“Usually they get bullied a lot of the time” – Michael Owen explains why Arsenal fans can be ‘hopeful at this moment’
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has explained why Arsenal fans can be hopeful with regard to the club's top-four ambitions.
Manager Mikel Arteta's transformation of the side is in full swing with the Gunners boasting a determined, energetic and youthful squad.
This was evident as the north London side fought hard to earn a 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday night.
Arsenal did not celebrate like they had won the league. They celebrated like a team who had battled hard for a crucial victory after playing a large part of the game with ten men. And why shouldn't they?
Reduced to 10 men with twenty minutes left to play, Arteta set up a low-block that battled its way through the tense remaining period.
The grit and determination of the Gunners side was praised by Owen, who, Daily Mail quote telling BT Sport:
"They look as if they can (go) away to tough places now and fight it out a bit more. Usually they get bullied a lot of the time."
In recent times Arsenal's sides have been attributed to being weak-minded and not having leadership qualities. But this season has seen the squad pull together in tense moments.
Gunners fans feared the worst at the start of the EPL season when their side lost to newly-promoted Brentford along with two other matches. They were placed at the bottom of the table with zero points after the first three games.
Owen also recalled the season opener against Brentford:
"I watched them at the start of the season against Brentford and it was like this is the Arsenal of recent years but now they’ve got a bit of steel about them and if I was an Arsenal fan I’d be more hopeful at this moment than I have been in a while."
Arteta has weathered the Arsenal storm
In recent years there have been glaring issues at the Emirates Stadium.
There were particularly reports of unrest in the dressing room and transfer operations that left much to be admired.
This aged like milk. https://t.co/On6ijgRuI9
It seems, however, that Mikel Arteta has ridden out the storm that had plunged his future at the club into doubt following a poor 2020/2021 EPL season.
His handling of the Pierre-Emerick Aubemyang situation has been admirable as he stood his ground in not letting the player have his own way at the club.
The Spaniard has also made some shrewd transfer deals this past summer, with Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale proving doubters wrong.
If Arteta can deliver Champions League football for a side that hasn't featured in Europe's top competition since 2017, then it will be another win for the young manager.