It was not too long ago that Arsenal were doing a lot of things right and still not getting the points we thought that deserved. Arsene Wenger suggested that his team were very close to clicking and although bad luck was a big factor, a few tweaks to the balance of our play was all that was needed for the results to start flowing.
That balance has certainly shifted a bit more towards caution and solidity in defence since then, with three clean sheets in a row testament to that. Arsenal have not been quite so dangerous at the other end, but we have still scored in every one of our last 10 games, since the trip to Stamford Bridge when we should have had a penalty.
So it appears that the players are confident that we will score and so can be more patient and make sure that we do not make any mistakes and give away soft goals at the other end. And for our only fit defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini, that is the perfect way for the Gunners to approach games and should be the blueprint for the rest of the season. Also, for those that see the Frenchman as just a spoiler, a Metro report may surprise you as it shows him to be the most accurate passer in the Premier League. Who would have thought?
Flamini told Arsenal Player, “It was a great game – a perfect game I would say because we played very well, we were very strong at the back and at the same time we had a lot of quality up front.
“It was a true Premier League game where we were fighting on every ball. Every challenge was important.
“What a performance by the team, what spirit, and I am very happy for everyone at the club because we have been working very hard until now and we didn’t win a few games that we were supposed to win.
“[This time] we were 200 per cent in the game, fighting for every ball and it made the difference in the end. I’m really proud of the guys.”
With a game against Liverpool coming up soon, at Anfield which was the scene of one of our away day disasters last season, the new balance in the Arsenal team should get a real test and if we can pass that, maybe Wenger really has found the formula that can prove our critics wrong. Do you think he has?