Watford’s 3-0 win over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side yesterday just goes to add to the feeling that absolutely any team can beat anyone else in this League this season. Leicester City are going to top of table at Christmas and Arsene Wenger thinks that this is fantastic for the competition and the fans. He told Arsenal.com: “It inspires everybody,”
“The teams behind by five or six points all think that with a good run they can be there. It is very open, but that’s what is sensational. It is not only a league where you think it’s only Real Madrid or Barcelona [who can win it]. I find it very good and very healthy.
“It happened [before] once in my life, when a friend of mine, [Jean-Claude] Suaudeau was coaching Nantes. He called me at the beginning of the season and asked me to give him on loan one of my players who was not a 100 per cent regular. I said: “I cannot give him to you on loan because I need him.” He said: “You’re unfair because I will go down, they have sold my players and I have nobody left.”
“He won the championship that year with [Patrice] Loko, with [Reynald] Pedros. Thirty-two games unbeaten! Because he had no choice he played all the young players and in the end he won the championship. That’s the first time I’d seen it. Now we have a second [with Leicester].”
But Arsenal are not so far behind the Foxes and a win tonight will leave us just two points behind the leaders. Wenger believes that the Gunners are now showing title-wining aspirations. “What I feel is great team spirit and great unity in the dressing room, and a focus to go forward, that’s for sure,” he said. “After that, we have to answer on the pitch whether we are good enough.
“We have to accept that [having our character questioned is] part of it but we have to give our answer on the pitch week-in week-out and that [criticism] will slowly die.
“It was true for a while because we were a young team and a young team can be up and down. But I believe now we have shown it… what we did at Olympiakos is not a team of no character. You need to be special to achieve that. We won the FA Cup in the last two seasons and you need character to win the FA Cup. Everybody would love to do it every year.
“We are the only team who has beaten Leicester basically, and in a convincing way. The character is down to consistency in life. That’s what I call character. All of us can be for one day in our life exceptional but character is to have a target and maintain your focus on that target. That’s what I call character and that’s what we have to show in the league.”
I will be brave and say that if we hadn’t suffered our usual lengthy injury list we would definitely be on top of the table right now, but every team has a glitch every season and hopefully we will have got ours over and done with. A great run is now needed over the festive period to put the cat amongst the pigeons. If e can go on a winning run while others are dropping points left right and centre we can hopefully create an unassailable lead in the New Year.
That’s all I want for Christmas! It’s not too much to ask for is it?
Onwards and Upwards!
I feel that we’ve got a great chance of winning the league this season, because it’s so open and unpredictable at the moment. But if a team takes control with some real consistency…can we keep up with them? Especially with the injuries and Wenger’s constant refusal to acknowledge this problem in every transfer window.
I would love Mahrez in January, but it would be insane for Leicester to sell him whatever the offer is. Realistically, Wenger will sign no one or one player, and it’ll be a youngster or just a general squad player.
A to Z of Transfer Speculation
Before and during every transfer window,
the gutter press and gutter websites
become bored and, desperately seeking
readers and page views, write a load of crap
linking us to every player under the sun. For
10 years, through our various incarnations,
we have logged every player linked with
Arsenal, starting from 1 calender month
before the transfer window, ending when
the window slams shuts. We limit ourselves
here’s a highlighted List of how much crap is written each window
January 2016
A.
B. Brozovic, Batshuayi, Bender
C. Carvalho
D. Dragowski
E. El Haddadi
F.
G. Grimaldo, Griezmann, Gotze
H. Hernandez
I. Isco, Icardi, Insigne, Ibrahimovic
J. Jovic, Jorginho, Jesus
K. Krychowiak, Kokorin
L. Lavezzi, Linetty, Lookman
M. Mandi, Mahrez, Moura, M’Vila, McArthur
N. Nolito, Neves
O. Osimhen, Oxford
P. Perez, Pato
Q.
R. Rabiot, Rodriguez(James), Rugani, Rodriguez (Jese)
S. Srna, Smalling, Semedo, Stones, Saivet
T.
U.
V.
W. Wanyama
X. Xhaka
Y.
Z.
Can’t help but Laugh…..hahahaha
All the other letters left to describe wenger in transfer winows:
A. Arrogant
F. Fearsome (no signings)
Q. Questionable
T. Tattered
U. Unacceptable
V. Vulture (for cheap deals)
Y. Yawning
Z. Zany (questionable signings)
?? All hoping this one is different
It’s great to have a laugh now, ??
As we all could be crying in our beers at the end of the night,
Even though I am hoping for 3pts and a cleansheet.
Exactly ? if u dont laugh ud cry… hoping qe destroy City tonight. Place needs to be buzzing. COYG
Ozil just came out saying he believes we will win tonight. Everytime he has done this we have lost.
What you want him to say.. “we will try hard tonight though dont think we will beat the all conquering Man City”
He believes we can beat them and Barca
Hahaha
yeah but he is Right! ?
we always lose when one or two of our player’s start blowing their own trumpet! ??
well……. Today marks the end of the “blow the trumpet before the match and Lose” spell ….. L()L
Leicester are doing well on the pitch, but I think off the pitch and on the stands is were their greatest power lies, I won’t say I predicted liecester being top of the table, but I cud tell by the amount of noise their fans make and how they get behind their team, that they will be pretty difficult to beat especially at home. Their fans act like the doctors, constantly feeling the pulse of their team, and when they don’t see signs of life, they make all sorts noise to bring their team back to life. Their match day program leaflets has been modified to instruments of noise making. They practically intimidate opposition.
Arsenal fans have stepped up the noise this season, but I still think there is room for improvement. We need to get behind the team from first whistle to final whistle. Whether we are winning or loosing. Leicester city fans cheer more when their team is loosing(maybe down to the fact that they r just happy to be in the premier League regardless of results) but it works, remember earlier this season Leicester were dubbed the come back kings, coming back from 2-0 deficits to win or draw games.
All Wenger out brigadiers should hush, and get behind the team.
COYG
Sooner than later the almighty leicester will slip-up & Arsenal will have a real chance to go tops…we have beaten them away in their backyard…when they come to the emirates they’ll get another spanking (the kind a disobedient pupil gets from a teacher)…coyg!