The match against West Brom had a lot of positives. Nicklas Bendtner had a great double which once again reaffirms his potential of becoming a great player to all his naysayers. The West Brom goal was our wall’s fault, which is frustrating as we lost the second Manchester match off a free kick that was not protected by our wall. Arshavin’s great cross aiding Toure’s goal was outstanding.
Arshavin playing 90 minutes and looking even less tired than he looked in the match against Fulham, let alone Sunderland, is reassuring that he has the mental capacity to break his body into the EPL quickly. Arshavin’s inclusion in the starting eleven allowed us to keep Van Persie out of it and thus keeping him from exhaust and possible injury for the FA Cup match this weekend, and more importantly, the Champions league tie against Roma. Arshavin’s role this season is to help us get into the top 4 and our fight for the FA Cup. So far, his performances have been outstanding, creating opportunites for himself by his extraordinary dribbling skills, nearly scoring with accurate, powerful shots while creating opportunities for his teammates with accurate passes and incredible vision that reminds of when Cesc was on the pitch (!!).
The most important part of Tuesday’s match was the breaking of the chains that kept us from scoring. Breaking the mental block of not being able to score and going ahead and, well, score, is critical.
Today, Manchester City gifted Arsenal by beating Aston Villa without Robinho and Bellamy. If Barcelona can dramatically drop 8 points in La Liga, Villa can easily drop enough points to let Arsenal back in the Top 4. Although most of the squad and Wenger say the pressure is on Aston Villa, it is clear we need to get ourself into the top four. We need to take the goalless draws as warnings, and begin winning matches consistently.
Arsenal sits only three points beneath Aston Villa and hope is more “reasonable” and “realistic” again. Talks were beginning again that Wenger has “lost the plot” and other premature talks of Arsenal’s greatness being tapped out. ETC ETC ETC.
Arsenal will be in the Champions League next year…. Trust in Arsene.
