Arsenal’s 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League took Mikel Arteta’s side back to the top of the Premier League, albeit temporarily.
But if the post-match analysis from a number of pundits is anything to go by, Liverpool, Manchester City or any other team face difficult a task to knock the Gunners off of their perch.
“You saw the strength and depth, the substitutes they brought on, whether it's Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Rice, Martinelli, Trossard. They are now a proper squad and they will be a real threat,” former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist mused after the full-time whistle at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal’s bench was full of talent, it must be said. Rice would normally have started in central midfield but was afforded a breather after England international duty, while Martinelli has often been the go-to player on the left flank. Only now, Arsenal have Eberechi Eze to call upon—his £60 million transfer from Crystal Palace was one of the main talking points as the summer window drew to a close—and his obvious talent came to the fore on his first start in red and white.
“Eze is starting to purr, you're seeing the touches, you're seeing the flicks,” Arsenal legend Martin Keown told TNT Sports post-match. “And above all else, you're seeing a winning performance from Arsenal and I think that's a huge message that Arsenal are better equipped this time around.
“That was a real scary show of strength from Arsenal today with the quality of player. You've been without [Kai] Havertz and [Bukayo] Saka unavailable and that was a problem for Arsenal last season, but not this.”
Viktor Gyökeres, another big summer signing for Arsenal, was similarly impressed by Eze and fellow new signing Noni Madueke. “Those two are amazing in their positions, they always do something special. We definitely saw that today,” the Swede remarked in his post-match interview.
Arsenal supporters will point to the fact that they were missing a number of key players, too. In addition to Saka and Havertz, William Saliba had a watching brief as he recovers from an ankle injury, and captain Martin Ødegaard lasted just 18 minutes before a flare up of a past shoulder complaint forced him off the field. His replacement was Nwaneri—an extremely talented teenager who’d likely start on a regular basis for a lot of Premier League sides.
Perhaps Peter Crouch’s comments summed up the state of Arsenal’s squad best. “They’ve signed some great players. Eze and Madueke at times were unplayable,” he enthused. “I thought the luxury to rest Rice, Merino and Zubimendi were so comfortable in there, such technical footballers. They gave a good account of themselves. A great day for Arsenal.”
A great day, but could it end up being a great season for Arsenal and Arteta?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pundits All Agree on One Thing After Arsenal Show Title Credentials.