Rosicky's Our Man Again

So then, with four wins in a row and and 7 wins out of our last 9 in the Premier League, we are now the form team in the league; and it couldn't have come at a better time. Where in years past we were the team that always suffered a traditional late-season collapse (the reason we failed to win the 2007-08 Premier League title), now for two years running we've hit form in the latter stages of the season. This year it's especially important we continue: Champions League football hangs in the balance.

But exactly what is it that's contributed to our strong end-of-season form? First is necessity. Last season and this we've found ourselves at the end of January in 5th, needing to improve to be in the coveted top four. This necessity has brought out the best in the players again. So often when our backs are against the wall, and it seems all is lost, we produce moments of magic to save ourselves humiliation. It's all about the mentality, and when we need it, we always seem to find it. 

Second is experience. When Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left in the summer of 2011, Le Boss was forced to go out and rebuild the squad quickly. He bought such players as Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta. Players with experience. Lucas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, bought last summer, have almost equal levels of experience. In addition, the remaining members of the squad have done some growing up of their own, Theo Walcott for example. The squad as a whole is now older and more experienced.

This experience often shows when the situation is grim and results are sorely needed. The "business end" of a season is when the contrast between inexperience and experience becomes clearer than ever. Lately, we've been producing when it matters, showing how far we have indeed come. 

One man has exemplified our squad's experience and consistently found form at the end of the season: Thomas Rosicky. Said Arsene Wenger after the victory at West Brom on Saturday, "He’s an important player for us...every year he gives us a little push at the end of the season. That is very important." Indeed he does.

I've always been a big fan of Rosicky. He truly deserves the nickname he earned whilst playing in Germany: Little Mozart. He dictates play, has the perfect touch, excellent vision, and once in a while even an eye for goal (remember this beauty? http://youtu.be/yUAr1Qagefs). He's a beauty to watch. 

Arsene Wenger expressed his hope that our number 7 will finish his career at Arsenal. I hope so too. While his fitness hasn't always been the best, when he is fit, he's deadly. And if he continues in his current form, he may, for the second season running, inspire us to reach the Champions League once again.

Is Rosicky worth the patience he's been shown over the last few years with his injury struggles? How much of a part will he really play in the run-in. Leave your thoughts below. 

Fab 4

Where To Go From Here?

The loss against Sp*rs Sunday hurt. It hurt pride, hurt confidence, and severely hurt our chances of being in next season's Champions League. So where do we go from here? What needs to improve, and what are the chances they will?

 

   

Honestly, every aspect of our play needs to improve if we're to accomplish our goal of being in the Champions League next season. With that in mind, let's break it down area-by-area.

 

Goalkeeping

I'm a fan of Wojciech Szczesny. I love the spirit and the attitude he has, and I love that he's a self-proclaimed gooner. But he hasn't been fantastic this season. His reflexes are good, and positioning's not bad. Even his distribution is usually pretty good. But if there are faults, they are in two areas. First, he lacks authority in the box. He doesn't warn his defenders enough of danger, doesn't call for the ball enough, and at times only punches the ball wildly away.

 

That's part of the second problem. His horrendous parrying of the ball has led to several conceded goals this season. When he punches the ball away, more often than not they fall straight to opposition attackers. And when a shot comes in on goal, Szczesny so often parries the ball straight into the follow-up attacking runner's path you'd think it was on purpose.

 

The guy is young. A lot of these problems are due to lack of experience and that will improve in the coming years. I believe he'll go on to be one of our greatest keepers. But that doesn't help in the short-term, in the run-in. His improvement must be more rapid.

 

Defence

Contrary to popular media opinion, our defence is actually not bad. Arsenal have conceded fewer goals than Spurs, only one more than Manchester United, and just two more than Chelsea. From a statistical point of view we're in good shape. Why then is all the focus still on how terrible our defence is? Perhaps it's because, while we're actually not conceding that many goals, the ones we do concede are due to obvious, sometimes high-profile individual or collective errors.

 

There's no doubt at least one of the two goals conceded at the weekend to Tottenham could have been prevented with greater discipline and defensive shape. That's the real problem. Our defence doesn't need to be constantly abused by supporters, but instead they should be supported. Many of the errors they are committing is due to a lack of confidence. Support from fans in matches helps greatly in restoring that confidence.

 

If we already statistically have one of the best defences I the league, imagine what can be accomplished these final few weeks of the season if confidence is restored and individual errors are minimized.

 

Midfield

In general, the midfield has been the best part of our team this season. As far as attacking talents, there are few better in the league than Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere. Arteta and even Rosicky have been excellent as well. And once upon a time Diaby even got bored of the treatment table and put in a solid shift or two.

 

If there's room for improvement it's just in the area of defensive cover. Ramsey and Arteta can honestly do the job fairly well, and have on occasion this season. But both players like to attack instead of defend. And if they defend too deeply then they're unable to help launch attacks. We may or may not need a midfield enforcer in there, but since that's not going to happen before the end of the season, Arteta and Ramsey need to step up.

 

Attack

This is where the real problem lies. We have just not been prolific enough in front of goal this season. Giroud hasn't been scoring as much as should be expected of him, Podolski, while excellent, disappears from games, and oddly has also been disappearing from Arsene Wenger's team selections. Walcott is good but not great. While it would've been a real shame to see him leave, he's still a better right winger than striker. Santi Cazorla has contributed goals from midfield, but the rest of the midfield hasn't followed suit.

 

I could go on about our lack of attacking prowess and ways in which it can improve, but that's a post for another day. Suffice it to say, Arsenal are an attacking team, and if we're not scoring goals, we won't be winning matches, simple as. Our defence is okay and midfield is decent, so if we're to reach those Champions League spaces, our attack must improve. If it does in the coming weeks, we may just nick 4th spot after all.

 

Fab 4

What's Missing?

Fantastic win today, no doubt about it. If nothing else, the best bit was that we won three much-needed points, and rebounded a bit from the home loss to Bayern Munich midweek. Still though, despite the win, there's still something missing. Something fundamental. The tactical difference between this season and seasons past. What is it? It's something we've lost, something we we've long been renowned for.

It's our passing style of play,

Watching Arsenal play as of late, it's clear we've been very good the second half of games, when three points are on the line, when it's important. The second half of games we've been increasing the tempo, accuracy, and quality of our passing. Then we score a goal. Then confidence returns. We pass even faster, more accurately, with more flair. We score more goals.

Arsenal under Arsene Wenger are a passing side. We've been known as a club who play some of the most beautiful football in Europe. But when our passing fails, everything else follows suit.

Confidence is what enables the team to play at its best, and right now confidence is low. What effect has this lack of confidence had on the team? What has it done to our playing style to make it less effective?

The major difference is in our passing. Right now, our passing is frustratingly slow. I've noticed this more and more in the last few months, and it only seems to be getting worse. It's especially slow at the start of games: the reason we haven't been starting games well. The quality of our passing is low, passes aren't accurate, what passing happens ends up being sideways or backwards, and there's a lack of creativity.

Is the lack of creativity and speed of passing because of individual player skill? No. It's because of a lack of movement and understanding among players. Have you watched this Arsenal team at the start of matches. The stroll up and down the pitch, nobody moves, nobody seems to want to make a run into space to be open for a pass. They simply stand their waiting for the ball to come to them. Then when they get the ball and everyone else is doing the same thing, there are no passing options. This leads to errant passes as the players try speculative or unlikely passes, forced by the lack of movement.

When we're confident, the running off the ball is there, and the players are able to use their inherent creativity to find team-mates. Only a few seasons ago we did this very well. See this video below for an example. It's from a 2007 game against Tottenham. The passing isn't awe-inspiring or unordinary, and it doesn't lead to a goal. But it's fascinating to see the style and quality of our passing, especially compared to how we play now. Watch the movement off the ball, the quickness of the passing, and the confidence we exhibited.

Notice the difference between then and now? Look at the overlapping runs, the constant movement off the ball, and the accuracy of the passing. We're just not doing that anymore. We have the players to pull it off. Rosicky's still here, Santi Cazorla can do that, Diaby knows how, it'd be easy for Wilshere, and even Podolski, Giroud, and Walcott could pull it off. When we're confident, we can do it (look at the Cazorla goal against West Ham, which featured a wonderful passing buildup.) When we're not, we don't.

Confidence is key. Arsene Wenger knows it, and he's been trying to get it from the players. They're simply not responding as well as they could. What to do then? New players tend to help, winning important matches helps, but there's one way that we as supporters can contribute.

Support the players. Don't jeer or boo them off the pitch. Be vocal in our support, sing the players' names, be the twelfth man. Lift the side rather than bemoan the fact the players don't have that confidence already. We can do that, can't we?

I'm just as unhappy as the next supporter about our current run of form and the way the season has gone. And we have every right to be unhappy. But if we just throw our support behind the team, let them we know we have confidence in them, it just might make the difference.

Confidence will return. And results will follow.

 

Has Our Winning Streak Begun?

With the 1-0 win up at Sunderland on Saturday, we have now have a 4-1-0 record the last five matches. And none of the games have been particularly easy victories. Are we on the cusp of a large winning run?

In seasons past, there has seemingly always been one section of the season, usually lasting two or three months, where we show the world the Arsenal team we wish we always were. Win after win, we climb the table, reinforce our place among Europe's elite, and justify Arsene Wenger's management philosophy.

Last season we had two such winning runs resulting first in a meteoric rise up the table from 17th to 5th, and then a rise from 5th to 3rd, solidifying our place in the Champions League. In previous seasons the winning streak often propelled us to 1st place for weeks at a time, leading many to believe we could be a serious title threat. All before our season will fall apart in the Spring.

With Arsene saying a few weeks ago that we can no longer afford to lose any more matches, it seems as though the team have taken this to heart. Since the comments were made, we indeed haven't lost. Our wins haven't been easy or against weak opposition either. Our last two 1-0 wins were against teams who, at the start of the season, we couldn't beat.

What's the difference? Why could we only manage 0-0 draws against these teams before, and now we've been able to win instead? Much has to do with momentum and confidence. Most teams are this way to a certain extent, but it seems like Arsenal are especially confidence driven. Wins build upon wins, and as confidence grows, so does our points tally. But one bad loss or one massive disappointment can shatter that confidence and end whatever streak of victories we may be on.

It's not a positive attribute of the team that we're so confidence-driven, but seeing as we are, it's important to ride the momentum and achieve what we can while we're in the streak. Here then is the real question: how do we maintain momentum despite a major setback?

One key may be experience. Whereas we used to be known as the youngest side in the Premier League, our average age almost always lower than every other team, Wenger has now opted to end the youth experiment and once again blend youth with experience. Will it pay dividends? It hasn't yet, but that is more than likely down to players' unfamiliarity with each other this season.

But it seems as though the players are finally starting to settle in, get accustomed to each other's playing style, and work together better as a unit. Cazorla, Giroud, and Podolski are getting used to playing with their team-mates. Monreal will follow. Wishere has adapted to his new peers. Walcott has grown tremendously and is now linking up better with others.

The team are growing together, and it's perhaps starting to finally pay off. Has our customary wining streak begun? With Bayern Munich around the corner and Tottenham still winning matches ahead of us, I certainly hope so.

3 Questions Needing Answers

As we enter February, having just waded into the second half of the season, our goals and ambitions have changed quite a bit from what we had envisioned only 6 months ago. As the season began, it seemed we would honestly be a force to be reckoned with.

At the time I wondered, was this side like the 2007-08 side who, when Thierry Henry departed, began to be closer together than ever before, started producing week-in and week-out, and mounted a serious challenge for the Premier League title? In fact, had the Eduardo incident and F.A. Cup defeat not happened so close to one another to break confidence and momentum, we may well have won honours that season.

Now here we were, 5 years later, and it looked as though history could repeat itself. Our captain and talisman had again departed, a few new signings were brought in, and in the early weeks of the season it looked as though once again we could regroup and challenge for the title.

And then it all fell apart.

Week after week it became evident that we are not at that same level. Our defence is shoddy, attack less-potent than it should be, and the spirit and determination needed to consistently perform is not there. So if we are to turn around our season and achieve our new goals, that of finishing in the top 4 in the league and possibly making a strong push for the F.A. Cup and Champions League, some questions must be answered.

1. Will our defence hold up? Needless to say it hasn't been excellent. Overall our defensive shape has been much improved this season, and Steve Bould deserves some credit for that. Something seen this season that was never really done before is that we now defend in two banks of four, which rotate and shift depending on the side of the pitch the ball is on. This shape is much harder for opposition attackers to break through than the sort of haphazard man-for-man defending that was the norm before.

Why then the continual leaked goals? Other than individual errors, which we are committing statistically more of than any other Premiership team this season, there are two tactical reasons for this.

First of all, our defensive shape doesn't always hold. When the opposition counterattacks we don't build our defensive walls of players fast enough. We have wingers such as Walcott and Podolski, who are by nature strikers. They are excellent in attack, but do not track back and defend as a traditional winger might do. This, and the fact that our defenders themselves are often pulled out of position joining in the attack, means that unless the opposing team are building their attack slowly, we're about as solid as melted butter.

Second, the times we've been most effective at defending and winning the ball back have been when we're pressing high up the pitch, allowing opposing players very little space, making them far more likely to commit individual errors. When we get lazy or tired and don't press as high or with as much intensity as normal, the opposition's players find far more space in which to work. With that space, coupled with the fact that failed high pressing means our defensive shape isn't there, they are far more likely to score, and have done far more frequently than we would like.

Strengthening our defence is certainly necessary, but the only way this was addressed during the January transfer window was to bring in a left back. Which leads to...

2. Was the signing of Nacho Monreal actually good for the team? And will it help? The man's a decent player, and while his first appearance for us at the weekend was a bit of a nervy, unpolished one, there were signs of good things to come. His crossing was good, he liked to join in the attack, and his defending wasn't bad. He was a solid signing and should have no problems continuing to slot in and adapt quickly.

But what about Gibbs? Sure, our young English left back has been injured and out of action for a few spells this season, including now (which is why Monreal's signing was expedited), but when he has played, he's been one of our outstanding players. Perhaps the best-performing defender we've had this season. Now he has genuine competition, and I can't help but feel as though the Monreal signing could seriously stunt his growth and development as a top player. I hope I'm wrong.

3. Can we be more consistent? That's key, and one of our biggest problems this season. We can be breathtakingly good, and embarrassingly bad, sometimes within the same game (e.g. Liverpool at home.) We've been starting matches slowly and going behind often. But then we've also sometimes been brilliant.

In the last few season, the average points total needed to reach the top four in the league has been 71 points. In order to reach that total, we would need to earn 30 out of the 39 remaining available. That's only two losses more we can afford - if we don't draw any games. Clearly, there's not much room for error. Arsene Wenger has admitted as much, most recently after our 1-0 victory over Stoke:

"I said before the West Ham game and the Liverpool game that we are in a  position where we can't drop points. We dropped points against Liverpool but we couldn't do it again today."

Consistency will be key to obtaining the points we need. Can we overcome seemingly psychological inability to be consistent? I certainly hope so.

We can make it to the top four this season, and maybe even mount a serious challenge for the F.A. Cup or Champions League. But our problems must be addressed and those questions answered. In the coming weeks, we'll find out if they will be.

Fab 4

Disappointing But Deserved

After the elation felt in our F.A. Cup clash with Leeds, yesterday's loss to Swansea was utterly disappointing. It was a game which Swansea very much deserved to win because we were dismally poor, and it still stings the morning after.

Before the game I had been worried that it was going to be a tight, tense affair, and one which we might not win. But when the game began I thought I could modify my expectations. We started well and within five minutes were ahead through an excellent Robin Van Persie strike.

The finish was quality and we looked very solid and comfortable. Until the penalty decision.

At first I had a feeling it wasn't the best of decisions, but when I saw the replays it was clear we'd been hard done. That was a dive worthy of the Serie A, and the fact that it was gotten away with is a tad infuriating.
But in the end it didn't seriously affect the outcome of the match. After the goal Swansea started dominating possession and really running us off the park. That we only had 38.5% ball possession at halftime really tells it all.

The second half started decently and it looked as though Arsene's halftime talk had perhaps worked. But then we conceded again. The defending was poor and overall the team performance wasn't good at all.

Henry and Rosicky soon came on, a really positive move that helped our passing game a bit, and soon we were level through Theo Walcott. It was a good through ball from Djourou and an excellent finish from Theo, who really hadn't been having the best of games up to that point.

But in typical Arsenal defensive fashion Swansea immediately re-took the lead after another defensive error and if we're honest some not-exactly world class goalkeeping.

After that we tried to press for the equaliser, but it wasn't to be. The team performance was just poor. The passing wasn't good, the defenders looked scared whenever Swansea went forward, the the decision-making in the final third was not up to par. I felt Van Persie had a decent game, but he was isolated and couldn't really do much.

In the end we deserved to lose, but it was utterly disappointing. Something will need to change if we're to have a chance at the top 4, and indeed if we're to have a chance this weekend when Manchester Utd come to town.

It doesn't really feel as though the problem lies with the players that we have, but rather getting the most out of those players. Of course, having all these defensive injuries hasn't helped at all, but we could still compete and put in a lot more goals than we're doing now, and it's just not happening. We finally have more experience in the squad, so it needs to start showing.

You can tell from Arsene Wenger's post-match comments and his interview at the dot com that he's frustrated with the team, and I for one am hoping that this leads to some changes and a little kick in the rear that the team needs to pick up their game. Arsene knows what he's doing, and it seems that whenever we're in crisis he finds a way to pull us back out of it again. Here's hoping he'll do the same right now, because we sure need it. Till  next time,

Fab 4

Is Henry Here Yet?

The news on Thierry Henry's loan deal at the moment is that it's been delayed again, this time due both insurance paperwork and also the date of his return to New York. The Red Bulls want him back in time for their pre-season training camp in Arizona on the 20th of February, but Arsenal are hoping to keep our old captain until at least the 26th so that he could play in the North London derby.

I hope this gets sorted out soon, because it sure would be nice to have Thierry available to play against Leeds on Monday in our F.A. Cup fixture. One can only imagine how amazing it'll be to see Henry walking out at the Emirates again, and if those behind the scenes would just hurry up and sort out the loan details then it could be a reality this Monday. I expect he'll slot in on the left of attack, where Gervinho is playing for the first team now. The match would be a good chance for him to regain some match fitness and hopefully it all works out.

Of course, anything to lift the spirits a bit is appreciated after our painful 2-1 loss to Fulham Monday. I wanted to wait a day or two to fully get over the loss before I posted lest I get on here and bash the team, because in reality there are a lot of factors that went into the loss.

One was of course the terrible, frankly biased refereeing. Full details are found in this excellent post on Untold Arsenal, and it confirms my feelings at the time that absolutely nothing was really being called correctly, and certainly nothing was called in our favour. To win a match with that sort of handicap is difficult.

It is possible however, and that's where the red card comes in. Up until then it looked like we might just be able to hang onto 1-0, but when we were reduced to ten men we were just spread too thin. Fulham were the hungrier side and certainly deserved to level matters, but I felt the second goal in stoppage time was harsh, especially considering how well we had played in the first half.

But that's just it isn't it? We played well for 45 minutes and then dropped off. It can certainly be attributed to fatigue, but as well it seems like perhaps that motivation was lost a bit, and we felt like we could once again just hang on for a victory. Well, we seem to be able to defend a 1-0 lead for 30 minutes or so, but certainly not for 60, and it showed. We really needed a second goal to put the game to bed, and when we didn't get it, you felt the equaliser was always likely, especially when we dropped our attacking and pressing tempo.

It's a lesson learned yet again for the lads, and not a lesson we're going to want to see repeated. It seems to me that we really need to start scoring more goals. The only time in the last 6 weeks that we've scored more than 1 in a game was when we grabbed the narrow 2-1 at Villa Park, and that certainly wasn't Arsenal at their most fluent. That seems to indicate a problem, and one that hopefully a two-week break for the first team will solve.

Well anyway, enough about Fulham. Other than the Henry news and reflections on the defeat, not too much is going on Arsenal-wise at the moment. Vito Mannone has joined Hull City on loan again till the end of the season. I'm not convinced by the Italian and hopefully he'll get some games and improve a bit, because after his performance in Greece in the Champions League, it's clear that improvement is needed. Aren't you so glad we now have Szczesny in goal? I sure am.

Till next time then, don't forget to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages. The former is updated more regularly and at the moment includes a link to an apparently leaked publicity photo of Thierry Henry in this season's kit. Check it out if you're interested! Here's hoping that loan deal finally goes through,

Fab 4

A New Year's Treat

What better way could you think of to finish off 2011 than by seeing the old Arsenal grab 3 points at home, move into the top four of the league, and for Robin Van Persie break the club record for goals scored in a single calendar year, coming only one short of tying the all-time record (though to be fair he's already broken it on a goals-to-game ratio)?

It was a good 1-0 win against QPR yesterday at home. Not as comfortable as we'd like to be sure, but a win is a win. Van Persie grabbed the goal after an inch-perfect pass from Arshavin who had been gifted the ball by QPR. The Russian actually had a really good game, which makes two good ones in a row for him. Perhaps he's not a worthless as so many of my fellow gooners claim he is, though if we're honest there's certainly much room for improvement.

One of the only bad bits from yesterday's win was the fact that this is four home games in a row now where we've scored only one goal. 1-1 to Fulham, 1-0 over Everton, 1-1 with Wolves, and 1-0 yesterday hosting QPR. Perhaps it's just coincidence. If so, let's hope it ends with the turn of the new year, as it'd be great to watch us dominate games at the Emirates again, and not just in chances created, but also chances clinically finished.

Either way with Chelsea, Manchester City, and Man Utd all somewhat comically losing, and Spurs only getting a draw, we gained ground on every team ahead of us yesterday. We're now only 9 points off Man City. Now say what you will but that's no unassailable margin, and one that perhaps keeps faint hopes alive at a title push. Realistically such a thing won't happen, but stranger things have transpired when it comes to the title race. One just never knows.

Well the big news then from the aftermath of the game is that our defensive rock Thomas Vermaelen has been injured, and that he'll likely be out of action for about three weeks. Of all the people to get injured I can think of no one, save RVP, who I wanted to stay fit more. Ever since he's returned our defence has looked far more solid and assured, and his loss to injury could do a bit of damage to our defensive solidity. Sure, Coquelin did a good job when he came on and slotted in there, but he's not naturally a fullback and it's clear perhaps a temporary loan signing is in order.

So tomorrow we take the short trip down to Fulham to hopefully exact a bit of revenge if you like for our mere draw with them at home a few short weeks ago. The game could certainly be another draw or even a Fulham win, so it'll take a solid performance from the lads tomorrow to pull off a result. Van Persie will likely be rested, as will, I expect, one or two others who put in a taxing effort yesterday. But hopefully those who replace them will show the quality and class necessary to pull off victory. We'll find out soon enough.

Till then, I'll be busy dreaming of the Thierry Henry deal being finalised and preparing the subsequent celebrations which are very likely to happen round my place when it is. It'll be good to see the legend back in red and white once again. Welcome to 2012.

Fab 4

Arsenal 1-1 Wolves: One of Those Days...

To use the age-old phrase, yesterday was just one of those days. It was disappointing, but all credit goes to Wolves, and in particular Wayne Hennessey, their keeper, who had a fantastic game to stop us getting the points. As a whole, Wolverhampton looked like a team 17th in the league, but their keeper sure didn't. Don't you just hate it when they have the game of their life against us?

In all fairness though, as good as the saves were we could've made more of the chances we had, but it just wasn't our day: we were very unlucky. Shots flew in right, left, and centre, and in the second half we literally laid siege to the Wolves goal and all to no avail.

We had 27 shots yesterday, 11 of which were on target, and in any normal game that would be enough to secure three of four goals, but not this one. Should we deride the team for being not being clinical when 11 less shots gave us a comfortable victory at Wigan or when 14 less gave us the win at Chelsea? Yesterday just wasn't meant to be.

The match started well. Rosicky and Benayoun came in for Walcott and Ramsey, one rested and the former ill. Both had excellent games. Rosicky, who I'm a big fan of, was again magnificent, creating chances, linking together passes, and putting in a solid shift in midfield. Benayoun assisted Gervinho for the opening goal with a fantastic pass and looked excellent until his 64th minute removal.

When the Ivorian was sent in on goal Van Persie was to his right and certainly a good option, but in watching Gervinho lately I've realised that he almost always likes to go it alone and attempt to put it in the back of the net himself. Well yesterday was no different, but this time he did the job very well. Clever cut-back and a smooth finish.

When it went in it looked and felt like today was going to be a stroll in the park. "We'll score another," I said, "in fact at the rate we're going we'll score 3 or 4 more." Not to be. It's almost as if once the goal went in we stopped trying. Sure, the chances still fell for us and we hadn't given up the match, but compared to the urgency displayed in the second half once Wolves had drawn level, there was an apathetic feel in how the team played.

Arsene Wenger noted as much in his post match comments:

"At the moment what we have to learn is that when we are 1-0 up in some departments we cannot be too comfortable. We were caught in a position where we can only blame ourselves."

That's two matches in a row now where we have grabbed an early lead and then let it slip, only this time there was to be no late, late goal to bail us out. Try as we might it just wasn't to be.

Ultimately if we're honest, four points from the last two games isn't too bad, and certainly if we beat QPR this weekend then we'll be just fine, but there's no denying yesterday was a bit of a disappointment. Hopefully it'll be a good lesson for the lads, and one which they'll remember in the coming weeks and months.

If it were up to me, I'd say let's start every game the way we played for the last 20 minutes of yesterday's. Wouldn't that be far more effective than scoring once then laying back and just passing between the back four? It'd sure make for a thrilling game this weekend, wouldn't it?

Anyway, what's done is done, so with the appropriate lessons learnt and with a point at home, let's push on and have a great weekend and start to the new year shall we? Here's hoping for a comfortable win this weekend as we hose QPR. Till then,

Fab 4

Nervy, Happy Christmas Present

What a way to celebrate the holidays as we defeated Aston Villa 2-1 this evening. It wasn't Arsenal at their most fluent, and it sure was nervy at times, but in the end our excellent loan signing Yossi Benayoun secured the points with our second goal of the season scored from a corner kick.

We went ahead early in the first half via a well-taken penalty by Robin Van Persie, which takes his tally to 34 this calendar year, tying the legend Thierry Henry's record for a single year. And hey, he's still got a game left this year, so why not go ahead and break the Arsenal record and maybe even the Premier League record while he's at it?

The penalty, by the way, came after a lovely piece of skill from Theo Walcott to escape from two defenders and put him in clear inside the penalty area. When he was tugged it was always going to be a penalty kick. Unless of course Phil Down were refereeing, which thankfully he was not.

Till halftime the game was pretty even, but after the half Villa came out strong as ever. They began to close us down higher up the pitch and to be honest we looked out of ideas and creativity. Finally all their pressure paid off when they forced an error out of the Verminator. Honestly it was a bad header and a bad decision from the Belgian: Aston Villa capitalised.

After that Villa were the side with more desire and more drive, and it looked like this one might be getting away from us, but then came the substitutions. Arshavin and Benayoun on after Rosicky had made an immediate impact. And with four or five attackers on the pitch at the same time the goal was always going to come.

We poked and prodded, and looked like slicing open Villa until finally a corner from Van Persie (our 11th of the half) was nodded home by Benayoun. He's deserved a Premier League goal and he looked overall excellent tonight, as he did last time he played against Olympiacos, a game in which he also bagged a goal. Why aren't we starting him more?

In the end it was a happy three points, and thank goodness. With everyone around us winning at the moment and Chelsea taking on Sp*rs tomorrow we needed a solid three points tonight, and right at the end we got them. This is the kind of game that shows the solidity and experience of a team, getting three points when you perhaps don't deserve them but desperately need them.

On tonight's evidence, we're as solid as ever. Till next time,

Fab 4 

Revisiting Manchester

It was a disappointing loss on Sunday to be sure, and it is for that reason that I've delayed my post until today. But the disappointment certainly wasn't in the team - they were fantastic, it was in the match itself. It's a game we should've won, or at least drawn, and losing was a bit harsh. Refereeing decisions went against us, and City's goal came when we were still reshuffling after a change in defence.

Despite the loss it's a game in which we can definitely be proud of how the team played. There was spirit and determination, a real sense of togetherness, the defending was fantastic for the most part, and even the attacking was good.

Van Persie's excellent goal was disallowed for offside, which was clearly and incorrect decision. As was not calling the blatant handball by Micah Richards inside the box. To be fair it's hard on the referees when things like that happen in the box, and many won't call it since they hate to award a harsh penalty kick, but in cases like that I don't see how he couldn't call it.

But anyway, what's happened has happened, and it's time to move on. It really was a good game, and it sets us up well for tomorrow's fixture at Aston Villa. Villa lost at the weekend to Liverpool and don't quite look the part this season. It's a match we should definitely win, and indeed need to if we're to stay competitive at this juncture.

Alex Song will be suspended for the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards, and of course Djourou will be out for a few weeks with the groin injury he picked up, which means Miquel will likely be employed at left back (where I think he does quite well actually) and Frimpong could come into central midfield. But if everyone else stays in the positions they played on Sunday then we shouldn't have any problems tomorrow evening.

What does the loss show us about the squad though? For one it certainly shows a lack of depth in our offence, as if that weren't already evident. Someone needs to be signed to cover Van Persie, or at the very least to cover Gervinho while he's gone at the African Cup of Nations.

Also, I've been really forgiving of Arshavin and still believe that he could come back to being the kind of player he was when we first signed him, but at the moment he's just not performing. He was sent on to make an impact in the second half Sunday, but the only thing he accomplished was making some incomplete passes and dreadful scuffed shots. He's either got to improve his game quickly or it's time to replace him.

Here's hoping for a comfortable Arsenal victory tomorrow night. Till then,

Fab 4

Milan & Manchester: The Italian Jobs

This morning came the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and sure enough we drew the one team I think all of us were hoping to avoid. It looks like we'll be taking a trip in February to Italy to face AC Milan, with the second leg being played back at the Emirates. So it's an Italian job that will be necessary to succeed at to make it to the quarter-finals. 

Of course, we faced Milan a few seasons ago and in the second leg following a 0-0 draw at the Emirates, we secured a famous win in Milan. The 2-0 victory against the then-reigning European champions was the first time  AC Milan had ever lost at home to English opposition. 

You may remember that last year the Spuds beat Milan 1-0 at the San Siro, it being the decisive match to eliminate the Italians and send Tottenham through to the quarter finals (where, thankfully, they were mauled 5-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid). So facing - and losing to - English opposition seems to be a feature of their recent European endeavours. 

It's hard to predict right now which of the two teams will win the tie. Both Arsenal and Milan are on good runs of form and if we were to match up today it would be a very tight, tense affair. I think we'll know a lot more about the capability of our side to face big teams after Sunday's match at Manchester City.

Roberto Mancini's side finally lost Monday to Chelsea, and that will either bring about rebound determination from City or it'll leave them a bit off as they struggle to cope with their streak finally ending. Robin Van Persie today seemed to come to the same conclusion, thinking that Man City will probably want to bounce back strongly, but also remembering when Man Utd finally ended our 49-game unbeaten streak a few years ago and then we couldn't manage to win for our next five matches. 

It'll certainly be a test on Sunday though, and a big one. If we manage to pull off the Italian job then by beating the side managed by the man from the town of Jesi, Italy then we'll have definitely proven that we can defeat the big clubs this season.

I'm not forgetting about our wins over Chelsea or Dortmund, but let's be honest: neither were at their best at the time. Chelsea were (and still are) in transition to their new manager and the style of play he wants them to use, and Dortmund lost two of their best players in the first half of our win. Manchester City probably won't have either of those problems, so it'll be a true test of the lads in red and white.

If we can defeat Man City, and then push on with our great run of form, we'll be in good shape come February. I groaned a bit when I saw our name come out of the pot to face AC Milan, but it's a tie that's winnable. If there's one thing that is for sure, it's that it'll be an electric couple of nights. It's a massive for us, but one that we can win.

A lot will happen between now and then, and it all starts with our match on Sunday up in Manchester. It's the biggest game our our season to date, and we're really going to have to be at our very best to come away with a result. 

Here's hoping we do the duty in both of our Italian jobs coming up, starting with a win on Sunday. Till next time,

Fab 4

Who to Buy in January?

So this morning on Arsenal.com Arsene Wenger was quoted as saying that we're currently in a good financial situation compared to other clubs, and if we end up finding a player we want to buy in January then we'll have the funds to do so.

This isn't surprising of course; it's been obvious that as frustrating as the last few years have perhaps been in the transfer market, it's been done for the long-term financial stability of the club. Buying players for cheap and then selling them at high prices due to our excellent youth development program is a system of operation that was aimed at paying off as fast as we can the Emirates Stadium and thus giving us sufficient funds to compete in the future without being terribly in debt.

Well it would seem that now our plan of financial frugality is beginning to pay off. The funds are now there (though let's not get carried away and imagine we have the spending power of a Chelsea or Man City) and Arsene Wenger seems willing to spend it if he sees the need. So the big question is, who should we buy? I'm not going to speculate on individual players, but perhaps we can talk about which positions are most important to strengthen right now.

The general consensus among we gooners right now seems to be that we need to sign a striker as cover for Robin Van Persie should he get injured. Now right now our captain is enjoying easily the longest spell of fitness of his Arsenal career to date. But let's be honest: it's not going to go on forever. At some point something will happen to him, hopefully not for very long, but it's bound to happen. So who covers for him while he's out?

Right now the main man to provide cover seems to be Marouane Chamakh. Obviously none of us are too excited about that prospect, but even if we were to rely on him and him alone the fact remains that he and Gervinho will be gone come January to the African Cup of Nations. That leaves us short a striker.

Obviously what we need is a world-class, even young striker who can get the job done. I'd sure prefer a physical presence, but what's more important is the ability to get free and create and finish scoring opportunities: match winners. There are certainly those type of strikers out there and available at the moment, so let's go for one of those.

We also could use a quality fullback. Yes, we do have two for each position at the moment, Sanga and Jenkinson on the right and Andre Santos and Gibbs on the left, but we need, I believe, at least one more. I'd say make it a left-back. Someone who's defensively solid, but definitely likes to overlap on the wings. Andre Santos likes to attack but doesn't defend quite enough for me, though he was getting better before his injury. Maybe let's get someone with about as much attacking initiative, but who can drop back and defend at a moment's notice.

Worst case scenario then: we sign neither position and Robin Van Persie gets injured. Are we in deep trouble? Perhaps, but maybe there's one more player who could slot in to centre-forward: Arshavin. Sounds crazy perhaps seeing as Wenger loves to use him on the wings, he's short, and he's been off-form. But playing in the centre, holding up play, and then finishing every now and again with something special is what he was doing in and for Russia so effectively before he came here. He was used to playing in the centre, and it helped to make him such a good player. I'd sure love to see a return to the form he was in when he first got here, and if he were forced to play in the centre, perhaps it would revitalise him.

It's all just speculation of course; who knows who Arsene will sign when the window opens, or if he'll sign anyone at all. We gooners certainly seem to feel someone needs to be signed, but does Le Boss? We'll find out soon enough.

Don't forget to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages and be sure to follow us! Till next time,
Fab 4

History, Defeats, Elation, and Confidence

So a couple of things to write about then. First of all, we had a good win Saturday over Everton; a day full of fanfare and legends as we celebrated our historic 125th anniversary. It was a bit of a scrappy affair to be honest, and it certainly wasn't any sort of dominating performance, but on the night it was a win, and that was the perfect cap to an historic day.

Everton seemed content to park the proverbial bus, and it very well could've put a damper on the atmosphere were it not for a moment of brilliance from our captain.

"Who needs Batman when we've got Robin?" Indeed.

It was a goal a former captain of ours, Thierry Henry, would've been proud of, and because of the occasion he was in attendance to witness it. I haven't heard the stadium erupt quite like that in a long time, and for good reason. The goal was world class. Truly we have one of, if not the best striker in Europe at the moment. It reminds one a bit of the days when Henry was our talisman and captain.

Either way the win was deserved, despite the lads making a bit of a hard time of it. And it moved us into fourth place in the league over the weekend, which was surely a bit of a confidence builder for the team. Of course a little treat for we fans came Sunday when Stoke put an end to the Sp*rs' unbeaten run. It's about time they were stopped dead in their tracks. It's frankly disgusting to see them doing so well this season. Anyway, so strange as it was, I was a Stoke supporter for 90 minutes Sunday.

That leads us to the next talking point, tonight's match between Chelsea and Manchester City in west London. I wasn't quite sure who I wanted to win the match tonight, but I decided that I definitely wanted Man City's unbeaten run to end: the Invincibles' record must not even be thought of being challenged. So for the game I chose to support Chelsea.

A horrid feeling I can assure you.

After getting over feeling thoroughly dirty inside I could take a step back and appreciate the fact that City's run is finally over. Elation soon set in. So that sets up an interesting proposition come Sunday. Man City have now been eliminated from the Champions League and lost their first domestic game of the season in quick succession. Add to that they've lost their first choice left-back to suspension (Hey thanks Clichy for being a good man and getting yourself sent off!) and they're very much a wounded animal at the moment.

A second loss in a row for the Manchester club perhaps? One can only hope. Certainly we've got some confidence at the moment, and that confidence factor may be a big one for both teams this weekend. Time will only tell. Till next time then,

Fab 4

Everton Preview: Arteta vs. His Old Club

Well it's been quite a week already, what with the disappointing yet meaningless loss in Greece, and then the celebrations that broke out round my place when both Manchester clubs were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage. I sure hope Nasri and Clichy are enjoying the top quality opponents they'll now be facing. You know, teams like the fearsome FC Metalist Kharkiv. Quite illustrious lads, you've done your families proud with your choice of club. I can really only muster up one response: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Right then, that's out of my system now.

But as fun as it was to see United and City exit (especially United - I was watching their loss to FC Basel that night), it doesn't mean much for this Saturday. Now yes, this'll have an impact down the road (no Man Utd to knock us out of the Champions League semi-finals as happened rather painfully a few seasons back you'll remember), but now we must turn our attentions to this Saturday as we host Everton.

Everton have been a bit of all over the place as far as their current form goes. They've won half their last six games and lost half. But no matter how their current for is, they're always a difficult side to go and get a result against. Of course, their attacking prowess wasn't helped when we took Arteta from them on deadline day, but nevertheless they're a well organised side and may be hard to break down.

That being said, a win is surely on the cards. Our attacking prowess has been at a top level the last few weeks, shown especially last week in our 4-0 thumping of Wigan. We should be top tomorrow as well. The result against Olympiacos should be long forgotten and have no impact on the game, which means we can play well and confidently.

But then, there was a bit of an impact from the Olympiacos game, wasn't there? Our top-performing Brazilian left-back Andre Santos was injured, and from what Arsene Wenger seems to be saying in his press conferences, rather badly. With no Kieran Gibbs back yet, some reshuffling could be on the cards. Now, we know Vermaelen can play at left back, and most likely that's where Le Boss will play him, but he's been doing excellent work in the centre of our defence, and it'd be a shame to break that up. My choice for left-back would be to play Ignasi Miquel there tomorrow. The boy's been excellent every time he's played there quite honestly, and his was one of the few good performances Tuesday night. The guy's ready for a Premier League start, and it'd give him the confidence he needs to push on and become an even better player.

We'll find out tomorrow, but it's most likely Miquel won't play there and Vermaelen will. Arsene knows best I suppose, so I'm sure it'll work out. On a side note, it'll be interesting to see Arteta out there against his former team mates. The one big advantage is that he knows how Everton's team works, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him bossing the midfield tomorrow.

Prediction then? An Arsenal win, 2-0 or 2-1. A victory would be a massive result for us as it would propel us into the top four with quite the chance of remaining there after the Chelsea-Man City clash on Monday night. Looking forward to it then. Till next time,

Fab 4

A Forgettable Night in Greece

Well wasn't last night just one of those games you want to log away and forget about rather quickly? We of course were defeated 3-1 in Greece after an admittedly sub-par performance which included a few bits that would've been hilarious had they not been mistakes made by the players of our team.

Olympiacos came out and played exactly the way they needed to to get a result. The high pressure defending worked to great effect and shut down all our avenues of passing. Arsene Wenger was right to be a bit upset that we couldn't keep the ball under pressure, because we didn't...at all. I don't think I've seen the Arsenal players give away so many balls to the opposition in the course of a single half in a long time. The passing was dreadful.

Up against such a high defensive pressure strategy as Olympiacos were using, the lads should've found another way to get through it. There are ways to change your game-playing style without sacrificing your footballing ethos, and we didn't do it.

Of course, the defending was fairly comical as well, especially in the goalkeeping department. Fabianski and Mannone combined to remind us why our current Polish number one is so valuable to us. Who doesn't feel so much more confident with Szczesny in goal than one of these two who played last night? I've always been a big fan of Mannone actually, but he had an off-night in Greece (to put it mildly). To be honest though, I'd rather see Almunia in goal as backup for Szczesny than either of these two. At least he's older and more experienced, even if he is prone to the odd howler.

Elsewhere, Squillaci had a terrible game (which is an all-too-familiar phrase), Arshavin seems dreadfully out of form, and to top off the night we lost Andre Santos to injury. I've actually really like the guy: I think he's been doing a great job at left back. But now being out with the injury he picked up our defence is looking a little thin. Thank goodness Vermaelen can play at left back, although he sure is a lot better at centre back with the stability and calmness he provides back there.

On the bright side, Oxlade-Chamberlain had a great night, as did Benayoun, who's goal was fantastic by the way. It sure was great to see Rosicky back on the field after recovering from injury, and he played really well, didn't he? He was all over the place, chasing down balls, spraying decent passes about, and really directing affairs in the centre of the park. He'll be fighting hard for a place in the first XI , and on the evidence of last night he has the potential to get back in there.

Ultimately though, the match didn't really matter. We all knew it, unfortunately it seems the players knew it (and perhaps played accordingly), and we're through top of the group regardless. It was pretty funny at the end when the news came in that Marseille had won, and nothing Olympiacos had done mattered a bit as far as their qualification. I probably should've felt a bit of sympathy for them considering how well they played.

But we had just lost. I think I can be forgiven for chuckling just a bit.

Overall it was a good outing and gave some important experience to the young players, a good taste of what dirty, hard-fought European endeavours are like. Yes, it's unfortunate that we lost, but it's a match that will surely soon be long forgotten starting with our fixture against Everton this weekend at the Emirates. I'm sure looking forward to it. Till next time,

Fab 4

Comfortable and Confident

Well that was a great win at Wigan over the weekend, wasn't it? The team looked comfortable and confident in a dominating 4-0 victory that just felt amazing. It's been a little while since we looked that comfortable on our way to a win. Surely it'll give the lads some confidence at this really crucial part of the season.

Wigan didn't make it easy to begin with. They bossed the early stages of the game and to be honest I was a bit worried. But that all changed just before the half-hour mark.

Arteta's long-range shot was excellent really, and he got the bit of luck he needed thanks to some poor goalkeeping. But it's just refreshing to see the Arsenal players shooting from long range again. I remember just a few seasons ago when Cesc Fabregas was firing in rockets left right and centre and we were all just thrilled to be able to score in a new, rather breathtaking way. I sure hope the rest of the team latches on to this idea of not being scared to pull the trigger from 20+ yards out: you never know what can happen.

Almost immediately afterwards we were 2-0 up through - after a run of 179 Premier League tries - a goal from a corner kick. It was definitely one from the training ground, which Arsene Wenger recently admitted the team's been working on. And it was none other than our fantastic centre-half Vermaelen who scored the goal. That's two in two weeks for our solid defensive rock. Honestly, when the man's playing we look so much more calm and assured at the back, and I could see him being very much a Martin Keown-type figure for us in the years to come.

The third goal followed an excellent string of passes, and it was about time that Gervinho scored again. Quite honestly I haven't been a fan of Gervinho as a striker. He makes a great attacking winger, stretching the opposing defence and toying with them well, but his finishing has been lacklustre. Hopefully the goal will give him a bit of confidence, and we'll start to see some end product from our summer signing.

Van Persie needed his customary goal, and sure enough it came to make it four. But all credit goes to Theo Walcott, who did excellently to pick his captain out. In previous seasons he likely would've just shot or his pass would've been off-target, but he's grown as a player and one can see it from instances like this when his decision-making and technical skills were sublime.

A word has to be said for Van Persie as well. The way he immediately pointed to Theo, giving all credit to him, the way he ran over and picked him up, and the way he's been complimenting and building up the guy has been world-class. It reminded me of something Thierry Henry would've done, and something that any great leader does: makes those he leads feel good about themselves and builds solid relationships with them. Van Persie is surely the best captain since Thierry, and perhaps since Viera or Adams.

So with that win behind us, the team go to Greece tomorrow to face the local champions Olympiacos. They're definitely a good side, and one that we only narrowly defeated last time. Arsene Wenger has unsurprisingly named a young squad for tomorrow evening, but one that should be able to get the job done, especially considering how valiantly they played against a much more...expensive Manchester City side. I'm expecting a narrow victory tomorrow night, but if not that then certainly a draw. We're good enough to get a result, and as long as the young guns are firing at full strength then we'll have a great chance in Piraeus tomorrow night. 

Till then, here's hoping for another comfortable and confident performance, this time from the Arsenal youngsters,

Fab 4

Still Happy & A Bit Proud

 It was a bit harsh to lose to Manchester City if we're honest, but lose we did. After the draw on Saturday with Fulham and now this, I feel like I should be a bit more concerned or disheartened than I am now. But to be honest, especially after last night, I'm a bit proud of the team.

Saturday against Fulham was a match we all expected we'd sort of cruise through; but Fulham came out with a solid game plan incorporating a compact defence and quick counter attacks and overall it worked. Arsenal were missing that bit of class and creativity I thought. Vermaelen's own goal was unlucky and didn't really reflect his performance, which I thought was impressive. He atoned for his error of course by levelling the score and preventing an embarrassment at home. Overall, we were perhaps a bit tired after a mid-week fight in the Champions League, but we fought back to get a draw whereas in previous months we likely would've lost.

When yesterday came round I was quite honestly hoping for the best and thinking that perhaps we might just be able to snatch a result, but it was always going to be a difficult one. Man City started with a decently strong squad selection, and ours was more like our usual Carling Cup lineup. There was class in our side to be sure, but none of the regulars. I was a bit worried, but nevertheless confident, realising that this would be a massive game for the young guns.

Well sure enough we were the better side. Our passing was more incisive, our defending was frankly superb - I loved the way we hassled and hurried the City players, giving them no time or space in which to work - making it very difficult for the blues to score, and there were some standout players for Arsenal, especially Oxlade-Chamberlain. The boy was fantastic, absolutely everywhere, worked hard, had a few decent shots, and looked very much the part.

Theo Walcott better be in the form of his life in the next dew weeks if he's to keep this lad out of the first team, because he was very impressive.

Our midfield duo of Frimpong and Coquelin were strong and solid, and even our back line of four central defenders did decently. It was a great performance. But in the end, City got the lucky break, and their £359,623,942.23 attacking force applied the finishing touch better than we did. Not the result we deserved.

So we're out of the Carling Cup and we lost a game we could've won. Nevertheless I'm proud of the lads: I didn't really expect too much out of the game, so when our young side went out there and thoroughly impressed as they did against a side which could've possibly dismantled them, it made this gooner a bit less upset about recent results. We're still on good form at the moment, and surely come Saturday we'll be back to the winning ways.

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Fab 4

Song & Van Persie Take Us Through

Fantastic result at the Emirates tonight as Arsenal defeated Dortmund 2-1, which means we're through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. And it was Alex Song and Robin Van Persie who saw us through.

Van Persie had the goals (who else?), but the man-of-the-match for me was Song. Our excellent defensive midfielder put in a world-class performance tonight. One minute he was covering the back four and winning and excellent tackle, and the next he was slithering past defenders with ease and setting up Van Persie to score.

I thought the first goal was superb. Following an outstanding piece of individual talent from Alex Song, he lobbed the ball perfectly-placed onto Van Persie's head and our captain fired home an excellent header. It was the strike of a centre forward really, the header pointed straight for the ground, always the hardest place for a goalkeeper to defend.

The second goal was good as well, with Vermaelen nodding the ball back to find Van Persie again, who finished with aplomb. Dortmund's goal back was unfortunate, and did reflect their excellent first half, but we really deserved the clean sheet as this was a game where we actually played quite well defensively I thought.

Of course, much of the credit for our good defensive display has to go to Alex Song who cleaned up excellently again and again, but really every one of the back four played well. Perhaps Andre Santos ventured forward a little to much, but he tracked back decently. Mertesacker and Vermaelen were excellent.

So overall it was a great performance for the lads tonight. Dortmund did well to try to shut us down with their pressing game, but the team responded with a bit of grit and determination, and as soon as we found ourselves in front the game was never going any other way. This is the kind of performance that's going to take us places this season, especially in the second half.

And I can't say enough about Van Persie. We're still a month away from Christmas and RVP already has 17 goals in all competitions! Shades of Thierry Henry perhaps? Certainly seems so to me. We're fortunate to have Europe's top striker leading us to victory match-after-match, and may it long continue.

The result should give us a bit of confidence and a feeling of strong momentum heading into this Saturday's clash with Fulham at the Emirates. I'm excited: the team's actually performing really well right now. What a turn around from the beginning of the season, eh?

Be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages in your spare time and follow us! Till then, good job Arsenal.

Fab 4

Van Persie's the Man: Norwich Review

In form and on target again, Van Persie's the man right now for Arsenal. It was a nervy 2-1 victory over Norwich City today, but the important thing was that we came away with all three points. And yet again it was our captain, RVP, who was the one who led the charge and inspired the lads to victory this afternoon.

I can't say enough about him; Van Persie is world class and is surely right now one of, if not the best striker in Europe. I only worry what will happen should he get injured. He's becoming very much a Thierry Henry-like figure in the team right now. When the Invinvibles began to leave in the years following the unbeaten run Henry remained, became the captain and was of course always the top goalscorer. But after a while the whole team would rely on him to the point that they almost couldn't play without him. I worry that this might be beginning to happen with Van Persie.

For his second goal Alex Song had a great pass into Gervinho, but (luckily) passed to Robin, who put it away with aplomb. But It capped off what I noticed as a bit of a reliance on Van Persie. Maybe I'm just over-analysing it...after all, who wouldn't pass to the most in-form striker in Europe given the choice?

And thank goodness we have him. He was of course the man of the match for me, and he compensated for the poor defensive performance we put on. Sure, Mertesacker was at fault for the first goal, but his major mistake wasn't the only expression of a poor defense.

We were standing way too far off the Norwich players allowing them all the room in the world sometimes. Koscielny at right back did the best he could, but he looked uncomfortable. Andre Santos I liked; I like how attacking-minded he his and how he gets involved in the attack, but every once in a while it's required for a left-back to defend. Vermaelen was excellent, but he was the only highlight of an overall lacklustre defensive display. I only hope that we can somehow shore up the defense before the Manchester City tie in December. Playing the way we did today we'll get ripped apart by the excellent Man City attack.

Nevertheless the defensive problems are nothing new, and it didn't take too much away from the fact that the lads put in a determined performance today, showing a bit of grit despite the wastefulness at times in front of goal and the poor defending. Van Persie was excellent, our attacks cut through Norwich like butter, and we've got three more points than we did yesterday. It's just one more step towards the top four, and it's now five wins  in a row.

So fantastic win today really. Sure, there are things to be improved again, but I'll take the three points. Two months ago we probably would've dropped points here today, but now the squad seem much more determined and able to mount a challenge for the top few places in the league.

Now it's time to turn our sights to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Till then,

Fab 4