Corey Kenny
With Man Utd faltering against a surprisingly fast-starting Everton side, superbly led by their 6 foot 4 inch talisman (need I say the name?), Man City showed tremendous spirit and fight to again fight back from a 2-1 deficit against much inferior opposition on a Sunday afternoon. They did it the hard way but, according to pundits, that is what makes champions. Chelsea performed an identical feat against a remarkably impressive Reading side, and I don’t even think that outfit Newcastle beat deserve a sentence.
Arsenal were solid at the back, albeit against a parked Sunderland bus. However, we lacked that cutting edge upfront in the final third. Podolski received next to no service in and around the 18-yard box, despite his constant off-the-ball running. However, there were two brilliant performers, one obvious, one some may dispute.
Santi Cazorla was exceptional, his touch, his dribbling, his passing, a real modern-day Spaniard. At 5 foot 6 inches, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the pitch. He created six chances, the most of any player in the Premier League, and if it wasn’t for a superb save and a poor finish, he would’ve stamped his first goal and assist on his record.
For me, the other star player was Yao Kouassi, better known as Gervinho. He had the beating of his full-back every time the ball was with him and was the only player who was anywhere near as imaginative as the creative Cazorla. Gervinho received a shed-load of criticism from the Arsenal faithful last year, and when I watched this at the pub despite him putting in a real 7/8 out of 10 performance, the pub’s consensus was still that he was…let’s just say ineffective, for any young reader’s sakes. Not to forget that Diaby played 90 whole minutes.
We travel two and a half hours to the notoriously solid Britannia Stadium. If ever there has been more hatred between a Welshman and a Frenchman, somebody please let me know. Ever since Tony Pulis brought rugby into football, his side have been one that nobody wants to play. Arsenal have always struggled in this tie, and I don’t see it being any different this time. I’d love to sit here and say we will win by two goals, job done. But sadly, I’d settle for a draw right now if you offered it to me.
However, these are the games when real sides step up, take their stand and deliver in a brutal battle for a 1-0 win. "1-0 to the Arsenal" would be a sweet tune for the travelling supporters to sing. The likes of Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla need to grab hold of that midfield and conduct the play, and the back four need to stand strong, be counted and protect the clean sheet that Szczesny will be desperate to keep so as not to have any smudges on his so-far-100% record.
I am not saying we are going to win the league, but success breeds more success and a win in an often unwinnable environment for passing will make our mark on an already brilliant start to the Premier League.
