A “Different Arsenal” as Rooney’s praise underscores a crucial mentality-shift for the Gunners. Late drama and victory which may yet decide the Premier League title saw Arsenal showing resilience. The striking turnaround has led to former England star Wayne Rooney pronouncing a “different Arsenal”.
St James’ Park Triumph
Against Newcastle United on Sunday, Arsenal struggled hard for a 2-1 victory. It came at a stadium where they have been difficult in the previous couple of seasons. It was quite a late comeback, as the Gunners scored twice in the last six minutes of the game, with the second of these goals coming in stoppage time from the kick of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
There were questions on how strong Arsenal really is when faced with adversity, having conceded the first goal and then watching a potential penalty checked by VAR going against them (something that could have derailed Arsenal in past Premier League seasons). However, they did not buckle. Mikel Arteta‘s substitutions did make a difference, with the equalizer being a result of a short corner routine converted by Mikel Merino. Gabriel eventually won the match to show the importance of Arteta’s group of ‘finishers’.
Rooney’s Endorsement of a New Mentality
“I think this is a different Arsenal,” Rooney stated. “I think the mentality is good, I think they’re a strong minded team, they’ve got good characters in there and to win the Premier League you have to overcome challenges”.
His praise carries considerable weight given his extensive experience in Premier League title races. Moreover, he believes the victory will send a wave of confidence through the squad. He stated that “every Arsenal player there heads will be high, they’d be really confident” heading into the new week.
A Potential Defining Moment
This meant way more than just gaining three points. However, of late, the winning mentality seemed to go amiss from Arsenal. Now, to go down and come from behind to win at a place like St James’ Park speaks volumes about psychological growth.
Should Arsenal go on and clinch the title for the first time since 2004, then a win like this will become an electric moment in memories-the victory at Newcastle serving as the precedent of the ‘different’ mentality.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
