Only a matter of days ago Arsenal swept PSG aside with a comfortable win inside the Emirates Stadium.
It wasn’t easy, per se, but the confidence with which Mikel Arteta’s men brushed aside one of Europe’s elite clubs 2-0 was impressive.
Therefore, it makes their matches against Leicester City and Southampton which sandwiched that Champions League tie rather more perplexing.
Arsenal were coasting at half-time last week only to be undone by two James Justin goals from nowhere. The Gunners did end up winning the game but they did so in dramatic last-gasp fashion.
Late heroics weren’t needed against Southampton but they were given a scare on Saturday. Cameron Archer opened the scoring against the run of play but the Gunners fought back in deadly style.
Almost single-handedly Kai Havertz decided to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and once his equaliser went in, Arteta rang the changes. Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho were all off. On came Gabriel Martinelli – scorer of Arsenal’s second on the day – Leandro Trossard and new signing Mikel Merino. Boy did they make an impact?
By the time the whistle went at the end of 99 long minutes of play, it was 3-1 as Bukayo Saka capped off a fine individual afternoon. We want to talk about Havertz first, though.
Kai Havertz's performance in numbers
This time last year the German had just been gifted a charity penalty. Let’s be honest, that’s what it was.
Arsenal were in a comfortable position away at Bournemouth and Saka was about to put the ball down on the spotkick. Over came captain Martin Odegaard who whispered in the Englishman’s ear before presenting the opportunity to Havertz. He duly obliged and the £65m signing was finally off and running in Arsenal colours.
Since that moment at the Vitality Stadium, the former Chelsea man has only gone from strength to strength. In fact, he’s now one of the club’s most important players. Gabriel Jesus, who?
Arteta trialled him as a no.8 following the departure of Granit Xhaka but the Germany international offers so much more up top. He’s painted out as a false 9 but he’s now blossoming into an elite centre forward.
Havertz now has seven goals in seven straight home games and as a striker for Arsenal in Premier League action, he has registered 20 goal involvements in 20 games (12 goals and 8 assists), averaging one every 83 minutes.
Against Southampton, he proved exactly why he’s so valuable. The way he took his goal was Robin van Persie-esque. The 25-year-old burst forward, took a few touches to get the ball into a commanding position before hammering it home via the post.
If that didn’t sum up his display then a display of duel-winning right near the end of the contest did. Havertz entered a duel about 25 yards from goal in a central area and hustled and harried the visiting team into ceding possession, eventually winning it on the touchline and setting up another Arsenal attack.
“He takes the ball, he runs with the ball. On high press, he goes full gas. He is an attacking midfielder who plays as a nine. You don’t know where he is. He wants more, he is not satisfied. There is still another level [to come] from him.” – Arteta on Havertz.
In total, he won seven duels which was perhaps every bit as important as his rasping equaliser on 58 minutes.
Touches
53
Accurate passes
27/32 (84%)
Key passes
1
Accurate crosses
0/2
Shots on target
2
Shots off target
4
Shots blocked
1
Dribbles
2/4
Aerial duels won
3/6
Ground duels won
4/7
Tackles & interceptions
2
It was a phenomenal performance but there was one that caught the eye even further.
Bukayo Saka's performance in numbers
There’s always discourse surrounding Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Saka. Last weekend it was Palmer’s opportunity to showcase just how much of a threat he is. The Chelsea star did so emphatically, scoring a ridiculous four times against Brighton.
A week later it was Saka who proved why he could be the most special of the trio, picking up two assists and scoring the final goal against Russel Martin’s Saints.
Like Havertz, the 23-year-old put in a remarkable attacking performance and is now proving himself to be one of the game’s elite creators.
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Before last week’s match with the Foxes, no player on record had managed seven shots and seven chances created in a single Premier League game. Well, Saka did so against Leicester and on Saturday when Southampton came to town, he did the same again.
Yes, he may well be on corners, but this weekend both of his assists came from open play. The second was a peach, curling the ball to the back post where Martinelli was left with a simple finish from close range.
For the season, he now has seven assists in seven top-flight games and has created 27 goal-scoring chances, at least four more than any other player.
In intriguing circumstances, it seems as though Arsenal may have just unearthed the heir to Mesut Ozil’s crown.
Saka certainly has a bit more energy and drive to his play but Ozil, lest we forget, is one of the best playmakers of the 21st century.
In Arsenal colours, the German registered a whopping 75 assists in 254 games, 19 of which came in the same 2015/16 season as he came ever so close to matching Thierry Henry’s record for a Premier League campaign of 20.
Saka could well be in contention to match or beat that come the end of the term. He certainly will do if he continues at his current rate.
It’s crazy to think that the England international only registered nine in the entire league campaign last time out. At the age of just 23, the Arsenal star is getting even better. Scary times indeed for Premier League left-backs.
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