I don’t know if its just me, but there’s something about these international breaks in the course of a season. Time seems to go as fast as Per Mertesacker and the prospect of the interlull is never fun. It’s actually a good thing to see Gunners in action but there’s also an outside chance of the players picking up a knock or two for their nations.
I’m certainly not praying for that though.
The victory against West Ham still leaves a sweet taste in my mouth for more reasons than one. For starters, it was against one of Arsene Wenger’s nemesis, Big Sam Allardyce. The win also allowed Arsenal to keep pace with the leading pack as the Gunners are currently in seventh place, and are also seven points off the mark.
The game also allowed Arsenal fans to actually see Olivier Giroud score a goal because the last time I checked, he scores when no one is watching. As his celebration showcased, Giroud is delighted and relieved to score his first Premier League goal and he has stated that his adventure starts now,
“I’m very happy to have scored and that we won, It was a difficult game against a very good team, who play well at home.
“We were better in the second half and [were able] to play through their lines. I think we finished the game better.
“I feel relieved now. It was very important for me to score in the Premier League, to keep going and start my adventure here with Arsenal.”
I must say that I was very elated when Giroud scored that goal. To crown up a great evening, he also supplied an inch-perfect assist for Theo Walcott, whose finish was a peach of a goal. The Frenchman also believes that Arsenal will play a key role in the title race, and I can understand the angle he’s coming from.
With the Manchester clubs and Chelsea labelled as the favorites for the Premier League this season, Arsenal can be the dark horses and the Gunners will have a chance to move further up the table, as Chelsea faces crunch fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester United pretty soon.
As expected, Theo Walcott is still in the news as well. He has taken his goal tally to four this season and one can only marvel at the composure the winger…wannabe forward had in picking his spot before that brilliant finish against West Ham. He has been pushing hard to play in his favored position this campaign, and finishes like that will certainly give Arsene Wenger something to think about.
The manager is keen on keeping Walcott for the long term, and he had better sort out the Englishman’s future quickly because Italian giants, Juventus, are on the prowl as they have placed the winger in their radar. Arsenal’s gaffer also spoke about his big respect for Walcott’s attitude and character.
Unlike Mathieu the Flanimal, $amir Na$ri and Robin van Judas that acted like bitches when they reached the twilight of their contracts with the club, Walcott has handled the situation in a very matured manner and he has to be commended for it. Skeptics believe that Walcott unveiling that playing as a center forward is the reason why he stalls is a ploy to get more cash, but he hasn’t flirted openly with any other club and the little boy inside him hasn’t said “glory glory united”.
I’ll keep you updated with this Walcott contract situation in the coming weeks.
Wenger also took out some time to talk about his diminutive Spanish magician, Santi Cazorla. The boss declared that Saint Santi makes everyone better and he also compared him with the great Glenn Hoodle as he remained bewildered and perplexed by Cazorla’s ambidexterity. The boss was also quick to douse the flames of those folks comparing Cazorla to Cesc Fabregas.
Cazorla on the other hand has revealed that Robert Pires and compatriot, David Silva, played a role in making his choice to move to the Emirates and he hopes to end the club’s trophy drought by contributing immensely to the team’s cause. In nine games for Arsenal, Saint Santi has scored two goals and supplied two assists. However, he has created the most chances at the club and a considerable chunk of those defense-splitting passes haven’t been converted by the forward line.
Finally, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong, Ignasi Miquel, Francis Coquelin and Andre Santos all started for the Arsenal Under-21 side in the club’s 2-0 win over Reading’s Under-21s. Teenage sensation, Serge Gnabry, and Chuba Akpom scored the goals that put Reading to the sword but the major positives of the game was seeing Mr. Consistency return to action after five months out.
Arsenal opened the scoring when Wilshere found Thomas Eisfeld with a good ball and the young German sent a through ball to his countryman, Gnabry. Gnabry made mince meat out the Reading defender before curling a left-footed shot into the far corner. Wilshere was also heavily involved in the second goal, as it was his corner that was headed home by Akpom.
Even after 14 months out of the game, Wilshere’s creative juices still remained intact. The prospect of seeing him in the same midfield with the Spanish matadors, Cazorla and Mikel Arteta makes me drool faster than a canine that has seen its dinner. Goal.com’s cartoonist, Omar Momani, showed off his creativity with a cartoon depicting Arsenal’s win over West Ham.
With two broken legs in one season, Bacary Sagna deserves to be treated like an egg this campaign and with a player on the rise like Carl Jenkinson deputizing admirably in his absence, Arsenal fans can sleep well at night knowing that the right back position is in safe hands.
Like Wilshere, Sagna needs a run-out of more Under-21 and Reserve games to come up to speed with this gruelling Premier League campaign.
That’s today’s bit but I’ll urge you to check out a couple of good articles I stumbled upon yesterday. Here is the City Sport published two articles giving five reasons why Falcao could sign for Arsenal and five reasons why Falcao won’t sign for Arsenal. While you’re at it, also check out We Are Aresenal Blog’s article on the club’s massive wage bill.
Sayonara.
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