Liverpool visit perfect chance to show Arsenal have bucked old stereotypes

Unable to beat the big four? Well, that’s the one box still to tick for Gunners

Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette celebrates scoring his sides second goal from a penalty during the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday March 13, 2022.

With Liverpool arriving at the Emirates on Wednesday, there’s a real sense building in north London that Mikel Arteta’s side are finally ready to put themselves back amongst the big guns and jettison the myriad of negative stereotypes attached to them by critics over the last few years.

Victory over a Leicester side that had won four games in a row in all competitions was vibrant, confident and assured - and Arsenal, sitting fourth, are now building the kind of consistency that has proved elusive for so long.

They have taken 25 points from the last 10 Premier League games, the same as Manchester City and Liverpool, and have an opportunity in midweek to show they belong in that company.

With a settled side, youthful exuberance and a manager who is growing in stature and authority since winning his battle with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, many of the negative labels that pundits have stuck on the Gunners for so long are starting to peel away.

Defensively vulnerable and weak on set pieces? Not anymore after Arsenal reached 26 games played in the Premier League without conceding a single goal from a corner (a big contrast to Leicester who have shipped 12 already), and with Ben White and Gabriel now forming an impressive partnership at centre-half.

Ineffectual in midfield? Not now that Thomas Partey, who opened the scoring with a header, is finally starting to show why Arsenal paid €55m for him in 2020 – and Granit Xhaka has been thrown further forward to stretch the play.

Lacking pace and variety in attack? Not with Martin Odegaard (who played some wonderful passes in a highly creative performance) running the show, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli terrorising defences – and Alexandre Lacazette (whose penalty ended nine games without a goal) playing the holding role ahead of them.

Divided on the terraces? Certainly not judging by the atmosphere at the Emirates, with fans now squarely behind both team and manager and relishing their revival, which has been long-awaited.

Unable to beat the big four? Well, that’s the one still to tick off, despite a highly promising performance against Manchester City earlier in the season when fate was not on their side; but the chance is there to achieve it this week, and again next month when Manchester United arrive in town.

Liverpool will certainly have noticed that Arsenal are no longer the team that television pundits used to goad for their comical defending, and especially for conceding so many goals trying to over-play at the back.

Arteta has slowly and cleverly solved that problem with a tactical shape that suits his players, with strong recruitment and by improving players – such as Xhaka and Partey – that many thought were a lost cause.

There’s no doubt that Arsenal look a better side, too, without Aubameyang. They may miss his finishing power but the attack is now younger, quicker and more varied, and his absence has helped Martinelli develop into a player who could become an Arsenal hero for a very long time.

Odegaard, too, has improved since Auba’s departure – and despite calls from many quarters that Emile Smith-Rowe should be ahead of him in the queue.

He was electric against Leicester, linking play high up the pitch and created five chances in the first half alone when some of Arsenal’s movement and interplay was highly impressive.

The performance of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also deserves praise, not just this week but over the course of the season. One save from Harvey Barnes when Leicester had a strong spell before half-time was especially important, but so was the way he came out to command his penalty area and set up fast-paced attacks whenever there was an opportunity. This was a signing that raised eyebrows in the summer, but Arteta has been brave enough to back him ahead of Bernd Leno and has been richly rewarded.

Arsenal still have a long way to go, of course. There is a big transfer window ahead in June when they need to find a long-term solution up front, and questions remain over discipline (all those red cards have been costly) and whether they will cope with raised expectations. But the signs are good – and Wednesday night could tell us a lot more.