Arsenal are leading the chase for the final Champions League qualification place this season, sitting in fourth spot with a significant number of games to be played over many of their rivals. Their form has only improved since the turn of the year and the performances have matched the results.
Mikel Arteta has however started to see the perception of his Arsenal side begin to shift. Where before the Gunners were something to giggle at and write off, now words such as ‘should be’ and ‘top-four failure’ are being used against his side.
This all symbolises the positive work he has done and the hypocrisy of Arsenal’s rivals starting to emerge has been brilliant to witness.
“[Martin] Odegaard, [Aaron] Ramsdale, Ben White, [Sambi] Lokonga and [Nuno] Tavares. They’ve spent £135m on a B team,” Jamie O’Hara said on August 18th 2021, prior to the arrival of Takehiro Tomiyasu which took the club’s spending to approximately £150m.
Yet speaking this week to Laura Woods about Arsenal’s top-four hopes on talkSPORT, the former Billericay Town and Spurs player O’Hara appeared to have completely changed his tune.
Woods started by stating: "It's becoming a realistic possibility that they [Arsenal] could finish in the top four and that for me would be a massive overachievement."
O'Hara replied: "Is it though? They've spent £150million. It's Arsenal Football Club, they should be there.”
It appears that Arsenal’s rivals are suddenly trying to move the goalposts as the club pushes onwards beyond what anyone thought would be achieved this season.
Even some Arsenal supporters who may not be the biggest backers of Arteta have started to describe missing out on the top four as a colossal failure despite lesser pre-season expectations.
The bottom line is the youngest Premier League side who began their fourth match of the season bottom of the table now look strong favourites to finish in the Champions League qualification spots.
Arteta has cultivated a group of players who are united in their goals and want to elevate the level of themselves and their teammates.
Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe have all been wonderful this season and their goal contributions speak for themselves.
Alexandre Lacazette has seen his best friend leave in controversial circumstances and instead of letting the incident impact him, he has taken on the captain's armband and offered up seven assists in his last nine games.
He wants to score but knows that his role in what Arteta wants from his current No.9 is critical to picking up the points the club needs to reach the top four places.
There is an argument that the current squad does not currently have any players people would define as 'world class'. Certainly, there are plenty who have the potential to reach that calibre in the future, but at present improvement is needed.
Meanwhile, United have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and David de Gea. Players who have certainly been given that moniker plenty of times.
Tottenham’s overall squad may be comparatively weaker but with Antonio Conte and both Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, they again are dropping points in games that they shouldn’t.
The £150m Arsenal spent in the summer may not have seen a marquee acquisition brought in like the moves for Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. However, it has brought the potential quality and correct mentality to the team.
These are qualities Arsenal have desperately needed for a long time. It is clear why Arsenal’s rivals want to change the rhetoric. They’re scared and they should be.
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