In Praise of Noni Madueke and Arsenal's new boys 

Arsenal’s new look attack revved its engine all afternoon during the 3-0 win over Forest 

Arsenal’s new look attack revved its engine all afternoon in our show of complete control in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, writes Nick Manfredi.

It was the first time we had started a game with the trio of Eberechie Eze-Viktor Gyokeres-Noni Madueke and all three looked immensely impressive.

Madueke roasted his full back all afternoon and the similarities to Bukayo Saka were evident.

Noni’s directness and abilities to beat his man repeatedly meant that Saka’s absence was not as severely felt as it was last year. Madueke showed he was able to go both ways as Saka often does.

I was particularly impressed with the quality of his right footed deliveries. You are always one step ahead of the defender if you can go both ways. 

While unlike a portion of the fanbase I was supportive of Noni’s arrival from Chelsea, I must admit I did not expect him to be this impressive so early in his Arsenal career.

Saka’s injury has thrusted him into the limelight more quickly than we and probably Madueke himself had anticipated.

But he has taken the opportunity with both hands. While he is yet to register a goal or assist for the club, his directness and flair are just two attributes that offer much variation in our attacks in the absence of our number seven.

Many Gooners would argue Saka is our star player, but he will still have to be at 100% to take his spot on the right wing back from Noni.

Of course, rotation will be at the forefront of Arteta’s mind this season.

Having an abundance of option cannot possibly be a bad thing.

Eze also produced an exciting performance.

His style is a little more laidback than that of Madueke’s but equally as effective.

He glides past defenders as opposed to powering past them.

Every time Eze had the ball at his feet I felt as though he would make something positive happen and more often than not he did just that.

Not everything came off for him, but a lot did and there will be a great deal more to come from him. Eze is one of those players who you sometimes watch, and you feel an almost incredulous sense of joy from the fact that he plays for your club.

His assist for Viktor Gyokeres was a lot more difficult than he made it look - a first-time ball played across the face of goal, perfectly played into the path of Gyokeres to clip the ball home. Wonderfully effective.

And just a quick word on Gyokeres wouldn’t go amiss.

He didn’t receive a great deal of service, this is still something that needs some fine tuning on the training ground, but the service he did get he maximised.

Apart from hnis goal, his effort he rattled against the bar where he received the ball on the left, drove infield and played it to Madueke - who waited for the Swede to continue his run - only to be agonisingly denied by the frame of the goal.

This was a great example of Gyokeres’ abilities to find space in different areas and link up effectively with his teammates.

I think he is a far more intelligent player than many give him credit for.

Yes, he is a goal scorer, but he offers variety in and around the box.

He drifts to the left and to the right, never standing in a concentrated area.

These three players represent everything Arteta wants our attack to be, efficient, exciting and unpredictable.

Long may it continue.