Having reflected on this afternoon’s 1-0 victory at Everton, it occurred to me that Arsenal’s first five performances may indicate a new trend. Last season was brilliant. It was fast, free-flowing, full-throttle entertaining football that dazzled the Premier League for eight months. But when push came to shove, when the crucial moment arrived at the season climax, Arsenal ran out of steam. The passion and desperation in the crowd and on the pitch did create some truly magic moments against United, Villa and Bournemouth. But while chaos, charisma and craziness radiated out of The Emirates on a weekly basis, a calmness engulfed serial winners and eventual treble winners Manchester City. They had been there before and knew what it took to get over the line and that was the difference in the end. On the footballing side, Arsenal were arguably the more enterprising outfit in 2022/23 but were left empty handed.

So where am I going with this point? Ultimately, Arsenal may need to exude some of Manchester City’s clinical coolness to win when it matters to claim major trophies. And that seems to have become a theme of some of these early matches. Today, we were in control, got the goal when it mattered and saw the game out with little fuss. It was almost a carbon-copy of our other away success at Selhurst Park four weeks ago. That is not to say Arsenal are able to possess the same level of control that Manchester City impose over all their fixtures, but this team is evolving. It is evolving in a positive way too, albeit in possibly a less entertaining vein. Chaotic moments still existed in the Fulham and United games and that is not an overnight fix. Nor is it possible to permanently fix either, such is the quality of opponents that we are about to face on a twice-weekly basis. Nevertheless, the Forest, Palace and Everton games have brought an intriguing, fresh look to this Arsenal team. All three games were won by a single goal and all had a tinge of getting the job done without over-exerting.

But why is it important that Arsenal do not over-exert themselves so early in the season? That may well be obvious but I will elaborate on this claim anyway. First of all, having something left in the tank can allow Arsenal and their players to reach out for another gear in games that require such energy and emotion. Think the return of Champions League football on Wednesday, Tottenham next Sunday or City before the October international break. If Arsenal can get over the line and do the business in intervening games away at Brentford, Bournemouth and Lens in three different competitions, then this could be a very successful period of games. And winning every game needs to be the mindset as further Champions League games await as the autumnal period progresses, intertwined with visits to Chelsea and Newcastle in the Premier League. After that it’s the busy Christmas period, then FA Cup clashes, followed by potential Champions League knockout matches, a cup final if we’re lucky and eventually the league season run-in. It is going to be a long and difficult campaign and with six competitive games played of potentially around 60 in all, the season is only just taking shape. Arsenal’s players need to reserve as much energy in games that do not require those full-throttle all-action displays that made the team so brilliant to watch last season. Such a mindset and an ability to win ugly can help mitigate the need to rotate the squad around busy periods of fixtures. Today’s performance was exactly that – the ability to win ugly. Players going to ground with minor injury complaints including Saliba and Gabriel’s facial knocks don’t win you any endearment from rival fans. But being able to slow the game down at opportune moments as City do with tactical fouls and their other dark arts help to win titles. And this is about us, as a team and what is required to win and not about how the team may come to be viewed differently compared to last season. After all, Champions League football is back next week and the volume of increasingly challenging games is only going to increase. Our most impactful and influential players have the ability to alter the club’s destiny in the moments that matter most. Let’s hope they do.

Such players that will inevitably be important all season long are William Saliba, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. All four arguably have levels to go up when they need to call upon them. Saliba and Rice are the Rolls Royce’s at the back, demonstrating their command of Arsenal’s defensive five once again today in impressive displays today. Saliba’s no-nonsense contribution in winning a goal-kick against Everton forward Beto was the epitome of the Frenchman’s game, both today and in general. Meanwhile, Rice consistently broke up the game and intervened with vital interceptions to prevent counter attacks on countless occasions. In Saka’s case, his ability to continue performing at a high level while managing a minor injury indicates that we will see the very best of him when he is at full fitness. Hopefully that time arrives during a run of pivotal fixtures, whenever that may be. And finally, the captain, Martin Odegaard. Able to operate at such a high tempo with and without the ball, he will surely be able to kick it up a notch in particular fixtures to drive the team on to raise its tempo in search of a precious victory. Whenever I think of Odegaard’s physical and mental endurance, I remember the way he lay on the ground at the point of exhaustion at the conclusion of home games against Bournemouth and Southampton. In both cases, he gave everything to drive the team forwards, ultimately leading to late goals gaining points in the final minutes of the match.

In previous seasons, it has felt as though Arsenal had to give everything every week to be in with a shout of winning the Premier League. That is oh so difficult to maintain for 38 games. We found that out last season in a run of two wins in eight league matches as the intense, frenzied fun fizzled out in the spring. In previous seasons, it has been the same story. Who can forget the beautiful Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky goals in 2013/14 against Norwich and Sunderland. Wengerball was flowing at its brilliant best, with a team including three or four playmakers. But hammerings away to the eventual top three City (6-3), Liverpool (5-1) and Chelsea (6-0) undid all that good work. We ultimately finished seven points behind champions Manchester City. Similarly in 2010/11, Jack Wilshere’s emergence coincided with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri’s final season at the club. The football was magical at times, but two goal leads felt as slender as ever, as comfortable situations evaporated against Tottenham twice (2-0 to 2-3 and 3-1 to 3-3) and infamously Newcastle (4-0 to 4-4). Failure to win a trophy either in that season or two years prior when Eduardo’s awful injury exposed a mental fragility within a young team was painful. Arguably, that era marks one of the most talented and entertaining sides to not lift a major honour.

But enough of the nostalgia. Let’s bring it back to the present moment. Arsenal were absorbing and incredible to watch for us fans and neutrals alike throughout last season. But we may have to sacrifice some of that entertainment for more control and crucially, more wins to win the trophies that this club deserves. A similar evolution occurred under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, where the first 18 months were far more entertaining to watch, but the era that followed proved far more impressive. They of course won every major trophy, ending a 30 year Premier League trophy drought in the process. Let’s hope ours doesn’t extend beyond 20 years and we are able to get the job done this time around. Perhaps a greater level of control at the cost of some of the glamorous football may provide the key to a door that has been locked since 2004.