We've got to be very happy with that win. Away from home, any win is great, but to score 4 and keep a clean sheet is even better. Before we get carried away though, Wigan were truly awful. Really poor. Apart from a decent opening spell where they were actually playing like a team who needs points, they really provided nothing. I'm not complaining. This straighforward win gives us as many points as the inspiring demolition of Chelsea or the hard-fought win against Sunderland, and if there's one thing that puts me in a good mood, it's points.
Prior to the game I was nervous. I am quite a nervous fan naturally, but I was particularly so considering we were playing against a Wigan team who had scored just 12 goals so far this season and were bottom of a league table containing Blackburn and Wolves. The reason for my anxiety was this: most people had accepted the Fulham draw and the Man City loss. In the former we seemed tired, and the performance was decent enough, in the latter we played excellently and lost to a great counter-attacking goal against an expensively-assembled super-team. However, any sign of a poor result today would have really thrown our momentum, which, as we know, takes a great deal of time to build up and not long to lose. A failure to win at Wigan would have meant a failure to win in our last three games, and the more pessimistic of us would have started to recognise that sinking feeling that we suffered pretty much continually from March to October.
I needn't have worried. As it is, we have now taken 19 of the last 21 points available to us. We've conceded 2 goals in our last 4 league games. Van Persie has now scored more goals this year than the number of times Theo Walcott says 'you know' in the average interview. With Newcastle's loss earlier, we have overtaken them and moved into 5th place. Momentum is maintained.
The actual match itself needn't be dissected in too much detail. For those who didn't see it, apart from the opening quarter of an hour, we were in complete control. Van Persie was fantastic, showing that he can dictate a game as well as just score goals. He really can only be compared with the very best players in the world at the moment. Wonderful to watch, and I for one hope Wenger gets a new contract out over Christmas and asks the Dutchman to name his own price. At any other big club he would be earning more than he is now, so I hope Wenger sees the prudence in spending big in this case.
Arteta also impressed. The opening goal aside (which the keeper would have saved but for a momentary attack of Gomes syndrome), Arteta did what he has been doing all season for Arsenal: linking the play between defence and attack, keeping the ball moving, keeping momentum going. He's not a fancy player, although he does have the talent to be. For Arsenal he plays a different game to what he did for Everton, where his role was more forward-thinking and glamorous. It's hard to put your finger on exactly what he does that makes him so impressive at the moment. I think it's because he does the simple things right almost all of the time. He is coming to symbolise this Arsenal team's habit of performing better than the sum of their parts.
In defence, playing three centre halfs seems to have made us quite solid. Again, this Wigan team was so poor that judging anything against them would be a bigger mistake than hiring Harry Redknapp as your accountant. I do feel, though, that when we get Sagna back we will have a back 5 of quality, experience (Szczesny aside), and discipline, with competition in all areas. Nice to see.
Overall we've got to be very happy with that result. It keeps momentum going that looked liable, after two 'meh' results, to wobble. We're now through our period of obviously 'winnable' games in the league, but looking over the Christmas calendar, there are points for the taking this month. We have now established the basis for a proper assault on fourth and beyond in the next few weeks.
Until tomorrow,
Joe
Follow me on Twitter @joeblogsarsenal
No comments:
Post a Comment