Arsenal look poised to begin Man Utd-like dominance with Mikel Arteta at the wheel

Theo Walcott is making a very good impression as a pundit, insightful and articulate. And judging by his question to Wayne Rooney last Tuesday, Walcott has a mischievous sense of humour.

How would your 2008 Manchester United team get on against Arsenal of 2026? “We’d batter them,” said Rooney.

And he is almost certainly right, of course. Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and the rest were all-conquering.

But ‘batter them’? Probably not. No, this is an Arsenal team that has won nothing yet but it is an Arsenal team that does not get battered. It does not get beaten much, either, but when it does happen, it tends not to be comprehensive.

Their last five Premier League defeats have come by the odd goal. You have to go back to October, 2024, for a losing Premier League margin greater than one.

So, no, United’s 2008 vintage would almost certainly have too much for the current Arsenal line-up but it would be no cakewalk. And perhaps there will be a slightly different - at least more hesitant - answer if Theo asks Wazza the same question in a couple of years’ time.

Just over six years into his tenure, it is right to say he will have no excuses for failing to win the Premier League title that has eluded Arsenal for over two decades. But, even though it is so far into his time, it still feels like this season could be the beginning of a golden Mikel Arteta era, rather than a crowning point.

It does not happen often at an elite European club, but Arteta has been afforded a learning curve that has extended for over half a decade. He is calmer now, he is less reactionary, emotions are kept in tighter check in positive and negative moments. And don’t forget, Arteta is only 43 years of age.

This season, though, is a watershed in his progression. And while Arsenal fans must be sick and tired of hearing it, this title race is a gift horse they cannot afford to look in the mouth.

Coming into this weekend, Manchester City had 43 points and you have to go back to the 2002/03 season to find a second-placed team that had fewer points after 22 matches. Coming into this weekend, Liverpool had 36 points, the lowest on Premier League record for a team sitting fourth after 22 matches.

Which goes to show that, below Arsenal, it really has all been much of a muchness. And there is every chance that the meeting with Manchester United at the Emirates could be one of the trickiest hurdles left for Arsenal to negotiate.

No, this is not the United of 2007/08, but the unpredictable United of 2025/26 does have a decent record against what we would see as blue-chip opposition, the win in the Manchester derby complementing a victory at Anfield this season. United and Arsenal were closely matched in an opening game of the season that was settled by Riccardo Calafiori’s early goal.

And of course, not only will Michael Carrick’s side be buoyant, they are fresh and lightly-raced. This will be Arsenal’s 35th game of the season and United’s 25th. As was the case ahead of City’s loss at Old Trafford, Arsenal played in midweek while United did not.

But Arsenal are made of sterner stuff and, unlike Pep Guardiola’s team, have the defensive nous and strength to deal with United’s counter-attacking threat. Late Sunday afternoon should be another step towards that Premier League title, a reward for many years of hard work … but just the start of a golden Arteta era.

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