Well it is so far so good for Arsenal in this new year of 2019. Mind you, it has only been one game so far, but hopefully today’s FA cup 3rd round clash with Blackpool, now in League one after their recent rise to the Premier League, will make it two from two for the Gunners. What we really need is to make this year a fresh start and go on the sort of run that Manchester United have made since the sacking of our old friend Jose Mourinho.
I do not expect, or even wish for, Arsenal to do the same as the Old Trafford club and get a new manager in. I do hope that the manager and players can grasp this natural opportunity to get a new frame of mind in place at the club and start a fresh chapter in our great club’s history. Let’s be honest, we need to after the painful way that Arsenal drew the curtain on 2018.
That run of five games included just a single victory over an out of form Burnley, a north London derby loss that denied us a chance at a trophy and ended with a heavy and humiliating loss at Liverpool. The best way to come back from this, however, is to put in the sort of performance we saw from Man City this week after their own bad run.
Arsenal can do it as well. Get Koscielny running the defensive side of things well again and get our undoubtedly talented players like Ozil, Ramsey and all taking games by the scruff of the neck and providing the ammunition for the likes of Aubameyang and Lacazette to fire,and the Gunners can start blasting teams aside.
The second half of the season is huge for the players but much bigger for Emery. He needs to get these players working together and showing a real improvement on the Arsenal of recent years under Wenger. Today’s cup tie against Blackpool is the perfect opportunity to carry on from the big win over Fulham. After that, will we see the Gunners firing on all cylinders again?
Bob.