The loss to Liverpool was an undeniable setback, but other than that, Arsenal have had a great start to the season this year.
For example, Mikel Arteta’s side won their first Champions League game of the campaign with relative ease.
Then in the Premier League, they’ve not conceded a single goal outside of the game at Anfield while scoring 11 of their own.
Moreover, the summer signings are looking promising, and one player who received similar treatment to Noni Madueke when he first signed could be in for a revival this season.
How Madueke ranks among Arsenal's summer signings
Starting with the player who has caused the most conversation among fans and pundits alike: Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swedish marksman has come in for plenty of quite unfair criticism already this season, particularly over his performances away to Manchester United and Liverpool.
However, those are two of the toughest away days he’s going to have this season, and considering he already has three league goals to his name, and probably could have got one or two more, suggests he’ll be absolutely fine in the long run.
Moreover, with Eberechi Eze in the squad, the former Sporting CP monster is bound to have an abundance of chances created for him.
In fact, the Englishman provided an assist for him in his first start since his high-profile move from Crystal Palace.
The Greenwich-born star might’ve then followed that up with a quieter game against Athletic Bilbao, but even then, he still completed two dribbles, was accurate in 100% of his crosses and long balls and put in four tackles for good measure.
Yet, while there was an expectation that Eze and Gyokeres would hit the ground running in red and white, we don’t think anyone reasonably expected Cristhian Mosquera to be as good as he has been so far.
Clearances
3
Blocked Shots
2
Tackles
4
Ground Duels (Won)
5 (4)
Lost Possession
5
Touches
62
Accurate Passes
47/51 (92%)
He looked unreal against Liverpool and then in the last two matches showed that he’s just as much of a ball-playing centre-back as William Saliba, completing 75 passes against Forest and then another 75 back in Spain.
Fellow Spaniard Martin Zubimendi is already starting to make the number six position his own, helping the team tick over with ease and even getting himself on the scoresheet twice at the weekend.
Finally, the player who has perhaps surprised people the most so far, or at least Gary Neville, is Madueke.
When it was revealed that the club were keen on signing the former Chelsea star, there was uproar from certain sections of the fan base and even a petition to stop the deal.
However, in the last few games, he’s looked exceptional, constantly taking on opposition defenders, driving into the box and generally doing the things that get the fans on their feet.
Interestingly, there is a chance that another player in the Arsenal squad who has seen his reputation come crashing down over the last year or so could potentially experience a similar revival over the coming season.
The Arsenal star who could turn it around
There have been a few Arsenal stars who’ve seen their reputations take a hit over the last year, like Oleksandr Zincenko, for example.
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However, in this instance, the player in question is Gabriel Martinelli.
Just a few years ago, the former Ituano gem was coming off an incredible campaign in which he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 46 games.
However, in the years since, he has not been able to get close to having that same impact, and at the same time, it appears as if his confidence and ability to beat opposition defenders have withered away. It says it all that Arsenal reportedly valued him at £60m in the summer, only for suitors to come back and say they’d only be willing to pay a £40m fee.
Fans have also been losing faith in the Brazilian, with journalist Con Harrison labelling him “lazy” for his performance against Fulham last season and podcaster and writer Phil Costa calling him clunky and indecisive” during the game against Liverpool last month.
However, all is not lost, as the game against Bilbao shows a way in which the 24-year-old can once again become an important part of the squad.
He came off the bench in the game and made use of his incredible pace to beat the Spaniard’s defence in a foot race and slot home the opening goal.
Now, to be clear, we don’t think the Guarulhos-born international should be anywhere near the starting lineup for some time, but he could become an incredible option off the bench.
Moreover, with Arteta telling the press he views his substitutes as “finishers” and that they could be more important than starters in games, there is an incredible opportunity for the dynamic attacker to rebuild his reputation.
Ultimately, while fans have every right to doubt Martinelli’s future at the club given the last few seasons, his role as an impact player could save his Arsenal career and see him have a significant impact this season.