Something has changed for Arsenal, that is for sure. Since the Gunners endure a torrid few games which saw us bomb out of the Champions League and both domestic cups last season, there has been a dramatic turnaround in form. That includes an unbelievable run of away games starting with a win at Bayern Munich and finish with a win at their Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund.
It is not just the results either, Arsenal have looked more together as a unit, highlighted by the team’s resilience and determination to bounce back from a poor result or a poor 45 minutes. We know that Arsene Wenger has been trying to build a team with the blend of young players and experience, and Arsenal now have a great core group who are signed up to long term deals with the Club.
Jack Wilshere is clearly one of the main parts of this core, especially as he is a fan as well as having been with the Gunners since he was knee high to a grasshopper. The 21-year old has revealed to Arsenal.com one of the possible reasons for the new look Arsenal, and it is the fact that the players have started to socialise and get together more in their spare time, fostering the togetherness we have seen on the pitch.
Wilshere said, “It [team spirit] is massive. We’ve been out a few times. We didn’t do it for a couple of years, but over the last six months we go out for team dinners and we meet up outside of football, which is good for the team.
“Sometimes you just want to get away from football, you want to sit down and talk about life, your family and things like that. We’ve been doing that this season and it’s really showing on the pitch.
“We’ve done really well this season and towards the end of last season. I think the team spirit plays a massive part in that.”
It may also be a reason why Arsene Wenger is reluctant to sign a raft of players like Tottenham did. The Frenchman suggested at the time that it would be very hard to integrate so many new faces, while Mesut Ozil settled in like he had been here for years. Of course, having a small, close-knit squad can have it’s drawbacks, especially when you have as many injuries as Arsenal have this summer, but it also has advantages, and when those players are fit, they will hopefully slot back in seamlessly.
So, Gooners, will Arsenal be better than ever after the break?
