Five key factors to Arsenal being unbeaten for the last 14 matches

3. The days of Francis Coquelin are long-gone

I could write a novel on my love for Lucas Torreira, so don’t test me. In fact, I think anybody could, particularly Granit Xhaka. The two of them have a stellar partnership, and the Gunners are reaping all the benefits.

The Uruguayan arrived in the summer from Sampdoria following an impressive World Cup campaign in Russia. He took some time to claw his way into the starting XI, but his appearances from the bench soon earned him that right.

Unai Emery noticed just how much the dynamics of the team changed when Torreira was introduced, in a good way of course. He added a sense of defensive stability, as well as the ability to drive forward with ease whenever possible.

He is a player which every club needs. Being a destroyer, he is bound to get a lot of plaudits at a club like Arsenal. I mean, there’s a reason why N’Golo Kante is romaniticised so much because he does the jobs which nobody else wants to achieve.

When Torreira joined Arsenal, the unfair defensive onus was relieved of Xhaka. We all know Xhaka is by no means a defender, but for some reason, he was being asked to cover the back-line. He still plays deep now, but instead, he dictates play while Torreira deals with the nit-picky side of things.

Wenger always relied on a good midfield, and Unai Emery is no different in that regard. Wengerball lives on, and all that jazz.