In football, confidence is such a fragile thing. If you’re losing games, confidence gets really low and things go pretty much downhill for everyone connected with the club. Losing to Dynamo Zagreb was considered as a blip but the events at Stamford Bridge left a sour taste in the mouths of the manager, players and the fans. There was a unanimous feeling that the game would have been better if Gabriel wasn’t wrongfully sent off and of course, there was the disappointment in seeing Diego Costa remain on the pitch before he eventually got substituted.
After the bad result of results, the North London Derby against Tottenham at their home ground seemed daunting but if there’s anything I’ve learned about English football, it’s that with derbies, form is thrown out of the window and you witness passion and pride take center stage. That’s how a certain forgotten individual, Mathieu Flamini, that has had his fair share of North London Derbies in his Arsenal career took the game by the scruff of its neck, etching his name into derby history with his virtuoso performance.
Following the victory over Tottenham, there was a renewed sense of optimism when the Gunners visited the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester. Claudio Ranieri’s side has been one of the bright lights of the season and the team is renowned for their attacking football, and it was no surprise that they had recorded three wins and three draws in their first six games. Going into the game against Arsenal, Leicester was the only unbeaten side in the league but after 90 minutes of wonderful football, Arsenal emerged as 5-2 winners.
Arsene Wenger described the game as his team’s best display yet,
“Certainly it was the most convincing [display of the season] going forward, yes. “It was a tricky game because Leicester hadn’t lost, and I was a bit concerned because we did not want to lose ground on the other teams – so it was a big win for us.
“I am pleased with [the strikers’] games. Giroud is sharp in training and in the matches as well, I think he played well at Tottenham.
“Walcott is improving game after game, he holds the ball better up front, his movement is great and both of them scored, which is what you want.
“I believe [Alexis] wasn’t back to his best after the Copa America, it took him a while to get his competitive edge and now he has played well again and he is back to his level.”
I vividly remember how unhappy the fans were with the club’s refusal to sign a striker in the transfer window. The goals were hard to come by and the forwards were putting up underwhelming performances. However, it was a breath of fresh air seeing Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and of course, Alexis Sanchez get into the scoring charts and that could spur them on to do even better as the season progresses.
After the Champions League clash with Olympiakos tomorrow, the Gunners have six games in October against Manchester United, Watford, Bayern Munich, Everton, Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea. I’d expect the lads to at least five of the seven aforementioned teams, but these games aren’t won on paper.
Wenger says that the team is getting back to its level. I totally agree with him.
Sayonara.
Download the Gooner Daily BlackBerry App to receive notifications on your Smart Phone when a post is published.
Follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back
Visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page.
Click on the “Follow button” to join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List.
Leave a Reply