Speaking to theDaily Mailafter the game against Stoke,Arsene Wenger has said that he believes midfielders Theo Walcott, Granit Xhaka and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are improving with each passing game at the club.
Arsenal won the game 3-1 in what looked like being a difficult fixture when Stoke took a first-half lead and Wenger looks like he may be right about the growing ability of these three as all them were directly involved in goals that game.
Theo Walcott grabbed Arsenal's equaliser shortly before Chamberlain's ball to Ozil gave them a lead and Xhaka...well, he elbowed Joe Allen in the face to concede a penalty, but don't judge him on this game alone.
"I think Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott have made strides up; Xhaka in every game you see he is on the way up, and maybe all the players can maintain that," Wenger said.
Wenger's side now sit second in the table, three points below league leaders Chelsea and three above Liverpool, who beat them 4-3 at home on the opening day of the season. Without a league title since 2004, the Frenchman will be hoping that this is the year he adds another to the Arsenal trophy cabinet as his time at the club comes ever closer to an end - having recentlyreached a landmark 20 years in charge.
Wenger continued:We know we are not perfect and I tell you, we have a lot of room for improvement.But what we need is everybody putting his quality at the service of the team and having the individual desire to progress."
Without a previous season at the club to compare him to, Xhaka's apparent improvement is a little harder to judge, but the rise of Chamberlain and Walcott is a lot more obvious.
The Ox has already equalled his tally for most goals in a league season (2) and has four assists, more than he had in the previous three seasons combined. Walcott, with seven goals and two assists, is also having his most productive campaign - a tally which has recently seen him earn himself a new coffee machine from his wife as a gift for hitting 10 goals in all competitions before Christmas.