Is it going to be our year in the Europa League? Never say never!
After another solid winning performance from our boys last night at Molde and yet another goal rout in the Europa League to shout about, the boys were all smiles after the final whistle and so they should be.
Although whether we carry the goals and Europa League form into the Premier League only time will tell.
It was another convincing performance both defensively and attacking wise for our boys on yet another Thursday night in Europe. A 3-0 win on a cold night in Norway saw another goal from Pepe added to by a second from Nelson, and a debut goal for youngster Folarin Balogun with only his second touch of the game after being on the pitch for just 60 seconds.
People will say it was only Molde and Arsenal should have won anyway, but we know too well that we should never underestimate any team, especially with how inconsistent our boys have been so far this season!
It was an impressive game full of intensity and chances which we know they are capable of, and Pepe was a standout player on the night which wasn’t very surprising given that he seems to shine in the Europa League as he has done so far this season. He also partly made up for his sending off in the last game. But there is no doubt he still has a lot of work to do and a lot more to learn to even to get to the top level that we are used to with our players!
Runarsson should also get a shout out, as although he had some shaky moments he was tested more against Molde and he came through it unscathed, so maybe all is not lost after Martinez left and Alex can really be a good back up keeper if not the number one!
Although another strong Europa League win and performance was nice and helps us reach the last 32 with two games to spare, it will mean nothing if we do not go on to win the competition that will help us get back into the Champions League. There is a lot of work for the team to do but a win is a win and we move forward and hopefully we will have a trophy to show off after all our work so far!
But the issues we are facing are not about the Europa League it is about the Premier League, where we cannot seem to find the back of the net. So again, here’s hoping that they can take this performance into the weekend’s game against Wolves and start turning those chances into goals in the league too.
Gooners?
Shenel Osman