PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS

The 7-5 win against Reading yesterday night in the Capital One cup was a delight for the neutrals and I dare say it pleased most Arsenal fans at the end of the day.To come back from 4-0 down was really some achievement.But, for me,it was a game one of those games that once again proved that Arsenal are not "there" yet,and sadly, for the 8th season in a row!My view on how Arsenal will perform this season is now more clear and it points at another trophy-less season,sadly.

As I have mentioned so many times in my posts,better defense equals more chances of winning trophies.How did our defense perform yesterday?The less said about it,the better.All the experts,pundits and fans were excited about how well our defense was organized in the first three games of the season which was credited to Steve Bould. We have conceded in every match after those games(except against QPR on Saturday). The "Steve Bould effect" was thrown out of the window yesterday.You might argue it was a reshuffled defense or a reshuffled team but infact,it is more worrying as it proves that defensive frailties resides to the core of Arsenal FC.The club must be built on a solid foundation of defense from the root-level, only then can it lay claim to titles as history has so clearly proven in the past in any league or at international level(or you have to be Brazil or Barcelona who can outscore any opponent and evidently,we cannot do that). Of course out manager wants us to play an attacking brand of football but that does not mean neglecting the defense completely.

If I am to be honest, I actually wanted Arsenal to concede more after it was 4-0 so that it would make the manager realize that we were having problems.But we did the "papering over the cracks" act and came out 7-5 winners.We have ruled ourselves out of being genuine title challengers from yesterday's match in my opinion.Sure Portsmouth won the FA cup and Birmingham  won the Carling Cup a few years ago but if Arsenal win a trophy this season, it would be hailed,as in the case of the aforementioned teams,a miracle!
  
 

THE BUSINESS END

So, the international break is over and we are back to some club football. We are in for some cracking matches this weekend and the weekends to follow.It is now what is described by many as "The Business End" of matches when games come thick and fast.

Points gathered during this time of the season often decides where a team finishes in the table. Arsene described this in his own words recently:

"In October the moment of truth starts for the team.The league establishes itself a little bit and the Champions League goes to decisive moments."


Especially after an International break, matches are often very difficult for teams to cope with as players are fatigued and not in ideal condition for matches.Added to it is the fact that international breaks are always accompanied by injuries to some players(Kos and Wallcot are out for at least the next game!).This makes the matches even more important.

Our next 4 matches read Norwich(A),Shalke(H),QPR(H),Reading(A).The very next match is against Manchester United(A) before we head to Shalke(A) and then host Fulham(H).Only then will we get a 7 day break before we host the North London Derby against Tottenham.It will be breathless football before that!
So, hold on to your seats, because we are in for some treat!

GIVE ME A BREAK

So it is here again!It is that time when we go into a break in club football to be "Entertained" with some international football matches.The good thing for football lovers like me, is that we get to watch some good football.The hunger for watching football is constantly replenished for us,either through club football or through international football matches.But, you do have to take a moment and wonder how the players would cope with such continuous football week in week out.

From an Arsenal perspective, we have seldom done well in a match immediately following an international break(as if Arsenal fans needed to be reminded of that!). Either we have lost some important players to injuries or our players would not recover fully for the following match.And this "curse" seems to be upon  us again as new has surfaced regarding an injury to Koscielny.(God,no more injuries please...fingers crossed!)

Looking at the bigger picture, England national team seems to be suffering the most with so many football matches for club and country. Talks of a winter break like in other European countries has picked up fuel quite a lot recently. If you look at the performances of the English national team, they have been average,let alone being genuine contenders for any title.There is no proof that a winter break will help any team to perform well but other leagues who go into breaks seem to do better internationally (Germany,Spain,Italy,Netherlands,France).So, perhaps the call for a break is not a bad idea after all. (Although that would deprive us of some football matches!).

For the time being though, let us support all the teams that have players from Arsenal FC(which most of us will do) and enjoy some International action.