Arsenal: Moving upwards as easy as ABC

B is for Backbone

How long has it been since Arsenal had defence they could rely upon? And a midfield they could trust? Rhetorical questions aside, there is something different in the air, something that has turned David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, and Granit Xhaka into confident, composed, dependable defenders.

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Three players associated by nature with errors and blunders, games-to-forget have become a concrete backbone of this Arsenal squad. They are not necessarily the long-term solution, but the trio dubbed ‘clowns’ on Twitter has led Arsenal to 13 points out of 15, with just two goals conceded.

But it’s not just them. Arsenal have begun to look like a hardened, disciplined, workhorse unit in the way they commit everybody possible to the defensive cause. One turnover against Wolves comes to mind: Adama Traore picked up the ball on the halfway line and was immediately mobbed by three red shirts.

While Wolves retained possession, they were unable to force a way through the Gunners midfield as all 11 players were back behind the ball, pressing forward in an unstoppable wave that led to a promising counter. Defensively, the team is working in tandem with one another, pressing hard, covering ground, sometimes scrapping. They have shown backbone, which is something to build upon.