I was eager to see if a few seasons back in the Champions League had taught us anything ahead of our trip to Lisbon on Tuesday night.
We hadn’t been in the best of form in Europe going into the match, with no goals scored in our last four games on the road in European competition, and, more generally, we seemed to be struggling to adapt to the way things worked in this new Champions League.
Unlike when we were regular participants under Arsene Wenger, it felt like the game had changed; everyone was more cynical, more focussed on results over performance, and happy to use whatever means to achieve victory.
In short, win beautiful had been replaced by win at any cost. I worried this manager wouldn’t be able to buy into that new perspective.
As it transpired, however, I was as wrong as I could possibly have been. We didn’t just get a result, we put Sporting to the sword. We embarrassed them in their own back yard. This is a club with 11 straight wins in the Portuguese league, unbeaten at home for a year, and with three wins in four in the Champions League. Yet, we made them look like fodder.
It was a stunning result and an equally stunning performance.
It seems churlish even to complain about the concession of a set-piece goal early in the second half. It was merely a moment of fortune for Sporting on a night in which they were brought crashing back down to earth.
It’s difficult to say quite how Mikel Arteta and his side managed it but manage it they did. Their passing, movement, finishing and defending were world class – this was total domination. I haven’t seen anything quite so good since they thrashed Sheffield United 6-0 back in March and Sporting are twice the side.
Clearly, my concerns about whether Arsenal and Arteta had learned anything over the last 18 months were overwrought. When you play as well as they did, opponents have to adapt to you, not the other way around.
It feels repetitive at this point but top billing once again goes to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, who have formed a truly indispensable pairing. It was sorely missed when the latter was injured but has been transformational since his return. And Saka, with another goal and assist, continues to be near-peerless on every stage.
Sporting simply could not cope with us. We passed around them, we passed through them, we moved around them like they simply weren’t there. I think it’s fair to say this wasn’t them at their best but a lot of that can be put down to just how suffocatingly brilliant we were.
And if we’re going to give some flowers to our attacking talent, it feels only right to recognise the outstanding efforts of a defensive talent too. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes had Viktor Gyokeres well and truly shackled and that is no mean feet. The Swede is in the form of his life and one of the most sought-after players in Europe at the moment. He barely had a sniff.
And I don’t want to forget Jurrien Timber either, a man who continues to astonish with his athleticism. So often cruciate ligament injuries are career-altering but he seems to have recaptured the sort of form that saw Arteta move for him in the first place. Just excellent.
If I sound overly effusive it’s because they have earned it. It’s been a really mixed start to this season from the Gunners but they have been outstanding since Odegaard’s return. The results have been eye-catching and the performances have too. If they can maintain this momentum, we stand a real chance of picking up some silverware this season.
For now, though, we can reflect on a big win in the Champions League – a statement win. We were mired in mid-table a little heading into the game but have taken a decisive step forward in victory over Sporting. If we can find another two wins between now and Christmas, we’ll be in great shape for passage into the latter stages and then we’ll really see what this side is made of.
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