When Theo Walcott scores a header, you know he’s on top of his game. In 10 years with Arsenal, the sprightly winger has only managed two headed goals, but the manner in which he nodded home against Basel suggested a player brimming with confidence. Walcott, who appeared to be headed for Arsenal’s exit door at the start of the summer, is a player transformed.
Arsenal have undergone something of a reinvention, too. After the opening-day defeat to Liverpool, there were understandable fears about how the team might fare in Arsene Wenger’s 20th season.