Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal evolution as Gunners target Invincibles intimidation factor

It has often been said that the greatest teams in the history of football won matches before even stepping on to the pitch. This is something Mikel Arteta has experienced first-hand.

Back in 2005 he was part of an Everton team that turned up at Highbury to face an Arsenal side containing the vast majority of the famous Invincibles. The Gunners would go on to seal what was, at the time, the fourth biggest victory in Premier League history, with a 7-0 win. The dominance on the pitch was clear, but for a 23-year-old Arteta though, the game was over before it had even begun.

«I have been in the tunnel playing with a different shirt looking at the Invincibles and I had that feeling — tonight is going to be really tough,» he said.

Almost 20 years on that intimidation factor is something Arteta is hoping to generate for the his own Arsenal side. «Hopefully we can create that. I think that would be something very positive for the team.»

On form, his side aren't doing too bad a job of that. Since the turn of the year Arsenal have skyrocketed from sixth to first in the Premier League scoring charts, while maintaining the division's meanest defence. What has been most impressive throughout this run though has been their dominance in games. In the 10 league matches they have played in 2024, the Gunners have allowed just 4.02 expected goals against (as per understat ). The next best record during that period is Manchester City with 10.27, while fellow title rivals Liverpool have surrendered 11.62.

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But it's not just the statistics that speak to the aura