Dubai: Amid the noise of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea joint-leading the Premier League, and Jose Mourinho struggling at Manchester United, it has been all too easy to overlook Arsenal’s stealth-like rise.
Everyone said ‘be careful what you wish for’ and ‘it’s better the devil you know’ when it came to ending the 22-year reign of Arsene Wenger last summer and replacing him with former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery.
Just like David Moyes struggled to fill the boots of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United when he took over after the latter’s 27-year reign ended in 2013, we were all writing off Arsenal this season and expecting another turbulent settling in period.
After nine wins in a row across all competitions however, culminating in Sunday’s impressive 5-1 win away to London rivals Fulham, Emery’s side are now just two points off the lead in fourth.
Starting the season with defeats to Man City and Chelsea may have given us the impression of business as usual for long underachieving Arsenal, but six Premier League, two Europa League, and one League Cup third round win since, tells us we shouldn’t have been worried.
Not only does this quick turnaround demonstrate just how necessary it was to get rid of outdated Wenger, who was happy to bobble around the top four, but it also proves this season may be far more than just the three-horse race we were expecting.
The list of teams Emery’s men have beaten in the league so far may only include the likes of West Ham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Everton, Watford and Fulham, but these were games they would have drawn or lost under Wenger.
It only gets better for them too with Leicester, Sporting Lisbon, Crystal Palace and Blackpool, all upcoming in the league, Europa League and League Cup this month, before hosting Liverpool in a top-four showdown on November 3.
OK, against Man City and Chelsea at the start of the season, they may have been caught unawares, but against Liverpool, they will have had time to prepare and show us what they are really capable of. And on this form, you shouldn’t be surprised if there’s an upset.
The start of December will also reveal some home truths for Arsenal with their hosting of Tottenham on December 1, followed up by a trip to Old Trafford four days later.
I’m not saying they are going to win the title, but they are far more of a threat than expected, and could easily win a cup competition this season. This would prove to us all that change should be embraced not feared, regardless of what everyone says, and that Arsenal might just be back.
