BBC pundit Jermaine Jenas has spoken out in praise of Unai Emery’s Arsenal side, claiming that they have shocked him to his core.
The former Tottenham midfielder has admitted to being hugely impressed by the Gunners under the Spaniard.
Speaking on Radio 5 Live, Jenas said: “I’ve been ridiculously impressed and actually shocked, shocked to my core.
“At the start of the season I didn’t know what to expect from them, but I watched them at Chelsea and I thought ‘Hang on, they’re onto something here’ from an attacking point of view anyway.
“Defensively, maybe they needed to sort themselves out, but then they came through the Liverpool game with flying colours, they came through the Spurs game with flying colours, and I actually thought they played okay against United.
“These are all benchmarks, and they were all moments where everybody was saying they’re going to fall, this is when we’ll see the true Arsenal, and they came through those moments.”
OPINION
Jermaine Jenas won’t be the only one shocked by how far Unai Emery has brought Arsenal in such a short period of time. The Spaniard has turned the Gunners into a gritty, resilient outfit without sacrificing any of the free-flowing football that is at the centre of the club’s philosophy. Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal had become frail and had lost the fearsome reputation they had cultivated in the early 00s. It will take years and titles to regain that reputation, but 22 games unbeaten under a new manager is very good place to start the process. The additions of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi have given the Gunners added bit in the centre of the park, and for the first time in a long time they have a defence that looks properly organised. As Jenas points out, they have faced some of the best sides in the league already this season and have come out the other side with some valuable points and some huge performances. Who knows how far they can go.