Posted on: January 2, 2023, 06:26h.
Final up to date on: January 2, 2023, 06:26h.
Arsenal prolonged their lead on the prime of the English Premier League on New Yr’s Eve with a rampant 4-2 win at Brighton, a membership that has been one thing of a bogey workforce for the Gunners in recent times.
Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard celebrates on the ultimate whistle as his workforce beat Brighton on New Yr’s Eve. It’s early days, however the Norwegian is staking a declare for participant of the season. (Picture: Getty)
However not for the 2022-23 model of Arsenal, apparently. And the bookies are starting to odor the espresso.
Brighton’s nickname is “the Seagulls” as a result of the seabird is ubiquitous and noisy within the resort metropolis on England’s south coast.
However the nickname has by no means been extra apt. The Brighton workforce swarm and press and peck like gulls attacking your fish and chips on the town well-known promenade. Brighton make a pest of themselves. In contrast to seagulls, although, they’re additionally technically superb at soccer.
However Arsenal swatted them away as if they’d been gifted a large seagull swat for Christmas. This was a recreation the Gunners have been supposed to seek out troublesome. But it surely was a breeze. Like all the opposite “assessments” they breezed previous to date this season.
Needle Strikes
Martin Ødegaard had no enterprise nutmegging Louis Dunk like that within the penalty field as three defenders closed in on him halfway by way of the primary half. The silky-footed Arsenal captain is staking a declare for EPL participant of the season, notching up a objective and an outrageous help on the Amex Stadium.
Thomas Partey was imperious within the quantity six place, successful again the ball excessive up the pitch, turning, spinning, beating his man, enjoying progressive passes to arrange assaults.
The entrance three of Bukayo Saka, Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah have been all firing, registering a objective every. And with two targets in two video games, the latter is proving to be an appropriate deputy for the talismanic Gabriel Jesus, who was injured enjoying for Brazil within the World Cup.
Two hours earlier, Manchester Metropolis dropped two factors by contriving to attract at residence to Everton. Metropolis are arguably the perfect workforce on the earth. However for the primary 16 video games of this season, they haven’t even been the perfect workforce in England.
And Arsenal’s two post-World Cup victories – six factors to Metropolis’s 4 – has moved the needle within the betting markets.
The Gunners are actually round 5/4 – an implied chance of 44.4% – to win the league with most bookmakers. Metropolis are 8/11, or 57.9%.
However some bookmakers, reminiscent of Matchbook and SBK, have made Arsenal slender favorites at 7/5.
Are Metropolis Much less Good?
And why not? It’s January and so they’re seven factors clear. And to date this season they’ve proved themselves to be the workforce least prone to drop factors.
Man Metropolis have the Norwegian “fotball” objective machine that’s Erling Haaland, and so they have extra depth to their squad, and extra expertise, and the so-called “successful DNA.”
However is there a way that Metropolis aren’t fairly pretty much as good as they’ve been over the previous few seasons? May Haaland be an excessive amount of of a spotlight? Is he sucking the lifeblood from everybody else within the workforce? Does Pep’s system want a false 9 fairly than an out-and-out striker to be optimum?
Don’t panic. These questions, and extra, will likely be answered within the coming months.
In the meantime, Arsenal want Partey, Martin Ødegaard, and Saka to remain as wholesome as doable. This January, the Gunners want to accumulate a goalscoring winger who can play on each flanks to present Saka and Martinelli an occasional week off. It seems to be like Ukrainian wonderkid Mykhailo Mudryk could also be that participant.
Whoever your cash’s on of the highest two, it will likely be a tantalizing wager. And that’s why the EPL is at present probably the most thrilling and aggressive soccer league on the earth.
