A couple of nice comments out of Arsene Wenger before today's crucial match with West Brom. Wins are important right now, there's no sense rehashing all of that. It's imperative that we get one and start closing this gap on Villa. Speaking of, Arsene had this to say at the Club site ... "The draw was a very big surprise for me," he told Arsenal TV Online. "I think that Villa have lost a big opportunity to put us eight points behind and we want to take advantage of that. There is more pressure on Villa, on us and everybody. Maybe not only Villa are catchable. We have to put performances in to make us come back as quickly as possible. It is down to our consistency, I have said that many times. The problem is that in our environment the present situation is definite but life is movement and football moves quicker than life. Being in the top four every season gives me the desire to do absolutely everything to be in the top four this time."
Very much in line with what I've been thinking there. He's looking primarily at the league table and the points necessary to get that spot, and if he has to manage his tactics more radically to nick even the single point he'll do it.
Next up are some thoughts for Andrei Arshavin. I've thought, in watching his first two matches, that's he's playing a level ahead of some of the others - mostly Bendtner. He's at a higher football fluency. Again, comments from the Club site that are in line with those thoughts ...
"We work on that (adapting to his style of play, quick-thinking and getting the rest of the team up to speed with his wavelength) to adjust our combinational level together," said the manager. "That is as well down to intelligence. Arshavin has a quick brain and he is many steps ahead of the game and even on Saturday he gave two great chance to Robin; one header and one that Robin tried to finish with his (chocolate leg) - two great passes. He had two great chances himself too. When you can have that kind of impact on a game it is very positive."
No doubt we'll see more from Andrei as his legs reach match fitness, he's up to speed with the Premier League, and his teammates know just how to react and work with him. For the time being, however, I still expect Arsene's lockdown (if you follow hockey, a good allusion would be Scotty Bowman's left-wing lock system in Detroit a number of years back) to stifle our chances and play from a position of safety.
Enjoy the game, here's to a massive three points against the Baggies.
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This comment isn't really relevant to the great post Colin wrote about, in which I do agree that Arshavin looked very good against Fulham, maybe too good for some gunners, but i was just wondering if Jim offed himself because of recent Liverpool form?
Jim are you alive? Liverpool did get a precious away goal at Real Madrid....
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