The "Arsenal machine" operated in a different way in the victory against Chelsea. They still rely on the tight tactical foundation of coach Mikel Arteta, but the flexible movements and harmony between attacking players are opening up a new face.
Martin Odegaard's decisive goal in the 50th minute is the clearest proof. This situation almost recreated his own goal in the English Super Cup match against Man City a few weeks ago. Christos Tzolis passed the ball from the left wing, Kai Havertz moved to create space, and Odegaard appeared at the right time before launching a decisive finish.
The Gunners started the season with many questions about how they will conquer the Premier League after relieving their thirst for the championship. Will Arteta's team continue to rely on ball control, set pieces and solid defense like last season, or will they become more liberal?
The match against Chelsea partly brought the answer. Morgan Rogers' early goal forced Arsenal to accelerate, thereby creating a more versatile match. Arsenal's continuous movements and positional swaps made it difficult for Chelsea to mark.
At one point, Havertz drifted to the right wing, Riccardo Calafiori tied in the middle, Odegaard played highest and Bukayo Saka operated in the number 10 position. That disruption was not spontaneous handling but stemmed from the understanding that had been trained in Arteta's system.
Odegaard is the clearest beneficiary. After a season affected by injury, the Arsenal captain is regaining his form. He has scored 3 goals in the first 4 matches of the season, including the English Super Cup match. Instead of just standing outside the penalty area to coordinate, the Norwegian international proactively penetrates deeper, searches for the ball in narrow spaces and often approaches the goal.
Arteta also appreciated this change. He said that Odegaard is in good physical condition and at the highest level of confidence, while emphasizing the understanding between him, Havertz and Saka after a long time this trio could not play together regularly.
The Gunners" may not become a completely liberal and chaotic team. Arteta will still maintain the tactical principles that helped him succeed. However, the ability to create transformation within a well-organized system may be Arsenal's next step.
Odegaard scoring almost the same goals against Man City and Chelsea in a month shows that Arsenal is finding a new source of energy in their attacking style of play.
This is proof that we have the ability to perform at a level even higher than last season. The important thing is that we must maintain that desire.
Odegaard has something to prove after missing too many matches. Havertz is the same, Saka is the same. Last season we lost too many attacking players for a long time" - Arteta said after the match.
