Despite a strong start to the season, legendary England striker Alan Shearer claims Arsenal are not title contenders in the Premier League.
Arsenal defeated Brentford 3-0 on the road on Sunday, avenging their loss to Manchester United.
The big win returned Mikel Arteta’s team to the top of the standings.
However, Shearer acknowledged in his column for BBC Sport that Arteta has transformed the Arsenal squad.
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The time has not yet come to discuss Arsenal as title contenders, but Shearer noted that “people now know that this is a different Arsenal from the team we saw just 13 months ago.”
“We all remember what happened in this match on the opening weekend of last season, when the Bees didn’t just beat them, they bullied them. The Gunners’ 3-0 win at Brentford on Sunday epitomized their progress under Mikel Arteta.
“Arsenal this time around was different in every way, including attack and defense, game control, attitude, and intensity. They emerged victorious with ease.
“Part of that was due to how bad Brentford played, but the Bees’ poor play was caused by Arsenal’s performance.
“I anticipated Brentford to attack right away, knowing what had worked before, and attempting to harm Arsenal. They tried to play that way once more, but they ran into a very different Arsenal team, so it didn’t work.
“Not only is this Gunners side bigger and stronger, but it’s also more devoted. They dominated right away and were superior in every area.
“When the Bees attempted to attack in the same manner as they had at Arsenal previously, with long throws or crosses into the box, they received zero success.
“Gabriel and William Saliba dominated them so much, and it was the same all over the field, that their two strikers, Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo, hardly got a kick.
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“Yes, Brentford gave Arsenal too much room and time for their second and third goals, but those were far from the only times they could not get close to them,” the author said.
Added Shearer, whose goals helped Blackburn Rovers win the Premier League title in 1995: “Only four of the Arsenal team that started that loss to Brentford started Sunday’s game, too – Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney, Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli.
“Arteta has changed the atmosphere of the entire club in a little more than a year. He has not only built a different team.
“He deserves a lot of praise for that because he faced a lot of backlash following the team’s 0-3 start to the previous campaign.
“This time, they’ve won six of their opening seven league contests and sit atop the standings going into the break. They are also deserving.
