Arsenal showed in their victory against Leicester just how much they have grown leaps and bounds from the disastrous start to the Premier League season.
After failing to score in the first three Premier League games which subsequently resulted in three consecutive defeats, the team has since gone seven games unbeaten.
Mikel Arteta’s change of system is a big reason for this as the team has found the attacking fluidity they were so desperately lacking.
Emile Smith Rowe has been placed on the wing and it has worked a treat as the youngster’s goal instinct has started to make fans reminisce about Robert Pires.
The 21-year-old started the season as an attacking midfielder which didn’t work after appearing isolated and was unable to contribute to any goals.
However, Arteta has played him on the left wing against Spurs, Aston Villa and Leicester which has elevated the youngster's game.
He has five goal contributions in the Premier League this season and all of those have come in the three games Arteta has put him out wide.
He gets more space on the ball that he isn’t afforded in the middle of the park and being isolated with the opposition full-back gives him a better opportunity to run at goal. Emile Smith Rowe has started to become a regular goalscorer for Arsenal this season.
In the 2-0 victory against Leicester on Saturday, Smith Rowe and Nuno Tavares had created a partnership similar to Pires and Ashley Cole in the way they were able to link up.
Smith Rowe scored Arsenal’s second goal in this game, finishing it calmly and collectively, which was very reminiscent of how Pires used to place the ball in the net during his successful tenure with the club.
Smith Rowe has been the Gunners’ standout player over recent weeks and he will certainly be a strong candidate for the player of the month.
The Englishman is only one goal shy of equalling his goal contribution tally from last season, showing how much he is benefitting from playing in the wing position.
And the squad is reaping the rewards from Smith Rowe’s success, as his goal contributions have been almost half of all goals the Gunners have scored in the Premier League this campaign.
If the youngster continues to show the qualities Pires showed then he will without a doubt follow his footsteps into becoming an Arsenal legend.
An England call-up is definitely around the corner for Smith Rowe, who seems to get better with every game.
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