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After enduring the downfall of their standards from glory days, Arsenal seem to be on the right track to restoring their reputation in English football. It is still early days but the young squad that Arsenal have assembled seems to be responding well to expectations. Tenacity and fighting spirit are visible and Mikel Arteta's team has learnt to grind out a win when the going gets tough.
Arteta's tactics have been criticized in the past. While he had made improvements to the Gunners' leaky defense, it seemed to have come at the cost of goals. However, Arsenal have gotten more steady and effective in the attacking third recently and goals are coming at a decent rate.
Arsenal's dribblers have a decent success rate but they'd like to enhance it
The improvement in attack has also happened due to the individual brilliance of a few players in their ranks. They have taken the opposition rearguard head on. The ability to run at defense with the ball at the feet is a crucial one and many youngsters at Arsenal are decent dribblers.
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The Gunners have the youngest squad of all teams in the Premier League right now at an average age of 25.01 years. Arteta will have to help them play with maturity.
Having said that, they have shown a lot of promise in the final third and their dribbling stats have been quite encouraging. Let's take a look at the five best dribblers at Arsenal right now.
#5 Nuno Tavares
Among the latest recruits at Arsenal is 21-year-old Nuno Tavares, who joined in the summer from Benfica. The motive was to bring in a competitive presence to challenge Keiran Tierney for the left-back spot. So there were going to be few opportunities and replacing the Scottish player, a fan favorite, wouldn't be easy.
Tavares has made sure that the €8m Arsenal paid for him does not look like money spent in haste. In his 10 appearances in all competitions, the Portuguese has shown his attacking mindset and forward thinking. In seven Premier League appearances, of which he has started three, he has attempted 16 dribbles and successfully completed eight of them.
Tavares has made positive run-ins from deep and has shown a tendency to move into the center of the park while progressing the ball. One cannot overlook that with the Portuguese left-back, the defense feels as secure as with Tierney. Arteta has provided more competition for the Scotsman than he first expected.
#4 Nicolas Pepe
It is one of the most difficult gambles ever taken at Arsenal, but it will soon have to be taken. Whether to move Nicolas Pepe or to stick with him is the question. Sticking with him until he comes good is going to be frustrating to say the least.
Arteta has reiterated time and again that Pepe needs to be consistent with his performances and he hasn't produced regular results. For €72m, this has been a signing where glimpses of potential have been bright but few and far between.
The winger's main role is supposed to be taking on defenses, running at them and leaving them wrong-footed. He did it all to great effect at LOSC Lille. But at Arsenal, even though he has dribbled past defenders, the end product has largely been disappointing.
Last season, he had a dribble success rate of just 39.7 percent. He did contribute 10 goals in 29 appearances. Sadly, five of them came in the last three games of the Premier League. Pepe's data looks alright, but the truth is it is highly skewed.
He is impressive and with his quick feet can really mess up a defender in a one-vs-one situation, but he eventually loses the ball. So far this season, the Arsenal winger has managed 11 successful dribbles out of the 27 he attempted.
#3 Alexandre Lacazette
According to word that's going around, Alexandre Lacazette will mostly leave Arsenal on a free next summer and will settle talks in January. He has been a fairly important figure at Arsenal. This is especially with many young players who like his energy and friendly nature. It translates on the field as well, where the Frenchman brings passion and intensity to the game.
Where Aubameyang likes to make runs past the opposition backline, Lacazette likes to hold the ball and move with it towards goal. The two have complimented each other well since first combining at Arsenal. Lacazette has even been utilized as a No.10 and preferred over Odegaard in the attacking role due to his superiority in one-vs-one situations.
The French striker attempted 33 dribbles last season and completed 20 of them. His goal-return, despite featuring a lot as a substitute, was decent with 13 scored and two assists.
In six Premier League appearances this season with four from the bench, he has attempted eight dribbles and completed five of them.
#2 Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League. He bore the fruit of his hard work as he received his first England call-up. After his 2020-21 break-through season, he has now become the first team on the teamsheet and a focal point of most of Arsenal's attacks.
His ability to play between the lines has been crucial for Arsenal's attack. By playing on the half turn he has brought an urgency in the final-third. Smith Rowe was always elegant while moving with the ball at his feet, but now he has become more productive in clutch situations.
He has completed joint fourth highest dribbles in the Premier League this season with 22 completed of 29.
That is a marked improvement from last season when the Arsenal No.10 attempted 29 dribbles but could only complete seven of them. The Gunners were desperate for an attacking midfielder who was creative with his ball distribution. They also needed someone with an impressive work-rate to press when out of possession. Smith Rowe has shown all these qualities and his passion for the club only brings him closer to the fans.
In 11 appearances this season, he has already scored four goals, including three in his last three, and provided two assists.
His dribble success rate is second best in top 10 Premier League players with the most dribbles.
#1 Bukayo Saka
Last but never the least in this Arsenal squad is Bukayo Saka. He completed the most dribbles for the Gunners last season and is second behind ESR this season.
Both Hale End graduates are employed either side of the centre-forward by Mikel Arteta. They have so far kept the likes of Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench.
Saka has been bright for both club and country and his ability to run at the defense has been successful on most occasions. Last season, he made 41 successful dribbles and this season he has completed 13 of the 24 attempts. The young starlet is Arsenal's most priced possession, valued at €65m.
The youngster has struggled with fitness this season and this shows in his goal involvement as well. He has set up just two goals and scored one in 11 appearances this season.
However, Saka's contribution has been more than just numbers for Arsenal. He allows the likes of Smith Rowe and Odegaard to play on the half turn and a quick one-touch football. This keeps the opposition rearguard on the edge.
