'Top players' - What every rival manager has said about Arsenal so far this season

Arsenal have generated plenty of debate this season, struggling to match the pace they set last season, but just about hanging on in the title race. The Gunners have given themselves a mountain to climb, but it is not an unsurmountable one.

The Gunners have set the pace by Christmas in the last two seasons but ultimately fallen short, so they will be hoping to do things a little differently and end up on top this time around. In the meantime, we have rounded up what every opposition manager has said about Arsenal after games against them so far this season.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

Gary O’Neill: "In terms of being in the game and having a chance I felt that, at 1-0 down I felt we were more likely than them. I’m pleased with what we were able to produce, but I've spoken to the players about the little details, especially against teams like Arsenal. They found two moments of quality and we just missed a couple of ours."

Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal

Unai Emery: “We have to accept the result. We competed very well against a team that is more mature than us, more experienced than us and their process is more advanced than ours – two or three years building the team with a strong structure tactically.

“We competed very well and we had three unbelievable chances to score and we didn’t do it. I have to be proud of our work. I think this is the way we can progress and develop the tactical structure with the players. We are trying to get the performance close to teams like Arsenal here, and this is the process we have to try to keep.”

Arsenal 1-1 Brighton

Fabian Hurzeler: "I thought it was a tough start for us and we suffered in the first 10-15 minutes, but afterwards we were better in the game. We had good pressing moments. We also controlled the game better in possession. The goal from Arsenal happened out of nowhere. We have to be honest; it was bad defending from our side. It was just a long ball. We didn't win the second ball, so that was bad. And then the second half changed because of the red card.

"We dominated the game completely from that moment. We created chances. We made one-v-ones and we had chances for the second goal, but on the other side we also have to be honest that that we could concede a second goal to Arsenal because we were not consistent in our counter-pressing and not consistent enough in the rest defence. So in the end it feels a little bit like a disappointment because of course we wanted to win the game. I think we should be satisfied with the point because it's a fair result."

Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal

Ange Postecoglou: "It was a difficult afternoon for both teams – how [Arsenal] stop the play, how they use the side of football that not many teams do. They slow the game down, they get the keeper on the floor so they can get some information onto the pitch. I wouldn't say they have mastered [the dark arts], but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that. You can call it clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it.”

Man City 2-2 Arsenal

Pep Guardiola: “Many, many things happened, they delayed the game, we behaved really well and still have this passion inside to fight the contender to steal our Premier League. Still we are there. We started well, scored a fantastic goal and then conceded. We know that Arsenal are really quick with [Gabriel] Martinelli and [Bukayo] Saka. [Riccardo] Calafiori makes an exceptional goal, the second goal we didn’t defend well, give credit to them. Gabriel is so strong in that position. It happens every game and they are able to do it.”

He added: “After, 10 against 11 is [a] different [game]. They defended so deep and we can cross but it’s not easy with [Ben] White, Gabriel, [William] Saliba. They defend really good. We were so smart to not make quick actions and not concede fouls. Long balls, crosses, don’t touch them. That is good because the game continues. We could have scored before, we scored at the end. It’s a good point for us.”

Arsenal 4-2 Leicester City

Steve Cooper: "Tough one to take to be fair. Proud of the second half performance particularly. If it's a team that's not together, they can really go under after the first-half but it was great to score as early as we did in the second half and then go to 2-2. You know you are going to suffer here at time against a really good time like Arsenal at the Emirates but I felt like we were coping really well. To have that deflection for the third goal is just a bit of where our luck is but then the fourth goal is against the run of play.

"It's another loss and the results always write the narrative but there was so much to be positive about, particularly in the second half and we've got to try and keep going keep capitalising on what is going okay and just improve."

Arsenal 3-1 Southampton

Russell Martin: “We had some brilliant moments; we hit the bar, we hit the post, we score a good goal, a couple of balls across the six-yard box; some really great moments, which not many teams have at Arsenal. We watched PSG here on Tuesday and I feel like we’ve had as many if not better moments than they did in the game, but when we go 1-0 up we have to be in front for longer.

“It’s so disappointing that it’s a mistake from us that allows them to score, and then at 2-1 I thought we were great. We had a bit of a wobble after conceding [the first] but this team is growing and learning under the biggest scrutiny in the Premier League, but we have to stay on path and help everyone on their journey. We have to accept we’re playing against one of the best teams in the country, but we had a lot of good moments today – defensively and with the ball. I feel excited about what’s to come, I feel really excited about the team after today.”

Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

Andoni Iraola: "For us it was an important game after losing the last one against Leicester so we had to recover. Today we started very well. There was the red card and from then it was tricky as they are still a threat from set plays, free kicks. But we had the patience and ended the game well

"The advantage they have at set plays is they are taller than us so we had to find another way to make a difference. Today it worked and it was important. At the end they decided they are going to attack the same way, obviously conceded more space in behind and we had to take every chance. We benefit from a mistake and got the penalty, but even at 2-0 we had to finish the game".

Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

Arne Slot: “Going two times behind against a very strong and good Arsenal team and then to get a point is pleasing to see, especially because we had to play an away game in Europe this week.

“We had one day less to recover and to prepare and then to go two times behind with the fans being so loud and us coming back so strongly [in the] second half – because I think we deserved to be 2-1 down or one goal down at half-time – then is very pleasing to see that we had the energy and that we were so strong to fight ourselves back in the game [in the] second half, also because the ones that came in did really good but also that we were physically really strong today.”

Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal

Eddie Howe: “We started the game really well, we were on top of it, looked sharp then one action with an unbelievable cross and finish and the momentum changes. You know the game they want to play, it’s clear. You can too often get dragged into that type of game and we weren’t good enough. Credit to them to what they do. When we went behind we lacked purpose and a threat.

“In transition we allowed them to sustained attacks and we gave 17 or 18 free-kicks so that stops the game constantly. It is not a good outcome for us. They are really good at what they want to do and we got dragged into that today.”

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Enzo Maresca: “The performance was good. The game in some moments was open, anything can happen in both sides. We 100% deserved a point. The team until the end was trying to win the game. I was more worried if the performance wasn't good enough.”

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Nuno Espirito Santo: “They played well and we didn’t play so well. Arsenal were the better team. Quality players when they are involved in the game it becomes harder. [Martin] Odegaard is one of them.

“[Leandro] Trossard created problems and Saka created problems. You cannot give time to players to decide so freely. Second half we became more pressing but they killed us with the second and third goals. There’s not much to say. We have to improve because we did a lot of bad things – especially with the defending. Losing is always very painful. We came up short.”

West Ham 2-5 Arsenal

Julen Lopetegui: “Mikel was a big, big player and after he’s doing a fantastic career as a coach. He is putting his ideas into work. You can see very well the kind of coach he is. That’s why we have to be ready.

“If I talk about Odegaard, I have to talk about Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, each one – they have top players. Havertz, too. All of them are top players. They have two teams of top players.”

Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United

Ruben Amorim: “The difference today was the set pieces. You see the goal and how the momentum changed. We could’ve taken full control of the game. We tried, but it was the set pieces.

“We have to understand that they have years of doing that. Even when you are here for so long, you can see how their set pieces can change that. We tried to defend them in the space of two days to train.”

Fulham 1-1 Arsenal

Marco Silva: “The first thing is to praise the [Fulham] players for their commitment. On the ball it wasn’t the game we like to play normally. The weather conditions weren’t the best. They are really strong in the pressure. In some moments we should have kept the ball. Not many chances [for Arsenal] I think were good chances.

“We knew they’d start the second half strongly. I’d like to see us making better decisions because we had some good moments to punish them more but they equalised. It was less than 72 hours [since the last game]. Second half I felt the energy wasn’t there because when you have so much time without the ball you need fresh legs. Overall the commitment and fighting spirit was really good.”

Arsenal 0-0 Everton

Sean Dyche: "We're very disappointed not to win the game because if there was a team obviously that deserved to win it that was Arsenal. We did everything that was necessary overall apart from the fact that we didn't score a goal. We conceded absolutely nothing, dominated all the direct play, didn't allow them to run and conceded no set pieces.

"But we go there in so many occasions, we created three or four big chances, didn't score from there, and then the frustrating part is that at the end of those games when they come that way and you are able to do so much to restrict the opposition, which is very difficult to do, at the end you want to be rewarded for what you've done and the difficulty is that we haven't tonight. It's all the moments that we need to have a little more composure and more quality in those moments, that's normal. That's it. Tracking back? Unbelievable. Putting in the high press? Unbelievable. Dominating a lot of things? Unbelievable, but the disappointing thing is that you want to come away winning after what you've done on the pitch."