After the catchy chorus, the debate about its meaning. "We've got our Arsenal back," sang their fans in the 5-1 thrashing of Fulham earlier this month. By winning away from home? It was something they did as few times as Watford, Bournemouth and Newcastle United in the league last season. By winning nine games in a row? Arsenal last did that in 2015, a season when they secured a trophy and qualified for the Uefa Champions League.
By scoring a goal of sumptuous brilliance, combining teamwork with individual virtuosity? Aaron Ramsey’s audacious backheeled third was worthy of any of Arsene Wenger’s greatest sides. By resuming a familiar position? Arsenal are now in the top four, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in a way that felt entirely normal for the vast majority of Wenger’s reign.
One plausible theory is that it referred to the renewed sense of unity. The Arsenal civil war is over, the various factions with their differing positions if Wenger should go now coalescing behind Unai Emery. Arsenal are in an unfamiliar position, comparatively unburdened by expectation, savouring the sense of something different, at least knowing the pattern of groundhog seasons has been abruptly ended.
Whether it is actually their old Arsenal, however, is a moot point. The signing of the combative Lucas Torreira can be seen as a welcome to reversion to old values, restoring the kind of defensive midfielder Arsenal used to have and then lacked. Yet the decision to back out of contract talks with Ramsey, probably prompting his departure his next summer, could herald another break with the past.
There has been an exodus of the constants of the Emirates Stadium over the last three transfer windows. The prospect of Ramsey and Danny Welbeck, another whose current deal expires next summer, leaving for free could also make Emery’s rebuilding job harder.
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Read more:
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels 'rested and ready to work again'
Arsenal's inability to 'win ugly' under Arsene Wenger ended any title hopes, says Petr Cech
Arsenal supporters on club's past and future: Unai Emery arrival, Arsene Wenger departure
'Sad' Arsene Wenger is backing his successor to lead Arsenal to the Premier League title
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And the backdrop has made his start more impressive. The opening two defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea highlighted the problems of a club who finished 37 points off the pace last season. None of the subsequent nine victories have come against elite teams. But, one meeting with Liverpool aside, Arsenal do not face any until December. Churning out victories against inferior opponents is an art in itself: indeed, it was one Wenger long mastered when his sides struggled against the best but nonetheless amassed enough points against the rest.
Winning with a group who do not really suit either his tactics or each other is another feat. Petr Cech’s problems playing the ball out from the back were well-documented. Some of Emery’s defenders lack the pace to operate with the high defensive line he favours. Some are injured.
Perhaps only Henrikh Mkhitaryan of the senior midfielders and forwards actually prefers to start in a wider role, and even then the Armenian can play as a No 10. Compromise has been necessitated by an unbalanced squad. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, arguably Arsenal’s two biggest names, have taken their turns on the sidelines.
Perhaps Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette sum up the new Arsenal: both potent and showing signs of chemistry, but also ideally wanting the same spot in the side. They also both boast a turn of pace. Arsenal have completed the most sprints (960) and covered the most distance (908.2 km) in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal have rediscovered urgency and industry, qualities they mislaid at times in recent years but which Wenger's best teams displayed as they allied the technical with the physical. Perhaps that is the Arsenal that has returned. While Wenger has said he will return to football in the New Year, Arsenal have moved on. That shift in attitude and focus, in a decidedly imperfect situation, is to Emery's credit.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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James Mustich, Workman
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
