Do-do-do Saliba!
Bizarrely enough, William Saliba was actually the joint second longest serving first team player on the pitch for Arsenal yesterday, but the rapid bond he has been able to form with the Gunners fans since his long-awaited integration to the team has been remarkable.
Last week he had them to thank for lifting him up during the lowest moment of his nascent Arsenal career after he turned into his own net against Leicester. Before heading back into the dressing room that day he had to be reminded by assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg to go around the Emirates and applaud the fans for what they'd done for him. This week no such reminder was necessary.
The dye had been cast pretty early in the game as the new Saliba chant to the tune of The Champs' 'Tequilla' began to ring around the Vitality Stadium. Keen to herald their young French centre back for another impressive intervention the Arsenal fans had initially started singing 'Oh William Saliba' to the tune of The White Stripes' 'Seven nation army' before seemingly deciding that this display deserved something better.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Saliba's goal, Jesus' display, Pepe's future and transfers
Having heard the levels the fans had gone to Saliba then raised his game to match, sweeping home what was just his second ever career goal from the edge of the box on his weaker left foot. On top of that moment of brilliance though the 21-year-old was superb on the ball, completing 100% of his passes, but it was something else that Mikel Arteta was keen to focus on after the game.
"And [a] clean sheet," the Spaniard said to interrupt the list of Saliba's honours being read out in his post-match press conference. "The most important thing, for a defender, defend, keep a clean sheet. The most important thing to do is to keep that clean sheet every game."
While he may not have managed that two out of three certainly ain't bad for the young defender whose musical journey into the hearts of the Arsenal fans looks to be gathering pace every week.
Jesus celebrates Odegaard goal
As referenced in last week's talking points, Gabriel Jesus is going to be a regular feature in these articles for the remainder of the season. Just when you think you might try to focus on something else in this game the Brazilian pulls out a moment like he did in the build-up to the first goal, making it impossible to ignore him.
Taking Ben White 's speculative hoof up the pitch out of the sky stone dead would probably have been enough to make most YouTube highlight reels, but the Brazilian then proceeded to go on yet another mazy dribble through the heart of the Bournemouth defence that took three Cherries' players out of the game. His reverse ball through to Gabriel Martinelli was then sublime and unlike on the opening day against Crystal Palace, thankfully Martin Odegaard was on hand to turn home a rebound that made sure this piece of individual brilliance was rewarded with a goal.
We spent months last season talking about the unicorn striker that Arsenal would need to fit perfectly into Mikel Arteta's game plan, and it does well and truly seem that they've found it. As evidenced by the position he was on the pitch when he controlled White's pass, Jesus is willing to drop deep to link the play, but the ability to turn and run at opposition defences is what takes the Gunners' attack up a notch.
Whereas before teams might have been willing to gamble on pressing a little higher safe in the knowledge that Alexandre Lacazette didn't have the ability to run in behind, teams facing Arsenal simply have no choice but to back off. This in turn moves Arsenal higher up the pitch, and creates the kind of dominance we've seen in recent matches. "The way I want to play, there are certain spaces that have to be occupied at all times," Arteta said after the game. It does now seem he's finally got his wish.
Perhaps what would have pleased the Spaniard most though was Jesus' reaction to the second goal that Odegaard scored on the day. When trying to control White's low cross, Jesus took a slightly heavy touch, but not so bad that he couldn't have still got a shot away to get his goal. Before he could do so though, Odegaard was on hand to hammer home himself. There are plenty of strikers who would have reacted badly to this due to their unrelenting desire to meet their individual goals above those of the team. Jesus though threw his hands in the air to celebrate wildly. Speaking after the game Arteta hailed this mentality.
"He knows how hard it is to win in football," the Spaniard said. "He’s still young but he’s experienced it and I think he’s a really good role model for the rest of the boys."
It's still early days but with this newfound confidence to play in the opposition half brought by Jesus, it will be fascinating to see how Arsenal cope when bigger tests inevitably come.
Arteta targets firepower
With the attacking improvements they've made already it seems incredibly tantalising that there could be more still to come. Absent from the squad on Saturday though was Nicolas Pepe who football.london understands is edging closer towards a loan move to Nice. With 10 days still remaining in the transfer window, Mikel Arteta did appear to hint that replacing the Ivorian would be a priority.
"No it doesn’t change," said the Spaniard when asked if the positive start to the season would alter his side's plans. "But we know as well where we are short, where we have to add more firepower. And if we can do it, we will do it."
For a side that took nine games to get nine goals last season to have reached that milestone in just three is pure testament to how far they've come. Adding in a new exciting attacker into that mix feels like it has the potential to take Arsenal from not just top four contenders to a team that can compete on multiple fronts.
You only need to look at their bench on Saturday as proof of this. Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Albert Sambi Lokonga could all legitimately have classified themselves as the first choice at points last season and now they face a battle on their hands to get back into the side. That's before you even consider that new signing Fabio Vieira was an unused substitute on the day despite his impressive display for the under-21s in midweek, and that Marquinhos was at Meadow Park playing for Mehmet Ali's side in their 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
It's getting to the point now where Arteta is having to make decisions not just over who to leave out of the starting XI, but who to leave out of the 20-man squad all together. The Spaniard admitted to football.london in his pre-match press conference that it was going to be difficult to manage the newfound depth he has, but it is no doubt a problem that he is happy to be dealing with.
Arsenal find their new number six
For all the talk of strength in depth in the attacking and defensive areas, perhaps the one part of the pitch where Arsenal do look a bit short is at the base of the midfield.
Thomas Partey is the starting player there, and there aren't many in the Arsenal squad who can replicate what he brings on the pitch. Mohamed Elneny is capable of providing the defensive cover but is not anywhere near as good when it comes to starting attacks from deep, while Albert Sambi Lokonga has the passing ability, but looks more comfortable further forward as an eight where he has less defensive responsibility.
This concern has gotten to the point that many have argued they would rather see the Gunners buy a new midfielder than a forward in the final days of the transfer window and perhaps explains the clamour to see Youri Tielemans arrive in north London. At the Vitality Stadium though it appeared that Arsenal may have already found their solution internally.
It's no secret that Oleksandr Zinchenko takes up positions in the middle of the pitch as part of his left back role. The Ukrainian has struck up a good partnership with Granit Xhaka, with the pair understanding when certain spaces need to be filled in order to enable them the right passing options to escape opposition presses.
In this game though Zinchenko could be seen coming all the way over to the right-hand side of the pitch at times in order to receive the ball and begin attacks from deep. The 25-year-old began life as an attacking midfielder and is therefore comfortable operating anywhere in the pitch and was hailed by Kyle Walker as the most technically gifted player at Manchester City, proving his press-beating credentials.
What he showed against Bournemouth though was defensive knowhow to be able to stop any potential of a counterattack on several occasions. While this will never be the strongest part of Zinchenko's game, with the amount of time Arsenal are spending in the opposition half, perhaps they now have the player capable of covering for Partey that they lacked last season.
It's another feather in the cap for Edu and the business that the Gunners have done this summer. From a squad that barely limped over the line last season, Arsenal now look like a team capable of lasting the fight for the remainder of this campaign.
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