“Professor” stood up clapping and smiling after Gabriel Martinelli scored to make it 3-1 to complete a comeback for Arsenal against West Ham on the morning of December 27 (Hanoi time). Nearly 19 years have passed since Arsenal last won the Premier League under Wenger. From the position of a team competing for the top spot of the tournament, the “Gunners” fell behind in terms of position and that was also the reason why the French coach had to leave.
However, in the confrontation in the 17th round of the Premier League, the Emirates stands had feelings for Wenger when on the coaching bench was another coach, younger and more trendy.
No Gabriel Jesus, no problem
“Only one Arsene Wenger” – Arsenal fans sang as they watched “Professor” return to the Emirates for the first time in four years. Rumors of an unhappy breakup between Arsenal and Wenger in 2018 seem to have been cleared up somewhat, with the return of the former.
Wenger waves to Arsenal fans on his first return to the Emirates in four years.
However, even if the contradictions and Wenger’s feeling of being “betrayed” by the Kroenke family four years ago are true, it only reflects the harsh spin of modern football. Results decide everything and as Wenger watched Arsenal have the best Premier League start in 20 years, the French strategist probably understands as a fan of the team.
The London club continue to show their progress this season and no one can doubt that they will compete for the Premier League title with Man City. When Jesus picked up a knee injury during the 2022 World Cup and was out at least until March, worries about Arsenal running out of breath emerged.
The Brazilian striker has played an important role in the operation of the “Gunners” since the beginning of the season. Not only is he one of the team’s top scorers (5 goals), but he also plays an assist (5 times) and creates the top number of goalscoring opportunities (5 times) among Premier centre-forwards. League this season.
Before West Ham, coach Mikel Arteta showed that if a team is running well, the absence of an individual cannot cause too many difficulties. Arsenal played a game of full initiative even when West Ham took the lead after the first half. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli or Martin Odegaard showed good chemistry in coordination and caused many problems for the West Ham defense.
With an expected goal index (xG) at 1.89, while West Ham only has 0.97 (including the penalty situation – 0.8 xG), the Emirates Stadium team simply have a pressure match. island in every way. They launched 16 shots all game, controlling 66% of the ball compared to 34% of West Ham. This is also the first time in this season that coach David Moyes’ team has conceded 3 goals in a match.
The optimistic signal with Arsenal also comes from Eddie Nketiah taking his chance. The 23-year-old striker has been subject to many doubts since the beginning of the season when he missed many opportunities from the bench. In the first time he started to replace Jesus after the World Cup, the English striker left his mark with a turn to finish the goal in the style of Thierry Henry.
In the stands, Wenger did not hide his satisfaction. If Martinelli or Odegaard, the two previous goalscorers, represent the changes Arsenal have made since Wenger’s departure, it is Nketiah who was personally given the opportunity by “Professor” to make it to the first team in 2017. It was the goal of the hyphen between the two dynasties. Wenger of the past and Arteta of the present.
Advancement
The current Arsenal manager has said many times that he wants Wenger back to help the team (in an advisory role) because of the great influence of the French strategist. Arteta and sporting director Edu are said to have sent Wenger an invitation to return to the Emirates. They were certainly pleased to witness the festive atmosphere in the courtyard during Boxing Day.
Eddie Nketiah left his mark with a goal reminiscent of Thierry Henry.
“He chose the right moment,” Arteta said of Wenger’s return. “I think today’s performance was at the level he deserves to see.” Earlier in the season, the French strategist believed that Arsenal could compete with Man City for the title race if they maintained stability after the first leg.
The English Premier League has just passed more than a third of the way and no one can say anything in advance. However, the victory over West Ham is Arsenal’s clearest affirmation in the race to win the Premier League this season.
The “Gunners” not only have an impressive attack (36 goals) just behind Man City (40 goals), they also have the second best defense in the tournament. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has only 12 times in the net to pick up the ball in the Premier League this season. Only Newcastle (11 goals) have a better defense than Arsenal after 17 Premier League rounds.
Six weeks is a long enough time for teams to lose their excitement after an impressive start to the season. But Arsenal have shown they are not ready to slow down in the race for the Premier League title.
Tuong Linh | 08:40 December 27, 2022
