Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Brentford on Sunday as they bounced back from their defeat to Manchester United in their previous fixture in style.
But the result was more than just about the three points, having lost 2-0 to the same opposition just 13 months earlier on the opening day of the last campaign, as manager Mikel Arteta shot down claims of that “embarrassing” defeat. Elsewhere, Ian Wright has praised Granit Xhaka’s new role, although Alan Shearer believes it is too early to call Arsenal title contenders.
Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest stories coming out of the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta shoots down “embarrassing” claims
There were more than just points on offer as Arsenal made the trip to Brentford on Sunday after the Gunners’ pride had been severely wounded 13 months earlier with a startling 2-0 loss in the west of the capital.
But things could hardly have been more different over the weekend just gone as Arsenal earned one of their most convincing victories of the season, as Arteta showed just why his future’s so bright with his response to last season’s disappointment at the Gtech Community Stadium. Instead of allowing external furore to seep into his dressing room, the Spaniard used the defeat as something which could benefit his youthful squad in the long run.
“What a lot of people described as a bad day, as an embarrassing day, I looked at it as a character-building day,” Arteta told reporters after Sunday’s match as he reflected on the fixture just over one year earlier. “If you want to become a different team, you have to learn from those moments, to go through those moments and then days like today happen.”
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Sky Sports)
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Ian Wright lauds Xhaka role
Arsenal legend Wright believes the Gunners are now seeing “the best of Granit Xhaka” as he lauded the midfielder following his performance in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Brentford, with the Swiss star excelling in a team flowing with confidence having won six of their seven games.
Xhaka, who has previously been linked with moves away from the Emirates, is playing in a midfield two but with the licence to roam. Arsenal’s impressive performances have also allowed him to play on the front foot and his vision was on show as he laid on Gabriel Jesus excellently in the recent win over Brentford.
Wright said on BBC’s Match of the Day : “For me, Granit Xhaka is a player that we’re finally seeing play like he does for Switzerland. He’s playing in a position that suits him, playing more offensively. He’s playing with real authority and confidence. He set the tempo for Arsenal off the ball. I’m really pleased for him because I was one of his staunchest critics. But now we’re seeing the best of Granit Xhaka.”
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Alan Shearer plays down Arsenal’s title chances
Former Premier League striker Shearer has insisted that it is too early to name Arsenal as title contenders, despite their impressive start to the new Premier League season after picking up their sixth win of the new campaign on Sunday with a commanding performance against Brentford.
The victory moved them back to the top of the Premier League, above reigning champions Manchester City, heading into the international break and while they appear to be well-placed to mount a surprise title challenge this season following Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea’s mixed start to the campaign, Shearer played down the Gunners’ chances.
He told BBC Sport : “I still think Arsenal’s main target is a return to the top four for the first time since 2016, and they have not done too much wrong so far. It’s not time to talk about them as title contenders yet, but people now know that this is a different Arsenal to the team we saw just 13 months ago.”
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