Arsenal return to Brentford as shocking squad reality exposes transformation
Only two players remain from the starting XI that suffered humiliation at Brentford in 2021 as Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers prepare to face the Bees on Thursday.
It has been 1,643 days since the self-proclaimed ‘bus stop from Hounslow’ announced their Premier League arrival by stunning the giants of English football.
August 13, 2021, remains a date etched in the memories of the Gtech Community Stadium faithful, but one the North Londoners have worked tirelessly to erase.
Thomas Frank’s side, then favourites for immediate relegation, tore up the script against a fragile opponent.
From crisis to contenders
The aftermath of that opening night defeat piled immense pressure on Arteta, whose position was already precarious following an eighth-placed finish the previous campaign.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher offered a withering assessment at the time that seemed to capture the mood of the nation.
“New season, same old story.”
Those words feel like a lifetime ago for a manager who is no longer fighting for his job, but fighting for Premier League and Champions League supremacy.
Back then, Arteta lamented a lack of attacking threat and a vulnerability at set-pieces.
The transformation has been total; the Gunners are now the division’s second-highest scorers and boast one of the most formidable set-piece records in Europe.
A ruthless squad evolution
Nothing illustrates the scale of this overhaul quite like the team sheet from that fateful Friday night.
Of the 11 players who started the game for the visitors, the vast majority have been moved on.
Only Ben White, who was making his debut that evening, and Gabriel Martinelli remain in the current squad.
Crucially, neither of those survivors are even guaranteed starters in Arteta’s current ruthless machine.
Bukayo Saka, now the talisman of the club, appeared only as a second-half substitute to a sympathetic ovation.
The rest of that lineup included players like Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari, and Albert Sambi Lokonga, highlighting a disparity in quality compared to today’s roster.
While the Bees remain in the hunt for European football, they face a very different animal on Thursday night.