Well as international breaks go, Arsenal fans, that latest one was about as good as we have had in some time. No more injury problems for Arsenal, while Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Joel Campbell, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Serge Gnabry and Chuba Akpom all found the back of the net for their respective national sides.
Add to that the fact that a couple of our big rivals, Man City and Bayern Munich, have lost key players in David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Mario Gotze due to injury, and you can dertainly say that luck has been on the side of Arsenal over the last week or so.
It is about time too, as Arsene Wenger has been plagued with bad luck for so long it has started to feel like a curse. The thing is though, we really need this luck to carry on, at least until January. The manager´s decision not to sign any outfield players this summer, or his failure to find the ones he wanted, has left the Gunners with a strong side but vulnerable to losing a key player or two.
But we are really starting to motor and if the likes of Coquelin, Koscielny, Ozil, Walcott, Alexis, Cazorla and all can stay fit and free from injury, then I believe we have a fantastic chance of becoming champions of England again. The big question is, will our luck hold or will Arsenal pay for not adding players in the transfer window?
#wengerout!! Win, loose or draw
Seems 50/50 at the moment :-l
Arsenal need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes along.
1. For example, Arsenal have already faced many top teams so far – Chelsea, ManU, LPool, – even Wham and Leicester are near the top
Arsenal thus have a relatively easier schedule now and need to take full advantage. That will propel them forward in the title race.
2. Wenger needs to take advantage of In-Form players by using them even if it means resting some of his favorites from time to time.
Just some examples – the rest is left to time and destiny.
I agreed with everything you said until the ‘favourites’ comment…
The players that a lot of fans seem to associate with that term changes by the match! Early on in the season Theo was one of these ‘favourites,’ neglecting the fact that he’d spent the better part of a year on the sidelines and was going to take a while to get back to his best… A few games later, with a few goals and assists to his name he seems the unanimous choice for leading our line and the calls of ‘not a striker’ seem to have quietened down..
Fans often seem to judge a ‘Wenger favourite’ when they think another player is better suited to a position. i.e. Ramsey ‘on the wing’ (how people can’t see the role he plays is pretty far from a winger is beyond me) when they think Ox is better suited, despite his lapses in concentration which has cost us goals and continued with his game for England.
I do understand your point… Though we have a heavily congested period coming up. Rotation is extremely important, not only now, but for later in the season. Alexis has been involved in 5 games this fortnight, with a 6th this weekend. He showed signs of fatigue in January last year, I’m just using one player as an example, but the bigger picture needs to be thought of as well.
Finally someone who agrees that Ramsey is our best option even at RM
He brings much more to the game (vision, pretty good defensively, high work-work rate ect.) sure he needs to get his shooting boots fixed but after scoring for Wales I think only good things from him are on the horizon
Yep, agreed. People look so heavily at the individual, but often neglect the teams main goals.
Wenger’s current tactic seems to draw it’s most strength from heavy pressure, quick transition, fast ball movement, overloads and unpredictability. He adds to nearly all those team traits, aside from my one criticism of sometimes dwelling on the ball and taking a few too many touches. He has seemed more incisive in recent weeks though.
I love Ox, and think he will grow into an amazing player. But his performances have been off the mark so far and haven’t warranted a first-team place.
And sorry, not only against fatigue…
He supposedly has a niggling problem. So if Wenger rests him he’ll be the bad guy, but what if he plays him and he picks up a bigger problem?? There will be a massive, massive outcry..
Josh – Excellant analysis about the favorites. You have put it very well. Fans just seem to ignore that we lost all 3 games where Ox started on the wings. You wait until we lose a game and all these armchair managers would come out with the old s**t of “Ramsey should be played through the middle”, “Theo is not a striker”. They did the same when Cech was rested for Ospina.
thank u for that Ramsey point….am tired of fans selecting textbook teams rather than watching ao arsenal really play. chamberlain has alot to improve on….he doesn’t run behind d defenders…he dribbles alot….he can’t pass and d worse thing he loses possession anywhere he wants…Ramsey at right wing is by far a better option….just look at his involvement in a 1st and last goal against man utd.
If i was wenger I would keep playing at these players like he did after the olympiacos fiasco. It wasn’t luck that turned it around but his wrath. I saw an entire team pressing, sliding for tackles and bullying people off the ball which is how they should be playing ever damn game. We’re basically out of the champions league because there’s no way we’re going to beat Bayern so let’s just forget about that competition and concentrate on the league. We have everton after bayern so why field a strong team against bayern when we have the league to focus on?
Press press press and we can win this league, Chelsea is garbage, utd is garbage and city is suffering way too many injuries. I still think we should get a DM in January and possibly a loan ST to win this league.
ehhhh… I wouldn’t say ‘no way.’ A few seasons back we were a lot weaker than we are now and gave them a big scare with a lot more on the line (0-2).
We’d have to play extremely close to our best, but it’s possible.
True Josh. It is highly probable that we would win 3 of the 4 matches and qualify for the R16, though i really dont want that to happen coz we all know winning CL would be difficult. So hoping we dont qualify for CL/EL and concentrate solely on the 3 domestic competetions. Why not go for the domestic treble? We know this team can win them. A couple/single realistic signings in Jan and we can definitely win the domestic treble.
No way if we manage to get to the last 16 in 2nd place den why not? I want to keep going in the champions league we shouldve won our 1st 2games but it is the way it is and we have to beat Bayern at least once, hopefuly at home next week! Beat Watford then Bayern and Arsenal could turn this season right around. Not an easy task but give it our all and we willreap the rewards… COYG
yes i would want us to win the domestic treble instead of being in the knockout stages of the champs league (cause honestly we are a few players away from being a true champs league contender)… but my fear is that we might end up 3rd and being weighed down by the europa league
Best news for the day, mourinho handed £50,000 fine and stadium ban by FA for comments made after the loss to southhampton! The fella just keeps on shooting himself in the foot!
Alexis scored another 2 goals yesterday 🙂
Please Arsene, do everything you can to keep him.