Pradeep Kachhala
Keep on climbing; keep the faith. Three wins in a week, and - slowly but surely - some semblance of normality is returning. Wins away at Marseille and at home against Stoke may go some way to support my belief that the team is returning to more pragmatic roots, putting aside the extremely entertaining but fruitless football that promised so much, but delivered nothing over the last four years. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that we have moved on completely. Issues and concerns still exist, such as our vulnerability on set-pieces and our habit of allowing teams back into games for 20-minute spells. In the long term, these will need to be addressed. However the 1-6 pasting that Man Utd took at Old Trafford highlights how even the best teams can be brought down to earth swiftly.
Bolton at home was evidence once more that some character is being restored. Had the club played that game six weeks ago, we might have lacked the cojones to come out with a win, especially with such a patched-up side playing. The big news was not Park's well-taken goal or shoots of a recovery in form for Arshavin, but the return of the Verminator. After 85 minutes, I feared that he had come off with an injury setback, yet I was chuffed to hear on the pravda today that he is raring to go for the Chelsea game on Saturday. As much as Koscielny has improved, I would have to let him make way in the middle for the "Vermersacker" relationship to develop. Koscielny in the meantime can compete with Djourou and Karl Pilkington for the right-back slot.
Are we a one-man or should I say "one van" show? (I probably cribbed that subliminally from a tabloid headline). Frankly, do we care? We have always had a big reliance on star strikers, from Ian Wright to Bergkamp and then Thierry Henry. As I have stated before, we need to break the bank to ensure that we keep him and, reading between the lines, I believe that Wenger would happily pay him the market rate. On current form, he is worth every penny. My only concern is the lack of a back-up. Joel Campbell and Afobe are unproven, while I cannot see Walcott as a central striker in a 4-3-3. In my opinion, Chamakh has until Christmas to return to somewhere near his initial promise, or I would urge the boss to venture into the market in January. In the meantime, Park looks like getting his chance.
Gervinho continues to show the directness that had been lacking in the past. While he lacks the technique of Nasri before him, his pace and trickery, along with his understanding with RVP, is a huge plus point. His assists alone surpass Nasri's stats of last season. My only regret is that in January he flies off to the African Nations Cup. However, Wenger has hinted that the OX will play a lot more after Christmas. It seems as though he is being developed slowly and not overused, with a view to unleashing him after Christmas to replace Dan Dare's arch enemy. On a positive note, Song's Cameroon did not qualify.
One point from a possible twelve away from home is the next problematic point. Granted that two of those three losses have been at White Hart Lane and Old Trafford, if we are to finish at least in the top four, then we must start to pick up points on our travels, starting at Stamford Bridge on early Saturday afternoon. Historically, we have always struggled, mainly thanks to Drogba, who very helpfully has got himself suspended for the game. However, with RVP in red-hot form, we have more than a chance. I would take a draw but am not convinced by AVB's new-look Chelsea, which has more of an open attacking feel than Chelsea teams of the past. This may be to their detriment and will hopefully suit our style of play.
Following that is Marseille at home, and a chance to wrap up qualification for the next stage. I would rather win the group than face some of the big guns who are all going strong, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern. Not that we will win the competition entirely, but I always feel that our season peters out once we go out of the Champions League, so the longer we are in the better.
