Pradeep Kachhala
There is no better feeling in football than winning consistently. An away win at Norwich, followed by booking our place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League, will be welcomed by all fans of our great club. Are we over reliant on RVP, who scored all the goals in both games? No more than Man Utd were when Ronaldo scored 40 goals per season, Chelsea when Lampard was in his prime or Liverpool when Gerrard inspired them to the Champions League final in 2005. Now, I am not saying that AFC will lift the trophy come May, but the law of averages states that eventually RVP should be fit for at least one full season, and, if he carries on, we should have a great chance of competing for silverware, which eight weeks ago was unthinkable.
Only one British club managed a win in the Champions League this week, while Manchester City struggled and Chelsea seem to be in a similar crisis to ours of just a few months ago. It shows that spending money will not always bring the expected results.
By nature, I am a superstitious Gooner, which is why I am refusing to have any Arsenal players in my Fantasy League side. I am convinced that, if I give into temptation and stick RVP in my side, he will get injured... I would rather lose fake fantasy points than see real life ones dropped in the EPL.
Norwich away, we gifted a goal courtesy of Mertesacker, but let’s not jump on the "he is crap" bandwagon just yet. He needs a full season to adapt to the style of the EPL. I still have faith in the Vermersacker partnership. His form is similar to Koscielny last season, and Koscielny is now one of our most consistent and able performers. Against Dortmund, at right back, he didn't put a foot wrong, and even filled in on the left flank when Santos went on one of his customary ventures forward. Well done, Laurent, and keep it up. Speaking of our Brazilian left-back, I don't think that there is another full-back in the country with the level of ball skill and technique he possesses. If only he had a yard of pace and some positional sense, he would be the complete article. I do despair that, eventually, a manager with half a brain will put a pacy winger against him and possibly find him out, which is why having Walcott or Gervinho in front of him may work for the time being. Imagine if Arshavin and Santos were playing on the same flank.... scary.
Nice to see that Jack Wilshere has made a bet with the Spurs fans – however, I doubt that, when we do finish above them, any Spud will fork out a £1 to charity. Much has been made of Spurs' start. However, with the Twitcher attending to legal matters in the New Year, my crystal ball sees a sharp decline in their fortunes. Oh, and eventually Adebayor will lose interest and court a move to somewhere like Milan....
Frimpong. Anyone else surprised that he hasn't featured more for Arsenal so far this season or is he still a little too raw? Some may even argue that Coquelin looks a better player. Nevertheless, as long as One Song is playing out of his skin (what a dribble on Wednesday night!), neither will get into the side.
Today sees Fulham come to the E******s. In the past, especially under Hughes and Hodgson, they were a tough side that was difficult to break down. Under Jol, it seems they have taken the "handbrake" off, and I feel that they will come wanting to have a go, which will suit our style just fine. Next week, of course, sees the Carling Cup quarter-final against City, and as they will be playing their reserve side, we should expect Nasri to get a start. He will get quite a frosty reception. Either way, I wouldn't risk our best players for the game, but I am sure Wenger will play a stronger side than usual. So perhaps the likes of Diaby and Benayoun, along with Arshavin and Oxlade Chamberlain, will line up alongside each other. It is a great chance, not only to claim the scalp of the blue side of Manchester, but also to have a chance of going one step closer to banishing the demon of last season which was the Carling Cup final. And, to say the least, a win will maintain momentum and confidence.
