Granit Xhaka has so far been deployed higher up the pitch in the new Premier League season. Photo: Andrea Vilchez_SPP

THIS time last season the pressure was suffocating as Arsenal prepared to welcome Norwich City to the Emirates Stadium in their fourth Premier League game of the campaign.

They had played three, lost three and were bottom of the table – shipping nine goals in the process, and failing to find the back of the net once.

On Saturday evening the Gunners face Fulham in their fourth league outing this time around – but hosting a newly-promoted club in Ashburton Grove is very much where the similarities end.

In the sharpest of contrasts, Arsenal go into the weekend as the only team in the league to have won all three of their opening games, and are perched at the top of the table with their chests puffed out having scored nine goals and conceded just twice.

Yes, the fixtures have fallen a lot kinder at the start this season. But, for now at least, it seems the “medium- to long-term project” Mikel Arteta spoke of building 12 months ago, after what some called a job-saving 1-0 victory over the Canaries, is now coming to fruition.

Fans and pundits alike are poring over Arteta’s tactical tweaks before, during and after each game, while purring about what William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus have added to the Gunners’ starting line-up.

There is one change, however, that nobody saw coming: Granit Xhaka is now being deployed higher up the pitch – switching in and out of space alongside Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr “Alex” Zinchenko.

Playing Xhaka in a more forward role, like he enjoys when on international duty with Switzerland, has so far been a revelation, with the midfielder notching up a goal and two assists in Arsenal’s opening three games.

“The way I want to play, there are certain spaces that have to be occupied at all times and, as you can see, there is a lot of rotation in that unit, with Alex, with Martinelli, and with Granit,” explained Arteta following the 3-0 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday.

“But Granit has the ability to do that, he has the capacity to do that. He arrived today in some really good positions again, and it’s the evolution of the player.”

With Arsenal still looking to strengthen before the transfer window closes next Thursday, there are those who think Xhaka’s time in the starting line-up is about to become very limited. But that seems very unlikely considering he has just been named as one of three team leaders – alongside Jesus and club captain Martin Odegaard.

Arteta revealed: “They are the leaders I decided to name captains, and they’re the ones the team decided should be in the leadership team.

“I’m delighted we have very different characters, different ways of being and ways of thinking, and I think they all represent the club in a really good way.”

As for Xhaka, he’s loving the new responsibility that he has been handed.

“I’ve got more freedom to go up and down,” he said. “I know I can do that. I have a lot of freedom from the coach, from my teammates.

“At the moment I’m happy with how everything is going. Let’s continue to work like this and hopefully at the end of the season we can be more than happy.

“It’s always good when you score and it’s always good when you can help the team. I’m more than happy to help, of course.”

• Arsenal will discover who they will face in the Europa League group stage tomorrow (Friday) when the draw is made in Istanbul.

Despite failing to qualify for Europe last season, the Gunners will still feature among the top seeds in pot 1 alongside the likes of Manchester United, Roma and Lazio because of their UEFA club coefficient ranking – which is based on their European performances over the past five seasons.

The six group games will be held from September 8 to November 3, with the knockout stages, should Arteta’s side get that far, taking place on February 16 and 23.

The draw is scheduled to start at noon UK time.