Michael Owen has stated that ‘it has taken a lot’ for him to say that Arsenal are no longer a ‘soft touch’, as he told MatchDay extra on Premier League Productions (20/03/22 at 7:55 pm).
The former England striker added that Arsenal, over the years, have had ‘many false dawns’, but that’s no longer the case.
On Saturday lunchtime, the Gunners recorded a 1-0 win at Aston Villa, days after losing at home to Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side were dominant throughout the match, yet in the dying moments, it was Philippe Coutinho who was standing over a free-kick that could have ended or so different.
But this Arsenal side pulled through and secured a deserved, yet hardworking, three points and Owen is impressed by what he is seeing.
“They grind teams into submission,” said Owen. “They defend well. They are rugged. They can 1-0.
“They aren’t the soft touch that they were not so long ago. It has taken a lot for me to be able to say that because there has been a lot of false dawns over the last decade or so with Arsenal.
“But I genuinely believe they are made of sterner stuff nowadays. It’s exciting times to be an Arsenal fan now because there is a lot of potential there.”
Losing to Liverpool would have hurt Arsenal, but at the end of the day, that’s not their fight.
They recently saw off Wolves in the Champions League race, both home and away, and now they have Manchester United and Tottenham coming up.
That’s the real fight Arteta and his players need to get through, because if they do, then they should secure that fourth spot.
A few final hurdles remain for the Gunners, but one thing is for sure, things are changing for this young and every-improving Arsenal side.
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