Kevin Whitcher
Ed’s note – I could not make the game yesterday, so my thanks to regular Gooner contributor Charlie Ashmore who kindly agreed to write the online editorial for the visit of Everton.
I suppose it can only be a good thing that we find ourselves in a situation where every game feels like the most important game of the season so far. This has been a big week for us and we have come through it well.
A good win against a resilient Watford was important. It showed our ability to maintain patience and concentration against worthy but ultimately second best opposition and followed wins at Leicester, Newcastle and Palace. Will many teams win all four of those? I doubt it. Bayern showed another side to our game with an ability to soak up a lot of pressure before allowing the quality of our attack minded players to hit them on the break.
As for yesterday, well it felt for much of the first half as if we should be streets ahead yet at half time thanks to a deflected goal we were only one ahead. We had chances to bury them in the second half but didn't and they had two very good chances which they did not take, the second courtesy of yet another one on one save from Cech.
In the end it felt as if we were hanging on. The pessimists will say that we should have buried Everton long before the end and the fact that we didn't is evidence of why ultimately we will again fall short. The optimists will say that winning games like this is evidence that we are strong enough to hold out even when things are not going all our way which is an essential quality in a winning team. I say does it matter. You win you get three points you move on. Win more than the next team you win trophies.
So let's all just enjoy where we are right now. Top of the league - for a day only (probably) but a taste of it can only encourage the troops; winning games - that's four on the bounce now; scoring goals - 10 in 4; and defending well - 1 conceded in 4. So what's not to like?
It is perhaps surprising that we are scoring well. The old theory was always you need a top striker playing well and consistently and for any striker to do that we are always told they need to be playing regularly. Yet here we are turning up week after week not knowing who our front man will be. Two very different players bringing very different styles to the team and as a result getting very different styles from the team. Wenger has chosen a difficult course because if the one he picks for a particular game has a bad game he needs the other to be ready and willing to come on and take up the mantle and there are plenty out there waiting for him to fall flat on his face. So far he is pulling it off and I can't help feeling that there is more than luck to it. If Mourinho was doing it (before his current implosion) he would have been lauded as a tactical genius. Wenger doesn't get that credit. Many argue that he is doing his best of a bad job having failed to sign anyone. You pays your money you takes your choice. One thought - if we don't know who is playing nor do the opponents and that cannot help their preparation.
At the other end how big a mistake does it now look for Chelsea to have let us have Cech? The talk was of him being worth 12 points to us. Even starting on -3 as he did in the eyes of many after the West Ham game, he is significantly in credit already. The defence has settled well and Gabriel is now slotting in seamlessly as needed.
And the Ozil-Sanchez dynamic is increasingly a delight to watch. I remain staggered by those who cannot see the brilliance of Ozil for what it is. Yes there is a huge contrast between Alexis’ perpetual motion and Ozil's rather more languid apparently effortless style yet the patters belies a work rate which remains hugely under appreciated. I understand that the stats show that yet again he ran further than any player today and I know I am not alone in having seen him as our man of the match. To those who can't see it I say open your eyes and revel in the stylish way he makes our attacking play tick and if you can't revel in it well I am sorry but you are watching the wrong sport.
If I was being picky the one position I feel is still in need of a genuine answer and is on the right side of midfield. We know it is not Ramsey's natural position yet he appears to be first choice there. Now he is injured the Ox has a chance to make it his own but at the moment for all his talent (and goodness me he has plenty of that) there remains something lacking in his decision making and end product and perhaps worst of all he has developed a terrible knack of finding his loss of possession leading directly to us conceding. I hope the next few games see him develop into a genuine challenger for that first team starting place we all want him to get but which he is just a little short of currently.
So there are we are. Top of the league and no fewer than eleven, yes eleven, points ahead of last season’s champions. Who would have thought that after opening day? Enjoy - after all it's not been that often in recent times we have enjoyed the double joy of going top and laughing at Chelsea… and that's something I can never get enough of!
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