Arsenal are showing signs of hitting top form at the right time as Wednesday’s 6-0 Champions League destruction of Lens confirmed them as group winners.
The Gunners’ impressive return to European football’s top table is in addition to an impressive start to the domestic season which saw them leapfrog Manchester City into top spot last weekend.
The cause for further optimism was compounded by the return to full fitness of Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and captain Martin Odegaard in time for the notoriously demanding festive period.
Arsenal’s prolific streak against Lens which saw them score four times in the space of 14 first-half minutes was perhaps a warning of what is to come for the Gunners’ future opponents.
That’s because for the first time, boss Mikel Arteta was able to field a five-star attack consisting of Bukayo Saka, Odegaard, Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli – and it paid off handsomely.
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal‘s star names wrote a little bit of history during the demolition job on the Ligue 1 side.
Brazil striker Jesus became the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League games for an English club.
Saka also got himself in on the act by becoming only the third player – behind Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez – to both score and assist in three consecutive home Champions League matches.
The cherry on top during a perfect evening at the Emirates was every member of Arsenal’s ‘fab five’ getting on the scoresheet – an ominous thought for Gary O’ Neil’s Wolves who head to north London for Saturday’s Premier League clash.
Credit must go to Arteta who has had to tinker with his side during a period of injuries to his star names. But now the Spaniard has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal heading into an exhausting run of eight fixtures during the month of December.
Franck Haise’s Lens, who ran Paris Saint-Germain close in last season’s Ligue 1 title race, showed why an open approach might not be the best policy against Arteta’s blossoming side.
As a result, future opponents have witnessed how an expansive style can end up becoming a nightmare situation meaning Arteta’s side will need to continue to find a solution to breaking down well-drilled and disciplined approaches.
But after grinding their way through November, the Gunners now appear in as good shape as any of European football’s big names as both the Champions League and Premier League appear as wide open to a new winner as any time in recent memory.
