Eddie at it again
There's a parallel universe somewhere, where everyone's worst fears about Eddie Nketiah came to pass on Sunday. Thankfully it's not one we live in.
The questions over the 23-year-old largely centred around whether he had the quality to decide big games. As the ball broke to him in the box in the 85th minute he had the chance to put those to bed, but through a combination of reflexive brilliance by David de Gea and hastiness to finish by Nketiah, the opportunity passed him by.
After being enveloped by the jaws of despair, it takes real guts to go back and charge towards glory only moments later. The greatest strikers in the game possess that by the bucketload, and by popping up at the last moment to change his, and possibly Arsenal's, destiny, Nketiah showed he's got it too. While no one is suggesting the 23-year-old is on that level quite yet, one thing that can't be denied is his strength of character.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Eddie Nketiah's form, title hopes and Jakub Kiwior transfer
"He’s going to miss chances, and he’s going to miss more chances this season I guarantee you that the next one he’s going to try to do that again," Mikel Arteta said of his striker's mental fortitude. "He’s not going to hide."
The Spaniard deserves plenty of plaudits for how Nketiah has blossomed. To many the Hale Ender was little more than a midtable penalty box poacher, but Arteta saw something more. While even he admits that he wasn't expecting Nketiah to be this good in Gabriel Jesus' absence, the Arsenal boss' willingness to tune out the doubters has led us to the point we're at now.
"The qualities that he has, how much he wants it, how much belief he has to be Arsenal number nine, his desire, his background," he told football.london when asked why he had kept the faith in the academy graduate. "We are with him every single day. He’s a special kid. He’s so loved by everybody at the football club. He’s got a real Arsenal heart and that’s very special. You cannot put that into numbers, but he’s really, really good."
Many predicted the collapse of Arsenal's title charge when Jesus was ruled out for a period of time, but if anything it has started to look even stronger. The Brazilian has a job on his hands to get his starting position back at this rate, and in the meantime Arsenal are finally reaping the rewards of what many thought was blind faith.
Old Trafford evolution
There have been very few blots on Arsenal's coffee book so far this season, but September's defeat at Old Trafford certainly stung. Bukayo Saka made it apparent with his post-match interview that the Gunners only league loss of the season was at the forefront of their minds. On a freezing January day, this revenge was a dish best served cold.
In many ways the game followed a similar pattern to the early season loss. Arsenal started the better, but fell behind when Marcus Rashford exquisitely took advantage of a rare moment of possessional profligacy from Thomas Partey. They responded superbly through goals from Nketiah and Saka, but found themselves pegged back once again when Lisandro Martinez took advantage of a collision between Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu at a corner.
Although it was 1-1 rather than 2-2 at Old Trafford, the seesaw nature of the match was almost a mirror image. When faced up with their naivety on that day in the September sun though, Arsenal's players proved they had learned their lesson.
Whereas on that day they had chased after the win with a Labrador-like wide-eye eagerness, on Sunday they held their nerve. Mikel Arteta did not elect to go for the 3-5-2 formation that he switched to in Manchester, but instead opted to stick by the style of play that has got Arsenal to a position where they are five points clear at the top of the Premier League. It may have been a slightly harsh class that day, but there can be little doubt that when faced with the same test this time the Gunners passed with flying colours.
"We came back to 2-1 and it was exactly what happened at Old Trafford," Arteta said in his post-match press conference. "At 2-1 we were in control and they scored. It was a moment where if emotionally you’re not sound and not intelligent enough to understand what the game needs now, you’re going to lose it. We did the opposite and we got better and better. We fully deserved to win the game."
In hindsight it's easy to look back on that defeat philosophically and say it's probably the day when Arsenal learnt that sticking by their principles was their best chance of achieving success. Four months later, and they now look a team far more capable of doing just that.
Newbies on the pitch and in the stands
One thing that was of course different from the fixture at Old Trafford is that Arsenal didn't have Leandro Trossard in their squad back then. The 28-year-old joined from Brighton this week, and was available just in time to make his debut against Manchester United. Mikel Arteta will be glad that he was.
Trossard may have taken a few moments to get involved in the game, but when he finally did, he was decisive. His driving run at the heart of the United defence freed up space for Oleksandr Zinchenko to pick his cross that Martin Odegaard eventually fired into Eddie Nketiah's path for the winner. It's the kind of thrust from the bench that Arsenal were lacking against Newcastle, and in another massive home game, it made the difference.
Trossard's arrival feels like the kind of buy from a team that has realised they are in with a chance of winning the title. Whereas last January Arsenal elected to gamble by not signing a striker and hoping they would still finish top four, this time they elected not to leave things to chance. After missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk, Edu moved swiftly to secure the services of a Premier League proven international footballer who is in the best goalscoring form of his English football career.
While Trossard played his part on Sunday, come Friday is when a signing like his really will start to make sense. Arsenal travel to Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round, and although Mikel Arteta may choose to go strong again, the reality is that he has the option to rotate if he wants to. Whereas at Oxford he was forced to start all of Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli, the Gunners boss can now bring in Trossard or an ever-improving Emile Smith Rowe into the fold, and that is a huge change.
It doesn't seem as though Arsenal have the intention of stopping their either. Gabriel Magalhaes has started every game the Gunners have played since mid-October, and although the Brazilian has been absolutely outstanding in that period, the arrival of Jakob Kiwior, offers him the opportunity of a well-deserved rest on Friday night. Although Arteta way hesitant to speak about his new defender, the Polish international was in attendance at the Emirates and it is a matter of time before he is an Arsenal player.
Just seven days ago there was despair among supporters that the Gunners weren't seizing their best chance to win a Premier League title in nearly 20 years. Their activity in the transfer market over the past few days shows that they are going to give it everything they've got.
Superb Saka
Maybe because he's been so brilliant all season, but it's been almost taken for granted how well Bukayo Saka is playing. There aren't too many 21-year-olds who are decisive in heavyweight Premier League clashes. But continuing to mention his age are we arguably playing down his excellence?
There is an assumption from some due to his endearing temperament and youth, that there is a naivety to Saka's game. The phrase too nice is a brush that Arsenal youngsters have been tarred with in the past, and the England international has also been dismissed this way. You only need to watch him for seconds this season to know how wrong that is though.
Up against his close friend and Three Lions' teammate Luke Shaw, Saka was relentless. Shaw once claimed that he "loves" the Arsenal number seven, but all emotions were left behind the second they crossed the white line. Shaw actually started well in dealing with Saka, proving superior in aerial duels and giving him minimal space in the first half, but as the winger has proved so many times this season, it takes plenty to keep him down.
Saka was only given an inch, but he took a mile as he cut in from the right hand side to curl home a superb goal worthy of such a huge occasion. Remember that it's only just over two years ago that he was transitioning from being a left back, and that kind of confidence to shoot is something he's certainly added to his game. That willingness to step up and be decisive on such huge occasions is what Mikel Arteta feels is fundamental to his teams recent form.
"The initiative to make things happen when the game is at a stage of ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen’ they are not looking at each other saying he’s going to do it. (they say) I take responsibility I’m going to do it, and I absolutely loved that today," he said when asked about Saka's ascending brilliance.
Forget best young player in the league, Sunday was the kind of display that announces Saka among the best players in the division full stop. He may only be 21, but the Hale Ender is essential to any success Arsenal hope to achieve this season.
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