Arsenal’s players are simply laughing at Erling Haaland’s run of form, according to the London club’s midfielder Jorginho. Haaland made the difference again for Manchester City in the 2-1 win against Brentford on Saturday, scoring both their goals to bring his Premier League tally to nine from four matches this season.
Arsenal responded with a 1-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday to keep them second, two points behind City before their trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. It is fun to imagine – rather like the fantasy football manager who has not picked Haaland – how the Arsenal squad have reacted as news of the striker’s latest contribution has reached them; whether it is laughter or tears. Jorginho said it was the former but he insisted Haaland was not about to unsettle them in what will be an early season title race pointer.
“Erling scoring again … it is starting to make us laugh,” Jorginho said. “We look because we look at all the games and we love football. We love the Premier League so we watch all the games. We watch [City] as well, which is normal. It doesn’t get to our head. We need to focus on us and that is what we are trying to do.”
Haaland has 99 goals for City from 103 appearances; he will seek to bring up the century in Wednesday’s Champions League home tie against Inter. Arsenal open their campaign in Europe’s elite tournament at Atalanta on Thursday.
Haaland versus the Arsenal centre-halves Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba will be a major subplot. The pair were excellent at Spurs, forming an impenetrable last line, Gabriel chipping in with the winning goal, and they will draw further strength from how they repelled Haaland in last season’s league fixtures. Arsenal won 1-0 at home before drawing 0-0 away, Haaland peripheral on each occasion.
Arsenal’s draw at the Etihad Stadium in March was the only time in the calendar year they have failed to win away from home in the league: a run of 11 matches, which has featured nine clean sheets and a plus 28 goal difference. They had the meanest defence in the competition last season and have only conceded once in four matches this time out.
Jorginho talked up the mentality that Arsenal have shown, which was again in evidence at Spurs, where they found a way to win despite being without a clutch of important players, most notably the midfielders Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice. Jorginho said the team had improved on a psychological level since last season.
“I think so,” he said. “The team is working together, going through the process together. You learn more about each other. You just get better because everyone wants to improve and wants the best for the team. When you put the team in first place I think just good things can happen. You need to keep in this way. Keep believing in what you are doing. I think we are on the right way.”
Arsenal’s point at the Etihad last season was widely seen as a good one but it was put to Jorginho there was no such thing any more given the totals City have posted in their championship triumphs; that Arsenal needed to win this time.
“Yeah, if you want to achieve big things you need to have the mentality of trying to win every single game,” Jorginho said. “That is what we need to do and that is what we want to do.”
