Arsenal: People finally taking Gunners seriously again

The tone in how the media have received this Arsenal team has changed. They are now being taken seriously. That is a credit to Unai Emery and his work throughout the season.

After Arsenal secured a creditable but frustrating draw against Tottenham on Saturday, it seems that there has been a change in tone in how the footballing media view the side.

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Traditionally the brunt of endless jokes about poor defending and a lack of leadership, Arsenal showed a noticeable tough streak against Spurs and were inches away from securing their first away win against a “big six” rival of the season — they, in fact, not won away against the top six since January 2015, four years ago, a sensational 2-0 victory at Manchester City.

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Questionable refereeing decisions and poor penalties aside, it was clear that Unai Emery had a plan that nullified Spurs and provided his team with opportunities on the break. Alexandre Lacazette laid on Aaron Ramsey for the opener, countering from a turnover in possession, and the Frenchman then had two further chances to make it 2-0, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan continued his recent good form with some sublime through balls for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the second half.

While a soft centre has been evident at points throughout the season, Arsenal have also shown signs of defensive improvement. Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny are forming a strong partnership and recent clean sheets against Chelsea and Southampton show a path to future solidity.

Emery has been more consistent in his selection and it is noticeable how the players look more certain in their roles. Earlier in the season, the media and fans questioned Emery’s tinkering but this is now being praised as flexibility. There has been a shift in perspective, even if the processes are still largely the same.

Despite being written off numerous times as an irrelevance in the race for the top four, the media narrative is now changing and the resurgence that has taken place under Emery is being noticed.

After a huge game on Sunday against Manchester United, the picture will be even clearer. If they win or even avoid defeat, Emery’s side has a fantastic chance to finish in the top four with just eight games to play, none of which are against one of their top six rivals.

These are by no means easy matches but it is a more favourable schedule than that facing Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs. Chelsea and Man. Utd still have to play one another, as well as Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, while Spurs must travel to both Liverpool and Man. City, both games they will be expected to lose.

While the underdog tag has suited Arsenal so far this season, with nine games to go, it is time to shake it off and embrace a return to Europe’s top competition.