Apologies for the lateness of today’s post. The reasons for writing my post this late are best known to Lukas Podolski’s agent, that has refused to tell us want really we want to hear concerning his client.
Like Arsenal’s FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa that was firmly regarded as a game of two halves, Arsenal’s 2011/12 campaign has had different phases with each passing season.
The usually hot Summer had a very cold effect at the Emirates following the exits of Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and $amir Na$ri coupled with that humiliating 8-2 mauling in the hands of Manchester United. Arsenal experienced the exact opposite of “Fall” (Autumn) as Arsene Wenger’s men rose to glory with a series of wins that saw his team amass 22 points from a possible 24.
The Winter lived up to its cold expectations in Europe and Arsenal’s capitulation in January as well as February played a massive role in extending the long-suffering fans wait for silverware.
Spring has come in full bloom and happy times are back again at the Emirates. A 10-point gap from archrivals Tottenham has disappeared with the wind and the successive wins on the trot are very encouraging indeed.
In the wake of Arsenal’s sixth league win on the bounce against Everton, Arsene Wenger has stated that confidence has returned to his team:
“When the team is very confident you see that many players can scoreā.
āI felt that the attitude was always very good from the players and the confidence comes from results. We turned a few results around and that creates belief.ā
Credit must go to Wenger for rallying his troops to put up this recent run of results that has seen the Gunners usurp Tottenham to the last automatic Champions League spot. He was pushed to the limit following those losses in January as well as the quick-fire exits from the Cups but he kept a cool head and spurred on the members of his team to follow suit.
Arsene Wenger hasn’t been the only Gunner on the spotlight recently. I must say that I have run out of superlatives for the performances of Laurent Koscielny in his second season in top flight football.
Bosscielny amassed over 4,000 minutes of club football last season and he has been synonymous with the starting lineup in this campaign. There was even a period where he played as a right back and he was also impressive there.
However, he has suffered the ignominy of two own goals this season but he has also scored in the right end of the pitch with two headers against Fulham and AC Milan.
Kos the Boss has hailed his team’s spirit for its dogged defensive performance against Everton.
A lot has been said about Arsenal’s impressive performance in Goodison Park but Koscielny has reiterated that the entire team played its bit.
Bacary Sagna kept on winning headers from Wojciech Szczesny’s goal kicks while Kieran Gibbs was very confident in his play. There were times when Thomas Vermaelen was faced against two Everton forwards but the Belgian Verminator was in imperious form. Kos was just the Boss.
The French defender also mentioned his captain’s defensive outing from corners and how the team defended and attacked together as a unit. He also stated the need to maintain the consistency and end in the top four.
The rejuvenated Tomas Rosicky has said that Arsenal’s young Guns makes him feel young at heart despite the fact that he’s 31.
“This is still a group of very young players who need to have players they can grow next to.
“For me, it is fun to be with the young guys because they make me feel young as well!”
Rosicky also deserves some plaudits for stepping up his game when he was needed the most and he was justly rewarded with a contract extension.
Rosicky and Arsenal’s season has been turned around after the club suffered its worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign. The Czech ace also revealed that he advised the squad’s youngsters on how to bounce back from adversity.
It’s always good to know that the senior members of the squad can be counted upon to deliver and Robin van Persie has been the epitome of this feat.
Aaron Ramsey played on an unfamiliar wing role and I hope that Rosicky’s influence will rub off on him. Ramsey has revealed that Arsenal’s desire to finish above Tottenham is shining through.
Tottenham have lost four games on the trot and their fans won’t be happy to know that they are visiting Stamford Bridge next, a ground they haven’t won in 22 years.
In other news, Benik Afobe has secured a loan switch to Reading and Thierry Henry flew 5,000 miles to pay a visit to Fabrice Muamba in his hospital.
King Thierry Henry,
You Legend.
Sayonara.
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