Arsenal was back at the top before the international break, as Brentford blew the final whistle.
However, the Premier League season itself is still very young. the Gunners’ 3-0 win already symbolises the transformation they’ve undergone over the last year.
Arsenal is now the proud owner of north London bragging rights, while Tottenham were their closest rivals.
Goals by William Saliba and summer signings Gabriel JesusFabio Vieira witnessed the Gunners win six in seven with a derby contest to follow Nations League fixtures.
It was quite fitting that it was the Bees Arsenal who won the race to the top.
‘Shameless’ Tweet
A little over a year ago the Gunners were in a difficult start to their 2021/22 campaign.
Manager Mikel Arteta’s side had lost their three opening Premier League games, including their game against newly promoted Brentford on the opening day of the season.
The Gunners also failed to score one goal that day and were rooted at the bottom of this table.
“Nice kick about with the boys,” Bees talisman Ivan Toney famously tweeted after his team’s shock 2-0 win, which the Since then, both players and managers have not been able to move on.
Und despite all the embarrassment, it was only a few weeks later Arsenal used Twitter to say they’d beaten Thomas Frank’s side 4-0Friendly behind closed doors
It fell like a lead balloon.
“Shameless,” one fan wrote.
Whilst another said: “You couldn’t have just done that three weeks ago [in the Premier League?”
Fast forward 12 months and Arsenal now look a totally different side to the one that couldn’t buy a win last term and were ridiculed by Toney.
Arteta’s Alterations
Back then, the north London side had been in a state of disarray.
Despite spending the most of any other Premier League club in the summer transfer window at £160million, Arsenal were being hit with problems from every angle.
As shown in Amazon Prime’s docuseries ‘Arsenal: All or Nothing’, the club’s fans began to protest before games, with ‘Kroenke Out’ – the club’s owner – plastered on banners held up by unhappy supporters outside the stadium.
After finishing eighth the season before, and the campaign prior to that, Gunners fans had seen enough, especially after the poor start to 2021/22.
However, following Arsenal’s win 1-0 win at home to Norwich City that appeared to stop the rot, Arteta began to orchestrate a transformation at the Emirates.
Their season faced many further peaks and troughs – namely in banishing and eventually letting go of club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and then just missing out on fourth place.
But last season and the subsequent transfer window set the path for what has been an incredible start to the season for Arsenal.
After letting go of Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, the Gunners recruited Premier League champions Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.
Edu – Arsenal’s technical director – also brought in Fabio Vieira from Porto, as well as Matt Turner from New England Revolution.
Asked if they are title contenders, talkSPORT host Jason Cundy told the Sports Bar: “I think they are. They look good and some of the players that have come in, have slotted in seamlessly.
“They are all buying into Arteta and Arsenal fans should be very excited.”
And Frank, who has lost twice in succession to Arteta added: “They are building a team that’s young, very exciting, and that has key players in good positions. So he’s done a top job.
“He’s completed a transition from the former manager, he’s created his own culture, and he’s got rid of some players and brought in his own.”
What a difference a year makes.
Watch the World Cup with talkSPORT
At talkSPORT we are powered by fans, so come and join us for the ultimate World Cup fan experience this winter – at the talkSPORT Fan Zone.
In a huge indoor venue under the arches at Waterloo in London, we’ll bring you live screenings of every World Cup game.
There will be Q&As with talkSPORT talent, you’ll be part of our live broadcasts, and there will be plenty of food and drink on offer too.
Come and enjoy the best World Cup fan experience in London – and enjoy a pint on us – with tickets for England and Wales’ group stage games on sale now HERE!
