Okay so what are the anti Arsenal brigade in the football media going to accuse the Gunners of now? For years it was the lack of a trophy, as they blithely and ignorantly ignored the fact that Arsene Wenger had no money but was still managing to beat big spending clubs around us to the Champions League places.
And for years it was the accusation that we had a soft centre because we did not play like Stoke. Arsenal have in recent years gained a reputation for not turning up in big games and then as soon as we put that right it was the opposite, that Arsenal failed when we were expected to roll teams over.
So it is no wonder that the boss was delighted after Arsenal passed a triple test of our trophy credentials last week. First we performed under the pressure of a nightmare November to grind out a win over Sunderland and then we put our previous record away to Olympiacos firmly to one side when our backs were to the Champions League wall and we followed that by showing great professionalism to get the job done away to Aston Villa.
Wenger said to Arsenal Player, “I’m very proud and happy of the spirit we show. That’s what people want to see. There’s a strength and togetherness coming out of the team that people feel and that’s the biggest satisfaction. It’s the best basis to make results.
“It was a convincing performance overall. In the first half we dominated the situation very well and got two goals. In the second half it was a bit more difficult physically because we gave a lot on Wednesday night and you could see that the legs were a bit tired.
“But overall we have shown maturity, didn’t give a goal away and came home with what I believe was a convincing win. It’s a great week – Sunderland, Olympiacos and today. We’ve scored eight goals and I think it was a fantastic week. I would like to give credit to the team for their mental approach to the games. It’s absolutely fantastic.”
I get the feeling that Wenger and the players will believe they can achieve anything after last week. Are they right?