If anyone feels slightly warm while reading this article, that’s just the delicious post-win glow.
It’s always nice to win, it’s nicer to keep a clean sheet, it’s even nicer to win away, and it’s especially nice to beat a team often touted as an up-and-coming successor to your style of football.
That’s post-win-glow to the power of four, with another couple of indices coming from the scorers of the goals today.
Continuity
With the exception of Nacho Monreal coming in for Kieran Gibbs, Arsenal named the same backline that did so well against Munich, with the same result.
Carl Jenkinson, bar an early blunder, dealt superbly with Pablo Hernandez, while Laurent Koscielny showed exactly why he’s been brought in ahead of Thomas Vermaelen, chasing down the ball, recovering brilliantly and keeping Michu so thoroughly occupied I’m starting to wonder if he’ll be able to recover in time for Swansea’s next game.
It was good to see that the decision to drop Vermaelen and Sczcezsny wasn’t just a one-off and was a major call by Wenger. It’s one that’s paid off superbly so far, with Fabianski looking like a new man and Koscielny a massive improvement over the disinterested Belgian.
Irritatingly, there’s an international break coming up, which is often a problem for Arsenal, with both injuries and a loss of momentum a serious risk.
However, using this performance as a benchmark would set us in good stead for the rest of the season. Defending well gives a benchmark for the attack to improve, and Santi Cazorla is starting to come into sparkling form just in time for next season. With Lukas Podolski due back a much-needed clinical edge returns, and even Gervinho’s looking lively at the moment.
Theo? Theo-no...
I’m starting to think Theo Walcott needs to be dropped from the starting line-up. I’m even wondering if Arsenal should consider offloading him.
Ever since he signed his new contract, he’s scored twice, and offered very little. Unless he’s played through he offers nothing to the team, and he has the least fight out of any player in the squad. Whenever he loses the ball, there is no effort to win it back, and he’s very weak.
100k a week is a reasonable wage for the likes of Chelsea to cover, and with 3 years left on his contract Arsenal can expect at least £15m for him. Unless he sorts himself out, Arsenal won’t miss him much. He could just be out of form, but the trend is worrying.
Jovetic talk heats up
To conclude, the Daily Mail have linked us again with Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic. Regarded as the next Robin Van Persie, the Montenegrin has been excellent this season, though since the January transfer window he’s looked a tad distracted. He’s quoted as saying he’ll “wait until June” before thinking about his future.
One does wonder if his head has been turned, as Arsenal attempted to sign him in the winter window only to be rebuffed. The speculation will go on and on, but there is definite smoke to this story. Whether it’s tasty barbeque smoke or horrible lung-cancer smoke remains to be seen.
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