With six games gone in the Premier League Arsenal sit outside the top four on nine points, but there is still reason to be positive.
Three clean sheets shows the defence is improving, although we need to do this on a more consistent basis. New signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla are settling in well and Gervinho looks like a completely new player with several much improved performances.
Up until the home game against Chelsea on September 29, I was relatively pleased with our season to date. Starting the season with two goalless draws against Sunderland and Stoke isn't ideal, but showed a huge improvement in our defensive organisation. A much better display followed against Liverpool as we kept another clean sheet and comfortably won 2-0 at Anfield.
An emphatic 6-1 win over Southampton gave Arsenal fans even more encouragement, especially with Gervinho netting twice and looking a much better player than the one that appeared to go missing for a lot of last season.
We began our Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory at Montpellier without really hitting top gear. It was a good sign to see us able to pick up maximum points despite not being at our best. A point at champions Manchester City showed we are more than capable of coping against the other top sides in the division.
An easy 6-1 win over Coventry in the League Cup continued our positive start to the season and I felt quietly confident going into the game against Chelsea. With both sides unbeaten it was always going to be a tough game, but Chelsea were the better side for much of the first half and deservedly took the lead.
But, after Gervinho’s equaliser, we took control and didn’t want the half to end and looked like we were going to run away with it. Juan Mata’s free kick before the hour mark was poorly defended and frustratingly put Chelsea ahead.
We managed to force mistakes from Chelsea and get the ball into decent spaces but, frustratingly, we failed to do enough with it and didn’t manage to steal a point. Olivier Giroud’s late chance was possibly at a difficult angle, but this isn’t the only time he has left Gunners’ fans frustrated. People will be saying Robin Van Persie would have scored had he still been at the club. That could be the case as I feel Podolski would also have netted had he still been on the pitch. Giroud is still a work in progress and will gain confidence once he scores a few more goals, but these misses are going to pile more pressure on him.
Chelsea more than deserved the win but I don’t think they were as good as some people made it sound like they were. Roberto Di Matteo’s men were on top for large spells but it wasn’t the most solid display for them. Chelsea made mistakes too and we exposed them on a few occasions. Chelsea did the most important thing and got the result and that is something we need to improve on.
For all our exciting football and improving defensive abilities, we have to learn how to grind out results when things aren’t going your way. We need to find resolve from somewhere to get back into some of our games. I think when Jack Wilshere returns to first team action from his long-term injury it will make a huge difference.
Our next three league games against West Ham, Norwich and QPR will be a huge test of our credentials. If we can pick up seven to nine points from those games, it will boost confidence and show that we can bounce back from defeat and compete near the top.
But, should we drop more than two points from those games, it could end up being another season of simply challenging for Champions League qualification, which isn’t enough. I am hopeful the Chelsea game was merely a blip and we can bounce back and end our trophy drought in one of the competitions this year.
Manchester United’s home defeat to Tottenham and some of Manchester City’s under-par displays shows how tough the competition is in the Premier League this season. Whoever wins the title this year may drop more points than in previous years. But one thing is for sure, it’s going to be an exciting race for the title.
Many people will have written us out of the title race completely and, looking at evidence from previous years, you can possibly understand where some of them are coming from. But I honestly believe we are showing very positive signs and adapting our game well in the post Van Persie era. Gervinho looks totally revitalised and Abou Diaby, up until his injury against Chelsea, put in some excellent displays. It isn’t just about Van Persie now, it is about the whole unit and on the whole they are working together well.
So are we going to do better than last year’s third place finish? Yes
Can we seriously challenge for the title? Yes
But a lot of this will depend on injuries and how we cope with them. I think our starting XI is strong enough but we do not have the depth of some of the other sides. If we can bounce back from the Chelsea defeat quickly and avoid having many big injuries this could be a big year for us.
It is a big if, but it is doable, so let’s get behind the players and will them on to silverware....you just never know what might happen!
