On September 7, Beijing time (CEST), in the third round of the Premier League, Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 at home, securing their third consecutive league victory to start the season. Following the match, Isaan Khan, Arsenal correspondent for The Daily Mail, published a column discussing his views on the match and the team's current condition.

Column

If Chelsea can eventually become genuine title contenders, Arsenal has proven their ability to lead—this is no exaggeration whatsoever.

From another perspective, The Gunners could have extended their advantage even further.

Before the match, the encounter was widely billed as a "battle between solid defense and sharp attack," with Chelsea's "CPR" trio (Cole-Palmer, Pedro, Rogers) intent on testing Arsenal's defense.

However, Arsenal dismantled Chelsea with a dominant display, which aptly demonstrated the team's sharp insight: with the other Premier League "Big Six" teams in disarray, they are looking to capitalize on this open door.

Failure to recruit a star striker before the transfer window closed has not weakened Arteta's side. They channeled all their efforts into the final third, determined to succeed, creating countless opportunities.

Despite winning the league title last season, Arsenal was often criticized for being overly cautious—when ahead, they feared making mistakes and hesitated to press their advantage, not giving opponents any breathing room.

But this match was entirely different: Arsenal's defense left space for Chelsea to launch counterattacks, yet the home side showed no concern.

They believed goals would come eventually, and thus continued to push forward relentlessly. In the end, Ødegaard and Havertz each scored one goal. If they maintain this style of play, Arsenal will score even more goals in upcoming matches.

Calafiori scored but it was ruled out for offside; Arsenal also squandered numerous chances, many falling to Havertz in the first half, but he adapted quickly and performed well throughout the match.

This harks back to the 2022-23 season, when Arsenal consistently converted chances and launched lightning-quick attacks against opponents.

Compared to the style seen by fans in recent seasons, this way of playing is clearly more entertaining. Arteta's team previously adopted a "safety first" strategy, eventually lifting the league title after 22 years.

Arteta's comments after the match clearly showed his desire to build on last season's championship and reach even greater heights.

He said: "This match proves that we are fully capable of performing at a higher level than last season. It depends on whether we can maintain this hunger and humility, working every day to make ourselves and the team better."

"We still have plenty of room for improvement and can contribute more—that is the team's ambition."

All signs point to Arsenal's style of play changing. The psychological burden of consistently finishing as runners-up has long since lifted; Arsenal's players and staff are confident they have the ability to reach the summit again.

We may be seeing a more fluid Arsenal, ready to deliver a knockout blow to opponents whenever the opportunity arises. This is a very exciting prospect for Arsenal fans and neutral observers.

If Arteta's side can maintain this performance level, very few teams will be able to stop them.

Arsenal's solid defense is already renowned, and the arrival of Ezri Calafiori has further strengthened this aspect.

In the 56th minute, Calafiori made a crucial tackle on Rogers, drawing roaring applause from the home supporters. At that moment, Rogers was eyeing open space ahead, preparing to advance, when Calafiori's perfectly-timed sliding tackle brought him down cleanly.

Arteta described this defensive display after the match as a "very typical English tackle," directly halting Rogers' attacking momentum.

Back to attack. On paper, the depth of Arsenal's left wing may not be ideal, but when the team plays in this form, such weaknesses are easily masked.

Also worth noting is Ødegaard's continued strong performances. His league goal tally this season has doubled, and the stop-start nature of last season due to injury appears to be a thing of the past.

He seems to have a sense of urgency, "making every second count," not only frequently delivering brilliant passes to create opportunities for teammates but also actively pushing forward into the opposition penalty area. If Arsenal can maintain this momentum, it will surely be a huge asset for the team.

Finally, let's talk about Rogers. When he was substituted in the 87th minute, home supporters chanted at him, "You should have joined a big club."

He played a sharp match, repeatedly threatening Arsenal's defense with counterattacks. His shot in the second minute showed why Arsenal pursued him throughout the summer.

But as Arsenal demonstrated in this match, they may already have sufficient firepower to sweep past the other rivals in the league.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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