It’s at this time of winter, supporters of Arsenal recognise, that Mikel Arteta makes his really tough calls. Even from where the most irritable, critical fans sit in the Emirates stadium in North London, it is those big, turn-of-the-year decisions that have helped define their young coach as a man of strong convictions. And to earn him respect.
Three years ago Arteta, replacing the sacked Unai Emery and taking the reins from caretaker Freddie Ljungberg, managed a senior club team for the first time. Arsenal were at Bournemouth and the novice on the touchline, a former Arsenal captain and ex-assistant coach to Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, made a telling statement with his first line-up.
Granit Xhaka started in midfield. It was a signal of faith. Xhaka had for several previous weeks been excluded from selection, following an exchange of insults between the player and some Arsenal spectators. It had been widely anticipated he would leave in the winter transfer window.
Fast-forward to late December 2022 and Xhaka is still an Arsenal player. An appreciated one, too. He has been a key driver in pushing Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League; in the Europa League, where they are among the competition’s favourites, Xhaka has been wearing the captain’s armband that was stripped from him after that angry incident in late 2019.
Last January, Arteta was taking a firm position on another captain. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was invited to leave - he joined Barcelona - the end of a story of steadily breaking trust in the striker’s relationship with his coach. In the previous winter transfer window, Arteta had waved goodbye to Mesut Ozil, another high-profile former icon. With each of those turn-of-the-year watershed moments, all ultimately signed off by the club’s executives, the Arteta era was being defined.
It is one where the board members who initially employed him and the players he guides are asked to “trust the process”, understand that there are principles he holds that are unyielding - Aubameyang and Ozil strained at them - and a clear set of directions for where he wants the club to go.
Arteta wants this new year to provide signposts as powerful as in each of his previous Januarys: recruits are needed, he says. “This squad does not have the luxury of not maximising every single transfer window,” he said, urging his bosses to make available funds for significant incoming transfers after trading opens next month and to capitalise on how attractive Arsenal’s current position, and their playing style, would be to elite footballers looking to move. “We are going to be active, and active means looking to strengthen the team.”
Wolves 0-2 Arsenal - player ratings
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WOLVES PLAYER RATINGS: Jose Sa - 6. Saved by the offside flag and then the crossbar in the first half, but despite that he didn’t actually have all that much to do in the opening 45. No chance of keeping out either of Odegaard’s impressive goals for very different reasons. Reuters -
Nelson Semedo – 6. Built on a positive start from the hosts when the pacey full-back won his side a corner and he got a vital touch at the other end to nick an inviting delivery away from a sea of red shirts. Made way for debutant Lembikisa in the second half. Reuters -
Max Kilman – 6. Relieved the pressure with an excellent defensive header to clear Odegaard’s corner as the visitors threatened again. A decent display from the defender despite the result, but Arsenal’s quality eventually proved too much for him. PA -
Nathan Collins – 5. Credible despite the result. Given a torrid time by the likes of Jesus and Odegaard, but he stuck to the task and made sure that the Gunners had to work hard for every single point. Getty -
Toti Gomes – 7. Picked up the first yellow of the game for pulling back Saka in an incident not dissimilar to the Odegaard foul on Moutinho that went unpunished, which had the men in orange seething. Got a vital touch to deny Odegaard another tap-in. Getty -
Hugo Bueno – 5. Took White out of the game with some brilliant solo play to take his side up the pitch before Arsenal were eventually able to clear. Saw yellow late on for hooding the ball away in frustration. Reuters -
Boubacar Traore – 5. Had Arsenal in trouble when he burst away and squared for Guedes, who appeared to be bundled over by Saliba. Saw yellow for a less-than-subtle shove on Jesus and could have received another for a reckless trip on Vieira. Getty -
Ruben Neves – 4. Failed to show his usual quality and saw his ambitious strike drift well wide of the target. The Portugal man is definitely capable of the spectacular, but this wasn’t his night. PA -
Joao Moutinho – 6. The veteran midfielder was raging - and rightly so - after an impressive dart forward was cynically ended by a shirt pull from Odegaard, who somehow avoided a booking. A decent display, but his influence waned as the game went on. Reuters -
Adama Traore – 6. All pace, no product. Thwarted by an excellent Gabriel block, although the flag went up and blasted in orbit after latching onto a loose ball. Made a nuisance of himself but he couldn’t force a breakthrough. Reuters -
Goncalo Guedes – 7. The forward was a little unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty after tangling with Saliba and he continued to worry the leaders, first firing over the bar after good work from Adama Traore before his strike was deflected wide after an error from Saliba. Reuters -
Dexter Lembikisa (Semedo 68') – 4. A mixed night for the youngster who made his Premier League debut, but was embarrassed by Martinelli who bullied him in the corner as Arsenal doubled their lead. Reuters -
Matheus Nunes (Gomes 80') – NR. Didn’t really manage to make his mark in a game that was dead and buried by the time he was introduced. PA -
Daniel Podence (Moutinho 68’) – 8. The hosts definitely looked better following his introduction. He went close to the spectacular with an improvised bicycle kick, then forced a good save from Ramsdale with a powerful effort that had to be tipped over. Reuters -
ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale – 8. Showed bravery to throw himself at the feet of Traore and received a sore one for his troubles. Scooped Podence’s powerful effort over the bar as Wolves rallied. Good reactions from the Arsenal ‘keeper to preserve his clean sheet. Getty -
Ben White – 5. Provided plenty of attacking support but should have been booked for venting his frustrations at both his opponent and the referee. Given a hard time defensively by Guedes, Traore and Podence. AFP -
William Saliba – 6. The reliable defender has been superb this season, but he got away with a couple of clangers, notably after playing Guedes straight through on goal with a blind pass. Despite that, he still came away with a clean sheet. Getty -
Gabriel – 8. Spared Saliba’s blushes with a super bit of defending to steer Guedes effort wide of the far post, and he might have grabbed himself a goal too had he made better contact with Saka’s inviting corner. EPA -
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6. Looked a little off it but still managed to have a big impact when Wolves failed to deal with his zinger of a cross that was eventually lashed into the bottom corner by Odegaard with Sa rooted to the spot. Reuters -
Thomas Partey – 6. A steady performance in the middle of the park. Won his side a corner when he hurled a throw into the box, but saw yellow for blatantly clattering into Semedo. Getty -
Granit Xhaka – 5. Replaced with barely 15 minutes on the clock, seemingly because of illness. The tussling midfielder is undoubtedly made of strong stuff and tried to play on, but he looked far from at his best as he trudged off. Getty -
Bukayo Saka – 6. Not at his frightening best, but he still played some tidy stuff and created a big chance for Gabriel when he clipped in a teasing corner that was begging to be converted. Did the basics well before his withdrawal in stoppage time. AFP -
Martin Odegaard – 9. Outstanding. Grabbed himself a well-earned brace - including a tap-in and a belter from the edge of the box - and he would have had three of four if not for some brilliant last-ditch defending. Ran his socks off in a match-winning display. AFP -
Gabriel Martinelli – 8. Humbled debutant Lembikisa when he pinched back possession in the corner and found Zinchenko with a cool but cruel back heel. His follow-up strike was superbly kept out, only for Odegaard to hammer home the rebound. PA -
Gabriel Jesus – 9. Did everything but score, at least while onside. Clipped the bar in the first half but produced some world-class link-up play, including X-ray vision to thread through Vieira who found Odegaard to make it 1-0. Deserved a goal. AFP -
Fabio Vieira (Xhaka 16') – 7. Gifted Odegaard the simplest of finishes with a pinpoint delivery following a smart run in behind. A really good display from the substitute, even though he was subbed himself in added time. Reuters -
Cedric Soares (Zinchenko 90’) – NR. No time to make an impact but no defender will grumble with a clean sheet against their name. Getty -
Mohamed Elneny (Vieira 90’) – NR. Won a stoppage-time free-kick to help see his side over the line. Reuters -
Reiss Nelson (Saka 90’) – NR. A very brief cameo for the energetic winger who impressed in midweek but had little chance to get involved on this occasion. EPA
There is also a clear and immediate setback to cover for, ideally with a new forward. Gabriel Jesus, the spearhead of Arsenal’s attack and a hugely successful buy in the summer transfer window at £45m from Manchester City, is recovering from knee surgery after an injury picked up while with Brazil at the World Cup. His return date is unclear but February is the optimistic forecast.
“Impossible to replace, he’s such an important player” Arteta said of Jesus, whose impact on a league season where only five points have been dropped so far goes beyond the impressive statistics. Jesus has scored five Premier League goals and set up six more while setting an example of the sort of controlled aggression and industry, all over the pitch, that sets the standard for this season’s Arsenal.
Opportunity, in Jesus’s absence, falls, as of Monday's hosting of West Ham United, to Eddie Nketiah, the 23-year-old striker who finished last season with a strong scoring run but has been used off the bench since August. “Eddie’s work-rate, attitude and application are phenomenal,” said Arteta, “I’m happy to have him here.” Arteta will be happier still once Nketiah, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, the young musketeers of Arsenal’s front line, can welcome fresh talent to their ranks once the market opens.
At five points clear of second-placed City in the table, a win would ensure Arsenal go into 2023 leading the Premier League. The last time they achieved that? In 2013-14, when they were just in front of City. Arteta was the Arsenal captain for most of that season. He’ll recall that transfer activity that winter was unusually subdued, that momentum then fell away abruptly between February and April. Arsenal went on to finish third, City claiming the title.
