Once mocked, the former captain now reminds the Premier League leaders’ supporters of how far they have comeA couple of months ago, Granit Xhaka was warming up at the Vitality Stadium before Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth when he noticed that the travelling fans were serenading Oleksandr Zinchenko, one of the club’s summer signings. (“Zin-chen-ko! Always believe in your soul!”). Xhaka sidled up to his new colleague. “Alex,” he joked. “I’ve been here for six years and I don’t have a song. You’ve been here for three weeks.”And somehow you just know how Xhaka would have said it, too: with that unique Xhaka-esque blend of blitheness and hurt, insecurity and defiance, the throwaway comment that actually comes from the most tender...
Win or lose the Gunners are enjoying themselves and it showed again as they gave their coach a win to savour over TottenhamIn the 90th minute, Mikel Arteta finally had to start enjoying himself. Hard work, sacrifice, suffering: most of the time, these are the foundation stones of the Arteta method. You work, you fight, you suffer, and if you’re lucky you get to do it all again in five days. Even in the closing stages here, as Arsenal gleefully toyed with Tottenham and the Emirates lapsed into calypso mode, Arteta had lost none of his skittish focus: still urging his team forward, still whirling his arms round and round like a damaged toy.But as Kieran Tierney let fly from...
Arsenal are back on top after beating Brentford and the bond between fans and players feels stronger than for many a yearAfter the ecstatic scenes of five straight wins, all that raving on the terraces, losing at Manchester United was a crashing comedown. The defensive wobbles there, the raging at officialdom and the missing of clutch chances had been an Arsenal story often told.Brentford, by contrast, soon became a Sunday session for their supporters, mixing up old-school anthems with the latest hits as their team returned to the top of the league. Though Manchester City’s Erling Haaland-inspired menace grows week on week, Arsenal are enjoying life at the top while they can. Do Arsenal fans trust Mikel Arteta’s process? The...
The season’s first Merseyside derby, an Old Trafford blockbuster and crunch time for Bruno Lage at WolvesSeven games into the season in all competitions and Frank Lampard can finally select a recognised striker he wants in an Everton shirt. Providing someone at the Premier League has registered Neal Maupay in time for the Merseyside derby, that is. Lampard and Jürgen Klopp will be relieved to concentrate on the renewal of old rivalries after the distractions of a transfer window that both believe dragged too long into the season. Everton are without a win in the Premier League but building gradually. A derby debut for Maupay, signed from Brighton last Friday but not cleared to play at Leeds on Tuesday, would...
Newcastle’s challenge against the champions, Anthony Taylor unfairly in the spotlight and a big Monday showdownCutting off the supply lines between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min worked a treat for Chelsea last Sunday, until the introduction of Richarlison for the ineffective Ryan Sessegnon provided added distraction for the home side’s defenders, his off-the-ball runs repeatedly pulling them out of position. The Brazilian will be hoping to start against Wolves and his inclusion in the lineup could well spell disappointment for Son. Fitness permitting, Clément Lenglet is likely to fill in for the injured Cristian Romero and, with Sessegnon looking a good bet to make way for Ivan Perisic, Tottenham’s uncharacteristically early transfer dealings are already looking as sensible as they...