Arteta finally gets Arsenal’s best team out – and it’s ready to win the Premier League

Robin Bairner

30 Nov 2023 10:04 GMT
3 min read

Gabriel Jesus celebrates an Arsenal goal against Lens in the Champions League (2023/24) — © ProShots

Arsenal produced their best performance of the season on Wednesday as they blitzed past Lens 6-0 in the Champions League, securing their place in the next round of the competition in the process.

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In a whirlwind opening 30 minutes, goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were more then enough to seal the victory, which was capped by further strikes from Martin Odegaard and Jorginho.

Not bad for a team that’s not hit form yet.

Mikel Arteta has not made excuses, but the midweek match was the first time all season that the Spaniard has been able to deploy his favoured front five of Havertz, Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka and Jesus.

Prior to the Lens fixture, that combination had not played a single minute together because of selection problems, yet after 45 on the field in unison, every one of them had found the net. It is quite an incredible statistic.

© ProShots - Arsenal were rampant against Lens

So much has been made in recent weeks of the Gunners showing a more pragmatic side this term than the one that came up just short in the Premier League title race last time around, yet they have now proven that they are also capable of fireworks.

And let’s not forget, this is not a team that struggling despite claims they lacked goals. Indeed, Arteta’s men average more than two per game in the Premier League this season, the joint fifth-best tally in the division, nearly twice as many as Manchester United and only one shy of a Liverpool side that is being talked up as potential title winners.

Arteta, meanwhile, is after a January reinforcement to bolster this line further. FootballTransfers revealed that Dusan Vlahovic is the leading target while Santos youngster Marcos Leonardo is a further possibility.

The Gunners learned from City last year that the Premier League race is not a sprint, it is about timing your run.

Arsenal have been going quietly about their business so far this season, but with Arteta’s preferred forwards in place and another potentially on the way in January, it’s time for them to start flying.