s troops, Spurs have also enjoyed an impressive start to the new season and are currently unbeaten following their 6-2 thumping of bottom of the table Leicester City at the weekend. They then take on Bodo/Glimt in Europa League action before another tough domestic test against Liverpool in mid-October.
