Arsenal: Joe Willock standing head and shoulders above the rest

In Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Joe Willock was the best player on the pitch. As he sauntered through a match that he stood head and shoulders clear of, he once again illustrated his readiness for stardom.

When a player is far superior to those he shares the pitch with, it does not take long to notice. Just wander through any sports center on a weekday evening and watch any amateur game. It will take but a few minutes to see who the best individuals are. The same is true at every level of the game.

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There is a certain strut to those that are — and know they are — the best. They receive the ball with an aura and authority, as if they know that no defender would even dare to try and tackle them. They saunter across the pitch as if they are wandering through a country park. Relaxed, unmoved, utterly devoid of pressure and stress.

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When they pass the ball, it is as if they are merely lending it to their teammates before they take it back again. It is their ball because this is their game. When they drive forward, they stride, their legs, seemingly longer and more powerful than anyone else’s, surging past players with an effortless, slow-motion speed that boggles the mind. When they drift throughout the pitch, they do so in an alien, other-worldly manner. They are thinking on a different plane. It is a little simple to say that they are just better, but that is often what they are.

On Tuesday night, Arsenal opened their Carabao Cup account against Nottingham Forest. Unai Emery changed his team, using an influx of youthful, vibrant talent. He sent them out to the rain-soaked Emirates pitch free from worries or pressure or stress and expectation. They played with a liberty and looseness that was joyous to watch. The ball zipped, almost happy to be passed with such accuracy. The goals flowed, especially late on; the celebrations, raucous. And at the heart of it all was Joe Willock, who strutted his stuff like he knew he was the best player on the pitch.

Whether Willock actually was the best player or not is up for debate. Everyone will have their own perspectives on his performance. But he certainly played as if he was, and that is more telling then whether he actually did. There was an inimitable, unerring confidence to his game that has not been seen before. This was a young player stepping into and subsequently owning the limelight.

Willock has enjoyed a vibrant beginning to the season. Three Premier League starts. A hustling, bustling performance against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. Usurping a World Cup-winner in the midfield pecking order. And now, dominating a midfield as if he was the veteran who could wander through a match that knelt in awe of his brilliance.

It was impossible for your eyes not to be drawn to the midfielder. He strode forward with such conviction. He tackled, intercepted, passed, dribbled, and did it all better than any of his opponents. He was that player in five-a-side who no one can get near — and no one even dates get near in case they get humiliated. Willock stood head and shoulders clear of all.

This was not a glimmering, hopeful performance. This was not an inconsistent, briefly spectacular but largely unproductive display. This was sheer domination, and it came from a 20-year-old. Joe Willock is standing head and shoulders above the rest and it does not take long to realise.