After a string of superb performances in the Premier League I looked towards the start of this seasons Champions League with a certain degree of eagerness.  This optimist was swiftly knocked out of me after the Spanish officials gave Montpellier the lead through a penalty 9 minutes in.  It certainly was a penalty, but a ridiculous one to give away as Vermaelen upturned the Montpellier player making a beeline for the corner flag.

A new dawn without you know who…

The rest of the first half was a show of the Arsenal we are gradually becoming used to.  Podolski impressed me the most tonight; he took his goal with class and at times appeared to have the ball tied to his foot.  Cazorla was once again faultless but that hardly comes as a surprise.  Arteta showed off his amazing ability to be kicked repeatedly and get back up.

Whilst watching the game I cast my mind back to the season after we sold Thierry Henry.  The point that pundits kept picking up on was that the team was somehow set free from the shadow of Henry and allowed to flourish.  To me it seems the same thing is happening again this year after Van Persie’s departure.  The team is no longer being forced to play through one man and this has resulted in much more fluid play.

Coming of age

Another player that brought a smile tonight was the young Jenkinson.  He worked tirelessly on the right hand side that led to Gervinho’s goal and meant and his defending obviously proved too much for the French side as most of their attacks came down our left flank.

Olivier’s homecoming

Before tonight, every time I saw Giroud I simply though “Chamakh Chamakh Chamakh”.  But actually, I think this is a harsh assessment.  While it may be true that he has yet to find the net, his movement and passing tonight was exquisite.  His one touch pass into Podolski that led to the first goal summed this up.

Championship winning potential or worrying reality check?

One the one hand, we won the game, and this fact should never be overlooked regardless of the performance.  Three points are three points whatever the story.  Despite this I must protest against the fans that are suggesting our backs against the wall approach was more gutsy than clumsy.

Although Montpellier are French champions, they did not play like French champions.  Their play was much more suggestive of their current league form, 4 points from 5 games.  Of course you have to expect a team to come out fighting in the second half if they’re a goal down, but this attacking phase shouldn’t last for the rest of the game.

Tony Adams summed it up perfectly during his bizarre performance as a pundit for Sky.  He recognised, as did I during the second half, that in order to defend a lead in tough circumstances it requires more than simply containing the opposition, it requires counter attack as well.  Arsenal’s three shots to Montpellier’s 11 highlights our weakness in this department in France.

It’s not just me and Adams that hold this view.  Thomas Vermaelen’s post match interview said it all.  He used the words ‘not great’ on three separate occasions during his brief interview and was evidently unhappy with our inability to keep the ball in the second half.

These feelings of anxiety are increased when we think about the free shot blasted straight at Don Vito, or the late penalty that probably should have been given to the French champions.

In the end I think it is vital that we don’t get too carried away with our good start.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you no doubt will have heard the phrase ‘acid test’ levelled at the upcoming Man City game.  Although this phrase might be over used it’s still true.  I think we should all take Tony Adams very seriously when he says that he is ‘not convinced’.

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