After this short international break, the season comes back with a bang for Arsenal. Next Saturday sees the Gunners host the Premier League holders Man City at the Emirates and then we fly off to Germany for the first Champions League group game with Borussia Dortmund. Now it may be a bit soon, but I would suggest that two defeats in those games would almost ruin the season for us before we even got going.
And the way that Arsenal have been playing so far, two defeats would not really be too much of a surprise, so what do Arsene Wenger and the players need to do different when the club games resume?
The Gunners have already kept three clean sheets from six games, including the Community Shield and were unlucky with that equaliser from Leicester because of the injury to Koscielny, while Everton’s second should not have stood for two reasons, so with all the players up to match sharpness, I am not too worried about the defence.
Where we have been below par so far is on the creative side of things and in finishing those chances that have been created. Hopefully Danny Welbeck will settle quickly and provide a good focal point for the attack. Alexis Sanchez seems to be hitting form and I think he will only get better.
But we need much more from two of our key players, Ramsey and Ozil. The German needs to be playing in the number 10 role and Rambo just needs to get back to what he was doing last season. It seems to me that he is trying too hard to force the issue, maybe because he feels the pressure is on him to repeat his feats of last year.
I don’t think Arsenal are too far away and the fighting qualities and determination have been great, but we need to sharpen up a bit and start clicking. I just hope that it happens sooner rather than later or we could leave ourselves too big a mountain to climb.