Arsenal Show Dangerous New Side To Their Character

Arsenal were far from their fluid, dynamic best against Manchester City. They won with doggedness and determination, showing a new side to their character.

Arsenal have long been criticised for their mental shortcomings. Throughout the recent Arsene Wenger years, they have enjoyed periods of fluent and dynamic football, playing their opponents off of the park, only to succumb to dastardly winters and frightful Februaries.

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It had become an annual ritual, a predictable, painstakingly obvious period during which their title hopes would falter and their Champions League status humiliated. They continually failed to show mental fortitude, resilience and determination. They would, inevitably, crumble under the pressure.

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And yet, that is exactly the opposite of what took place on Sunday. Arsenal did not deserve to beat Manchester City. They rode their luck with some rather fortuitous refereeing decisions, they enjoyed just 34% of the possession, creating nine shots in contrast to their opponents 20, and relied upon goals from a full-back-turned-wing-back and a pinballed set piece. When asked about his side’s performance, Wenger was abundant in his praise in the character and the metal they showed:

"“I felt that we had a strong response today. It was a mental test because many people questioned ‘Can we turn up in an occasion like that?’ That’s why I am very proud for the players, because they showed they are united and determined. We have gone through a very difficult period and we faced some adversity that made the situation more difficult from inside as well. But we’ve shown a united response, not a divided response, but of course, mentally we were in a fragile position.”"

That is an accurate summary of the performance of his players, and Wenger should be pleased. It also addresses the key shortcoming that has held the team back over the past few seasons. If Arsenal are able to develop the mental side of the game, then suddenly that makes them a whole new challenge moving forward.

Now, it would be remiss and ambitious of me to make such an over-arching and long lasting statement from just one gutsy performance. Nothing can be gleaned from 120 minutes of football. But there were signs to be positive, signs that resilience is growing within the squad.

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The win was certainly founded on traits unusual to the Gunners. They are nonetheless valuable characteristics and, if consistently replicated throughout a full season, combined with the technical quality the squad already boasts, could bring great success to North London once again.