It’s an image that encapsulates Arsenal’s magnificent team goal against Leicester
Matteo Guendouzi raises a hand to his head in disbelief at what he has just seen unfold.
In the foreground Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ten years his teammate’s senior, salutes routinely to the crowd. But Guendouzi knows that this was no ordinary goal. It was his pass to Hector Bellerin that helped start the intricate exchange on the edge of the box as Arsenal shuttled the ball from back to front – and yet he is left dumbstruck by the thrilling outcome.
This is the first time Arsenal have won 10 matches in a row in all competitions since October 2007, and there are obvious parallels to draw. In the wake of record goalscorer Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona, that season saw a young Gunners side find their voice to finish third in the Premier League and reach the latter stages of the Champions League.
Stepping out of the light and shade of Arsene Wenger’s 22-year reign, Arsenal fans can once again hope to emulate the form that brought them agonisingly close to the title, denied only by a gut-wrenching defeat at Old Trafford in the run-in.
Few put it better than Mesut Ozil after Monday’s pulsating comeback against Leicester. “I think we played some sexy football tonight,” tweeted the Germany international, who was galvanised by the captain’s armband. Rarely have the Emirates crowd seen sexier in recent years as Unai Emery oversees an attacking transformation to cut through the sterile domination of the late Wenger era with purpose and incision.
If Aaron Ramsey’s stunning back-heeled finish in the romp at Fulham was a glimpse of what this team is capable of, then Ozil’s instinctive strike to cancel out Leicester’s opener confirmed that individual skill has been augmented by a renewed sense of mental fortitude in recent weeks. There have been calls for Ozil to grab a game by the scruff of the neck ever since he arrived in north London, and on Monday he did exactly that – be it in his own stylish fashion.
Cutting and weaving through the Leicester defence, he set the tempo for Arsenal’s fightback, eagerly supported by Hector Bellerin as the right-back sought to make amends for his early own goal. The often maligned duo were accused of going missing during last season’s doomed top-four assault, but it was the Foxes’ defence who were nowhere to be seen just after the hour mark as Ozil provided the pass of the night for the on-rushing Bellerin to tee up Aubameyang.
And then came the moment of the evening; the moment that left Guendouzi holding his head in his hands as he realised that he was living out his dreams on the Emirates pitch. An equal among idols, and yet a teenage boy among his heroes, bearing witness to brilliance as Ozil spooned the ball into Aubameyang’s path for the striker’s second.
In that moment, we were all Matteo Guendouzi.
The critics will say that Arsenal have proved nothing yet, but unlike previous years they look well-equipped for the fight. In the mood they are currently in, the Gunners will relish upcoming tests against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United. And who knows, there may be more surprises in store for Guendouzi and the rest of us.
