So far, so good, Arsenal have shown that they are determined to win this year’s Champions League but is this going to be the tale of their near-success-syndrome that has plagued them over the last three seasons?
It has been three wins for Arsenal in three Champions League fixtures as the gunners head to Prague the capital city of Czech Republic to face Slavia Praha in what many are certain would be a fourth Champions League win for the in-form North London club.
Arsenal are 4th in the Champions League table but level on points with leaders PSG, 2nd place Bayern, Inter in 3rd place, and Real Madrid in 5th all on 9 points.
While that may not look impressive, their run of form is one to be impressed by. It is not just three wins in the Champions League, but the fact that they have won their last seven games without conceding a goal (14-0).
Even more impressive is how they dismantled Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Emirates. All four goals were scored within 13 minutes - a statement of what these players can do with the barest of opportunities.
Looking at the way they have breezed through their opponents since the start of the campaign, there’s an air of confidence about this new Arsenal.
If you thought they were solid defensively last season, then you should think again. They are the only team with the least number of goals conceded across Europe’s top 5 leagues and their defensive reinforcements are capable of keeping that streak even if their main powerhouses give way.
Arsenal’s set pieces continue to be their lifeline through most of their games so far but there is one thing most teams may have missed that Arteta is doing.
And it is the fact that Arteta has brought in competent backup players for his team.
Arsenal’s campaigns over the last season have been allegedly thwarted by injuries to some of their most important players. For the average Arsenal fan, once the team is missing Odegaard, Saka, either Gabriel or Saliba, then there is not much they can do.
Rival fans may not have noticed that these players have had spells of injuries in this campaign.
You would not have noticed it because there are competent replacements for every player in the Arsenal squad.
Every position in Arsenal has a very good player that can fill in. For Saka, you have a replacement in Madueke, for Odegaard, there is Nwaneri and Eze. for Martinelli, there is Trossard and both players can deputize for Saka as well.
If Gyokeres is out, Havertz can come in and Merino too who played that role for most of last season where he scored 7 goals in 28 appearances.
In the middle of the park, you’ve got Rice and Zubimendi. Then there’s last summer signing from Brentford, the very experienced Christian Nørgaard. Arteta is also easing in Max Dowman, the teenage sensation who already showed sparks of brilliance against Leeds United earlier during the Premier League campaign.
Defensively, in the absence of Gabriel and Saliba, you have quality replacements in Mosquera and Piero Hincapié.
For the left back and right back positions, Timber has cemented his place as a starter but Ben White is still solid and Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly are having a go at each other for starting places.
The squad is robust.
This is the kind of squad you need to compete in Europe and domestically and Arteta has all the tools in his hands.
And rightly, he is using it massively - we can see the fruits.
This is however not the first time we have seen Arsenal pull off such a great form. However, this time, there is a more confident aura about it. They are definitely in a good place.
Their upcoming fixtures in the league phase of the Champions League includes playing Bayern at home, Club Brugge away, Inter away, and Kairat at home.
Aside from the fixture with Bayern and Inter, it should be relatively smooth sailing for the gunners starting with Slavia Praha tomorrow.
