Arsenal came into this season on the back of a busy summer transfer window where they spent around £250m and brought in eight players to propel another push for the Premier League title.
As they swept aside Nottingham Forest 3-0 with five of those new signings starting, the Gunners showed why such aggressive recruitment was justified.
Mikel Arteta’s side were without key trio Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and William Saliba through injury, while skipper Martin Odegaard limped off in only the 18th minute.
But it mattered little as Arsenal showed their strength in depth to cruise to an impressive success.
Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi were their statement signings and likely to start regardless of the opposition.
But with Declan Rice named as a substitute, manager Arteta looks to have ripped up his tier system for this campaign, where he had a number of players who were guaranteed starters and expected to play most of the games.
And despite their injury troubles, Arsenal have won three of their first four league games and are yet to concede a goal from open play.
‘Standards have raised’
The physical demands on players and relentless schedule meant Arteta and the club decided they needed to bring in high-calibre players to ensure there was not a drop in quality during times like this.
Havertz has a knee injury that will keep him out for weeks, Saka has been unavailable since the 5-0 win over Leeds with a hamstring injury, while centre-back Saliba was withdrawn with an ankle problem in the defeat at Liverpool.
Midfielder Odegaard has had a shoulder problem and was again withdrawn against Forest after an awkward fall.
The absence of this quartet would usually be a cause for crisis at Arsenal, and injuries to their influential players last season was a major factor in why the Gunners fell away in the title race to finish second behind Liverpool and falter in the Champions League semi-final against Paris St-Germain.
While Arteta will be eager for those players to return, his side – led by impressive England duo Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze – proved they have the talent and options to cope and get results.
When asked about his summer recruitment, the Spaniard said: “If we wouldn’t have done that and, as you said, with the injuries that we have, unfortunately some of them are very difficult to control, we would have been in a very different place.
“We knew that that was the standard, that’s the standard of the other teams in the league in Europe, and you can see that.
“I’m very happy because it gives us options, it gives us the capacity as well to change games, it gives the capacity to have presence in the team, and now we have to make sure that everybody feels connected and important.”
Arsenal travel to Spain on Tuesday to face Athletic Bilbao for the first of their Champions League games this season and Arteta said that was another reason the club decided to invest.
“The players have to play 70 or 74 games throughout the season. It’s never been done,” he added.
“When the intensity was that high, they are not going to be able to sustain that. So you need more players, the standards have raised, we need better players and there’s no secret.”
It was a sentiment backed up by former Arsenal defender Martin Keown.
“That was a real scary show of strength from Arsenal, with the quality of player. You’ve been without Havertz, and Saka unavailable, and that was a problem for Arsenal last season, but not this,” he told TNT Sports.
“Madueke, Eze coming in today, both of them outstanding. Gyokeres, what about that second goal, so direct, forward pass. This man in the box, a real predator.
“The quality of the group, even this young man [Cristhian Mosquera] at the back, what a performance that was. His full debut at Arsenal, home game, outstanding.
“At the moment, Arsenal are looking so strong.”
‘Madueke looks in electric form’
Arteta’s front three of Eze, Gyokeres and Madueke had never played together before the Forest match.
Eze was making his full debut and capped it off with an assist for Gyokeres, while Madueke was arguably Arsenal’s best player.
“The new ones that started, five of them, I’m really impressed with them,” added Arteta.
“I think you can sense and feel that there are new relationships flourishing there that are going to give us different things.
“To become more unpredictable, Noni, I think he was exceptional as well.”
Madueke’s performance comes off the back of a week where he started both of England’s World Cup qualifiers and scored his first goal for the Three Lions in the 5-0 win over Serbia in Belgrade.
The 23-year-old beat Forest full-back Morato at will and following an injury to visiting centre-back Murillo, Ange Postecoglou swapped Neco Williams from the right to left side in an attempt to stop Madueke.
The stats back up Madueke’s impact too as he ranked first for chances created (5), chances created from open play (5), dribbles completed (4), and duels won (9) in a fine display.
The Gunners also directed 44.7% of their attacks down the right flank to get him on the ball and he was a constant source of danger.
“A lot of Arsenal fans were doubting the transfer and Noni Madueke looks in electric form,” West Ham and Crystal Palace defender Danny Gabbidon told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He can go either way. He will go on his right as much as he cuts in on his left.
“From a defensive point of view, that’s difficult to defend against. He has caused all sorts of problems.”
Source: BBC
