Peter Schmeichel says Arsenal have something no other team has in the Premier League

Arsenal are off to a flyer this season.

The defending champions have come through unscathed having beaten Coventry, Aston Villa and Chelsea in their opening three Premier League games.

After the 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday, former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel had high praise for Mikel Arteta’s side, for a change.

Analysing the game on Viaplay, Schmeichel said, “Every time they lose the ball it feels like there is an extra Arsenal player on the pitch. This is what I’ve seen in the first two games — I’ve seen that thing that no one else has in this league.

“Not another team has that kind of work rate — organised work rate — and also the ability to do it. Because one thing is to organise yourself and do it, another thing is to have the energy, and you can see as the game progresses, the substitutions — you don’t see a difference. It’s the same thing.”

Lots of teams in the league ‘press’, especially so in 2026, but few have the understanding and physical conditioning required to sustain it like Arsenal do.

When Arteta’s side lose the ball, the closest three players are all over it straight away, while cutting off nearby passing lanes. It makes it extremely difficult for the opposition, and if they’re forced to go long, good luck beating William Saliba (or Ezri Konsa) and Gabriel to the first and second balls.

It’s not something you can just pick up in a matter of weeks either — as Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola will want to remind their fans as their teams adapt to their respective styles of play. This is a system built on years of work on the training ground, and a culture so deeply embedded that it doesn’t really change when the personnel is different. Konsa is playing in the heart of defence instead of Saliba and Arsenal haven’t missed a beat.

And given what Arsenal are trying to achieve this season — retaining the league title for the first time since 1935 and going one better in the Champions League — this is what’s required.