Can Arsenal keep the focus to get to that second spot? by KM
Good day to all of you ladies and gents! Arsenal v Swanswea tonight. It’s one we have to win and I’d like to give Swansea a good beating, because they make us suffer in South Wales. Time for us to give them a good top level mauling. Will it happen? I don’t think so. They are a solid team, a real unit. They lost their best striker in Bony but their style and threat remain untouched.
So if we get 10 points off our last 4 games we’ll finish above City for the first time since they made it into the top 4. We’ll be second. That’s not exactly where every fan dreams to be but it’s progress. In this league there are a few big jumps you could make. The major one is to get to the top 4 which is done, then comes 3rd place where you don’t play extra qualification games, then comes second that leaves you with just one more step to make.
Second place will be like getting to the final boss. It doesn’t mean beating him, but puts you in a position where you can at least encounter him. We’ll be left with the final step of the journey to make. It will be a call to the players that with one strong half we can get to second – maybe if we play good the whole season we’ll be champs?
I hope we keep the focus tonight and in the final three games as well. We have the quality to beat those teams and if we get 10 points we will reach 80 points. The last 4 seasons we finished within the 70s of points. But the champions have been in the 80+ region. This is a big psychological step to make. It’ll be a sign that we can get into those points that could potentially get you the title.
The United away game will be the pivotal one, provided of course we do take our home games, which will be a real shame if we don’t. On paper, we’re the better side. We play better football than them, but that’s been the case for a while and still we have a terrible record there. One FA cup win doesn’t convince me that it’s enough to banish a lot of defeats there from the players and managers head.
Now’s a good moment to bring in some fresh faces that don’t have the syndrome we do against United and put a psychological problem in their heads when they play us. They are rebuilding an empire that Ferguson build on fast wingers and heavy Centre-Forward, playing ugly football based on results. With them it’s all about the results. LVG qualified United for the CL, that’s the whole difference between Moyes and him.
Although points wise and performance wise it’s not too different. United will never speak about stadium moves, financial fair play, restricted money, top 4 finishes. It’s all about success. Arsenal will never copy that under Wenger with Stan Kroenke as owner. United already bought Depay and will spend huge again. They’ll do whatever it takes to get back to success.
I just wish here at Arsenal we’d have the same desire to be successful, but it is what it is. Final thought from me is about the worrying future of the English lads we have at the squad. I really don’t care what country our players are from as long as they perform, but at the moment there aren’t many of our English lads I’d put in the starting X1.
I’d maybe take The OX if he ever gets fit for an entire season, but apart from him, the rest need to pick it up. I’d choose Monreal over Gibbs any day if i need a solid left back. Walcott still has the pace to impact a game but he won’t work in defence and just when you thought his finishing is good enough, he gets injured. And last but not least, Welbeck, who you’d feel is not entirely a Wenger signing. After all Wenger started 3 seasons in a row with just one striker, why would he change that ?
I think Welbeck was a business of Ivan, who served him up to Arsene, but anyway he has all the raw ingredients to be a great player, it’s just that he’s so used to playing on the wing i think when he’s put in the middle he doesn’t put enough presence in the box. I still think we could do with another striker (Jackson Martinez anyone?).
Anyway, that’s me done for today. Wish you a happy Arsenal day with a good win over the Swans!
Konstantin Mitov