Arsenal forward trio Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli are all in top form, but all picked up injury issues during the international break - so are they fit?; watch Bournemouth vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports this Saturday from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm
Thursday 17 October 2024 09:35, UK
Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka. Arsenal's three goalscorers in the comeback win over Southampton. Arsenal's three players to suffer injury scares during the international break.
Havertz pulled out of the Germany squad due to knee issues, Saka limped away from England's loss to Greece with a hamstring problem and Martinelli missed Brazil's final game with a calf injury.
With captain Martin Odegaard already confirmed to be out until November at the very least, it is not an ideal situation for the Gunners - especially given how impressive Arsenal's front three have been.
All three can safely say they are in good form, so much so that with Leandro Trossard needed to cover Odegaard's midfield role, and Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling limited to back-up options (although both started against Southampton), their first-choice status seems pretty safe for now.
And with a tricky run of fixtures on the horizon, starting with Saturday's trip to Bournemouth live on Sky Sports, Mikel Arteta will need that front three fit and firing…
"I do think this is the year," said Saka at the start of the month. Arguably Arsenal's most important player put out a major statement about his side's credentials but looking at his individual form, you can see why he is so confident.
Saka has been scintillating, especially from a creativity point of view. Seven assists in his opening seven games puts him in esteemed company for top-flight assist-makers at this stage of the season.
When Kevin de Bruyne managed eight assists in his first seven games five campaigns ago, he ended that campaign with 20 league assists, a joint-Premier League record. Cesc Fabregas also managed seven in his first seven exactly a decade ago, when his 18 assists fired Chelsea to the Premier League title.
The difference between Saka and the few high-calibre players who have managed such numbers at the start of the season before is age - nobody else has done it this young.
The England winger's numbers are boosted by the fact he takes many of his side's set-pieces, with Arsenal the best dead-ball side in the division. But even if you take away his two assists from set-pieces, no player in the Premier League has set up more goals than the 23-year-old.
But Saka's numbers are not just impressive in England, they stand-up across Europe, too. Saka dominates the creativity standings in multiple areas. Only an impressive start to the season for Barcelona's Raphinha, once linked with Arsenal, puts Saka second on the list of chances created.
What is particularly impressive is Saka has kept up these numbers despite Arsenal spending two second halves of football - at home to Brighton and away to Man City - with 10 players on the pitch.
Arsenal's goals and points tally increases year on year - and so does Saka's.
Havertz needed 26 matches to reach five goals for Arsenal last season. This term, it took him only nine games.
His first goal of last season came away at Bournemouth away, where Arsenal again go this weekend, live on Saturday Night Football.
At that time, Havertz looked a long way off being a clinical forward player for a Premier League title challenger, so much so that his Gunners team-mates had to present him a penalty in that game to get his confidence up.
If last season was the acclimatisation period for the German, then this term appears to be the one where he pushes on. Settling in is an interesting theme when it comes to Havertz, because now he feels right at home.
The German has scored in seven consecutive matches at the Emirates Stadium, the only other player to do it was Robin van Persie - and he ended the campaign with 30 goals that season and the Golden Boot.
Is Havertz destined for that mark? Well, his numbers at the top end of the pitch continue to look promising. In his last 21 Premier League appearances, the German has 13 goals - as many as he managed in his previous 67.
Throw in seven assists and he averages a goal involvement every 91 minutes in that period. Only Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer have more.
Havertz has proven to be worth more than just goal involvements in this Arsenal team, too. Arteta is a big fan of duel winners and the German impresses not just in Arsenal's standings in that category, but also the Premier League's.
Havertz has gone from looking lost in an Arsenal shirt to being up for the fight.
Arsenal's Brazilian winger went 18 Premier League games without a goal or an assist. But in his last three appearances, he has been directly involved in four goals.
The upturn in form could be down to a number of factors, confidence being one - but is Riccardo Calafiori also part of it?
The Italian starting at left-back, with Martinelli ahead of him, has been a common denominator in Martinelli being directly involved in goals during the last three matches.
Compared to Jurrien Timber playing at left-back, Martinelli has been picking the ball up in higher areas of the pitch and taking it into more dangerous areas in the penalty box.
Calafiori affecting Martinelli's goal output could be down to two factors. Firstly, the Italian is a much more natural left-footed full-back option in that role than Timber, meaning the defender is more likely to use the left side of the pitch more. So Martinelli has more opportunities to get on the ball.
The other could be down to Calafiori increasing Arsenal's defensive stoutness on that flank, an attribute that Oleksandr Zinchenko, in particular, has been accused of lacking among his other valuable qualities.
Calafiori has shown through his superb tackling and duel-winning ability at the start of this season that he is a reliable option for the Gunners, meaning Martinelli is not needed as much defensively, so can take up higher areas of the pitch.
It could still get better for the Brazilian, with Mikel Merino - who plays that left central midfield role - getting up to speed in an Arsenal shirt. Many have compared the Spanish midfielder's role in the Arsenal team to Granit Xhaka's advanced midfield role two seasons ago - a campaign in which Martinelli scored 15 goals.
Martinelli has scored just eight top-flight goals since that season, so is he now getting back to his best?
Saturday October 19: Bournemouth (A) - Premier League kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
Tuesday October 22: Shakhtar Donetsk (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
Sunday October 27: Liverpool (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
Wednesday October 30: Preston North End (A) - Carabao Cup, kick-off 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports
Saturday November 2: Newcastle (A) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
Wednesday November 6: Inter Milan (A) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
Sunday November 10: Chelsea (A) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm#
Watch Bournemouth vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports this Saturday from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm. Stream the game with a NOW TV pass.
