The first real insight into Mikel Arteta’s match-winning mania came during Arsenal’s All or Nothing Amazon documentary. As he famously ranted in a certain locker room while changing: “If I lose a game, I’m upset!” If you compare and contrast the version of Arsenal from three seasons ago with this, you can chart how much more powerful and competitive they have become as the duel-o-meter is now off the scale. He has much less reason to be angry.

Look at them. Jurrien Timber hits the ball away with fierce precision. Gabriel and William Saliba showed as much joy and satisfaction in a beautiful defensive action as in scoring a goal. Declan Rice charges towards the ball. But – and here’s where it gets interesting – it’s not just the players you expect it from.

Listen to Kai Havertz: “I used to not be the player who won duels and stuff, but now I love it,” he says enthusiastically. He is transformed and his hunger to compete is continually whetted.

Listen to Bukayo Saka: “We are all attacking-minded, we want to go forward, but the manager has put a lot of emphasis on the other part of the game. I’m sure if you’re on the sideline you can hear him a lot when we don’t have possession. It takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline because, to be honest, I do want to come forward more, but that’s what the team needs. When I see the results, we have a lot of clean sheets, so it’s paying off and it encourages me to keep doing it.”

The level of buy-in within this group is unyielding. They demand of themselves and of each other. They all see the benefits of maximum energy and effort.

It’s far too early to predict what Arsenal will or won’t do this season, but what is abundantly clear is the desire to fight. If that means attacking with verve and speed, great. If that means sitting tight and being hard to beat, they’re up for that too. In beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal needed a bit of both and had the weapons to successfully manage different aspects of the game.

Calafiori wins the ball in the air (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

In their two European games so far, they have more composure and confidence than last season, which is understandable given that this has been a more cautious experience, dipping their toe into Champions League waters for the first time in years. Now they want to jump in. Make a splash.

A well-programmed pragmatism currently underlies the team and they have managed to transfer that from the Premier League to Europe. It speaks to the maturity of the team. Against PSG, Arteta saw a developing character that he really liked. “I think we showed a lot of maturity in the way we played and we put our stamp on the way we want to behave in Europe against top teams.”

He noted that the team now feels different about itself during these meetings. “I felt something different in the way we prepared the match and how they wanted the level of focus. I think they wanted to prove a point: against a top team at home we can be ourselves and be very dominant. It makes for a special evening, the great European nights against big clubs. That belief is something that lifts the energy and spirit of everyone.”

Arsenal can play versatile football. They can show different faces at different points to meet different challenges in the game.

Arsenal started with their dynamic, exuberant face. Sometimes when Donarumma had the ball at his feet for a goal kick, he would look up and see a pack of hyenas watching him. Arsenal’s front four were high and hungry, eager to find a moment of weakness.

This victory was built on an aggressive first half, with the pursuit of goals aided by quick tackling and strict own goal protection.

It wasn’t long before it was, as the old song goes, ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’. That resonated, as the tune originated thirty years ago in a battle between these two teams. It is worth noting that this was the last time Arsenal won a European trophy. The search feels very big.

The opening goal was all about the timing. The combination play between Leandro Trossard and Havertz continues to improve as they combine their talents as a couple. Trossard, on the run, looked for a moment and postponed his gallop, waiting for some movement to be found. Havertz was trotting and suddenly switched to a sprint. The timing of the cross coincided perfectly with the run and Havertz was poised to continue his good scoring form.

Havertz scores Arsenal’s opener (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Captain Saka cut out the second one. His free kick contained an element of surprise. Although everyone expected a higher ball aimed at the giants in the Arsenal team, this was a low, flat delivery, which was confusing enough to avoid a whole lot of players who might have been knocked.

In the second half, when Paris Saint-Germain found enough support to force some personality into the game, Arsenal showed their tenacious, highly concentrated face. There was a period of five to ten minutes when it seemed as if they flipped a strategy switch and retreated into their ultra-organized, deep block, designed to minimize dangerous incursions.

Arteta was happy with the intention, even if it was a less attractive half. He was aware that his team were 2-0 up at half-time against Leicester a few days ago, but then let them get back into the game. He praised his team for “being emotional and staying in the game like we had to do.”

By having more than one way of cooking, Arsenal have a much more refined European palate this season.

It was all too much for PSG. “We haven’t won any of our matches,” Luis Enrique noted. “We couldn’t overcome that kind of pressure.”

The certainty of dominating and intimidating a club that sees itself as part of the establishment in the latter stages of Champions League football is new for modern-day Arsenal. It is another strong step in the right direction.

(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)