Quite a few significant events have already taken place in the Premier League this season.
Having lost Sadio Mane and suffering from injuries to Liverpool players, even at the start of the championship, they almost lost their chances of winning the championship, and the impulsive decision to dismiss Thomas Tuchel put an end to Chelsea's prospects.
Eric ten Hag returned Manchester United to the top contenders for the trophy, Erling Haaland had no problems adapting to a new place and continues to hammer balls in packs, and Newcastle began to justify the funds invested in it by the new owners.
However, Arsenal stands out against the general background, having returned to the top after many years of vegetating outside the Champions League zone.
By the middle of winter, the Londoners are increasingly reminiscent of a team capable of overthrowing Manchester City from the throne.
What is happening with the Gunners may seem surprising to many, especially considering how things have been recently.
A year and a half ago, they were going through a serious crisis, and rumors were circulating in the press about the imminent resignation of Mikel Arteta.
At the start of the 2021/22 season, for the first time in 67 years, the team did not score a single point in the first three rounds and was located on the last line of the table with a humiliating goal difference (0:9), and its future was alarming.
And it’s not even about the crushing defeat from City or the loss at that time to the current winner of the Champions League - Chelsea.
Much more disappointing was the fiasco against Brentford.
At that moment, many fans must have experienced deja vu.
It smelled like a repeat of last season, when the Gunners started off inconspicuously and by December they had practically given up hopes of finishing it in the Champions League zone.
After 14 rounds, Arsenal were only in 15th place, and Arteta was already picking up a replacement.
Ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas called Patrick Vieira the best candidate to replace the Spaniard, and he seemed to be mentally preparing for resignation.
At the end of November 2020, he called the dismissal an integral part of the work, although he admitted that he did not worry about this and did not think when this could happen to him.
However, the club's bosses did not abandon Arteta's services either then or a year later.
They continued not only to believe in the coach, but also to work on strengthening the squad.
The most important thing was that the management did not just swell colossal sums into transfers, but selected players exclusively for the Spaniard's scheme and in accordance with his requirements.
And in the end it paid off.
This season, Arsenal started right off the bat and immediately issued a series of five victories.
In total, in 19 meetings, the Gunners lost points only three times - they lost to Manchester United (for which they later took revenge) and parted ways with Southampton and Newcastle.
As a result, an intermediate first place and a five-point lead over City pursuing them when playing in the reserve.
However, what is rather striking is that their success cannot be called accidental.
If you pay attention to advanced statistics, Londoners are in the lead in almost all key indicators.
Thus, Arsenal ranks second both in expected goals scored (xG) and in goals conceded per match, second only to Pep Guardiola's wards.
At the same time, the club is in the top 5 in terms of average number of shots on target, possession of the ball and created chances.
However, it is not worth talking about a bias towards the attack.
After all, it is the Gunners who are on the second line in terms of the number of meetings held to zero.
Only Newcastle have more.
And all this is the fruit of the work of Arteta, who got the opportunity for a long time to instill in the team his own style, gradually supplementing the line-up with new and better performers.
But not only high-profile transfers ensured this success.
Under the leadership of the Spaniard, the players are demonstrating tremendous progress.
And in this regard, parallels arise with the legendary Arsene Wenger, who for 22 years served as a mentor to the Londoners.
After all, it was the Frenchman who raised such stars as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and many others.
At the moment, Arsenal is the youngest team in the Premier League (24.7 years), while only two first-team players have either already exchanged their fourth decade or will do so in 2023.
Granit Xhaka celebrated his 30th birthday in September, and Thomas Party will do so in June.
And this once again shows what excellent results the head coach has achieved, and how fantastic the foundation he has already laid.
Under the leadership of Arteta, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka were revealed, and the latter has already made it to the base of the England team.
Martin Odegaard and William Saliba made tremendous progress, Emil Smith-Rowe's star was lit, and Gabriel Jesus regained his confidence.
At a certain point in his stay at City, he became the personification of a striker having problems with the implementation, and subsequently was completely transferred from the center to the flank.
But at Arsenal he blossomed again.
The Brazilian has already chalked up five goals and six assists in the championship, although he only played 14 matches due to injuries.
Now the merits of Arteta are noted not only by Arsenal fans, but also by Premier League experts.
In the first half of the season, he has already twice been recognized as the coach of the month - in August and November-December.
Over the past five years, only Jurgen Klopp has managed to do this.
By the beginning of 2020, the German managed to collect four figurines, and eventually led Liverpool to the first victory in the tournament in 30 years.
If we talk about the style of the team, then in general it is very much like Manchester City.
And this is not surprising, because before moving to the capital of Arteta, he worked for three and a half years as an assistant to Guardiola.
Like the “citizens”, his players try to control the ball and attack mainly from position, actively use the best qualities of their flank attackers.
Not without reason, Saki and Martinelli account for 30% of all team points in the “goal + pass” system (23 out of 76).
At the same time, the role of the main creative is played by Martin Odegaard.
The Norwegian was never able to break into the start of Real Madrid, but became the cornerstone in Arteta's constructions.
At the same time, he manages not only to lead the game and assist his partners, but also scores himself.
He already has eight goals and six assists.
He was more productive only at Vitesse, where he lit up under the leadership of Leonid Slutsky (8 + 11 in the 2018/19 season).
But if Odegaard can be called the local Kevin De Bruyne, then Xhaka tries on the role of Ilkay Gundogan.
With the arrival of Thomas Partey, the Swiss began to join the attack more often and has already recorded eight points in his asset, repeating a personal best for his career.
It is still difficult to say whether the Londoners will be able to repeat the success of the Merseysiders and regain the trophy after 19 years.
Although City looks less confident than before, they still remain the strongest team in the league and have one of the most “deep” lineups.
Silen and United, who in the shortest possible time turned into a real threat and already managed to beat all the representatives of the top 5 following the results of the last championship.
On paper, Arsenal look more vulnerable, both due to a lack of experienced players and a shortage of personnel in key positions.
An injury to one of the central defenders will create serious problems, there is no worthy alternative to Odegor, there is a shortage of center forwards.
Yes, Eddie Nketiah has been looking great lately, but it is extremely difficult to count on a striker who has never scored more than five goals in the Premier League before, even if he is only 23 years old.
But even if Arsenal fail to cope with the pressure, lose the advantage and miss the championship, the fans should not sprinkle ashes on their heads.
After all, now the club is doing a much more important thing than the pursuit of a single trophy, and Arteta is building a top team that can revive winning traditions and dominate the league for many years.