The Gunners are back

The photo above is my eldest son at an Arsenal versus Everton match back in March 2020 just before the world shut down due to Covid-19. He was seven at the time and it is still one of his fondest memories!

I wrote an article in the Sport Talk Social community around four months ago tipping my beloved Arsenal to have their best season in years. At this stage it is lucking increasingly likely and at this stage anyone betting against them at least qualifying for the Champions League will need their heads examined. Should they manage to qualify, then that will copper fasten this year as their best in six or seven.

Amazingly Arsenal have not dined at the top table of European football since the 2016/2017 season, which seems absolutely crazy when you consider that it used to be routine, especially under Wenger who brought the Gunners to the Champions League stages an incredible nineteen times successively between 1998 and 2016. However, since then, there has been a Champions League drought at the Emirates and players, staff, management and fans know all about it.

Should we successfully qualify for the premium European competition for 2023/2024 it will be a pivotal and emotional milestone for this young team. This year not only are they battling it out for a place in the Champions League, but are also battling to be Champions of the Premier League. As we approach the midway point of the season they have a cushion of five points over their closest rivals Manchester City.

Now a five point lead over any team is not huge, but a five point lead over a team like Man City who are loaded with attacking flare and fire power. A team who boasts the best striker in world football in Haaland. That five point lead suddenly does not feel all that big anymore.

Derbies

There is an FA Cup break this weekend, and then next weekend, the football comes back full steam ahead, with two absolute massive games. Machester City take on Manchester United at Old Trafford and Arsenal travel to White Hart Lane to take on North London rivals and noisy neighbours Spurs.

It is really starting to look like a pivotal point in the season. Can Manchester United do Arsenal a favour and take point of City? If they can then Arsenal will know before they take on Spurs on Sunday afternoon at 4:30pm. I reckon if United do take two or three points of City, then Arsenal will prevail against Spurs, but on the other hand if City cut the deficit to just two points before the Arsenal game kicks off, it will be far more difficult task. Phycology always comes into these things in my opinions.

Regardless of what happens though, I expect it to be a feast of Football with Brighton also taking on a struggling Liverpool team. It would take a brave man to back Liverpool, especially the way that Brighton are playing De Zerbi - he has the Sea-siders purring again and playing attractive football. Also from a selfish Irish standpoint, he is giving some young Irish players like Evan Ferguson and Andrew Moran vital Premier League minutes, which we really need, as many of our players are playing Championship and League One football these, not ideal when your next match is against World Cup Finalists France in March!

Youth

Speaking of youth, that has been the foundation upon which this Arsenal revival has been built.

Arsenal were very wise with Arteta and unlike United, Chelsea and City who may have fired him when things were in transition, Arsenal stuck with their man and former captian and fan favourite.

He has been given time to impart his knowledge and outlook on the team, time to bring in his own players together with Edu and time to get rid of weak links and trouble makers like Aubameyang. It is looking more and more like Arteta's team every day and when you hear the players talking about his tactical knowledge and awareness being next level, you start to believe that 40 year old Arteta may be here for a long time and bring some much needed success back to the top team in North London, after all form is temporary, but class is permanent, is'nt that right @blanchy and @talesfromcrypto! For me, a key ingredient for Arsenal and their road to success is youth, and they have that in spades, just look at the age profile of Arsenal's top players.

Aaron Ramsdale - 24
Gabriel Magalhães - 24
William Saliba - 24
Kieran Tierney - 25
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 25
Bukayo Saka - 21
Martin Ødegaard - 23
Emile Smith Rowe - 22
Fábio Vieira - 20
Gabriel Martinelli - 21
Gabriel Jesus - 24
Eddie Nketiah - 23

The future is bright and Arsenal have a great man manager and motivator in Mikel Arteta who can lead this team to win trophies once more.

Cool Heads after defeat

We have already suffered one defeat this year and we will suffer more before the season is out, especially because the games are now going to start coming thick and fast. When we eventually do lose a game, the way we bounce back and react to that loss, will be huge and will define the season. The longer we can go without losing one, the better obviously, but should we lose one, we just have to be sure not to lose two.

The pressure is still on City, as most people still fancy them to make up the difference and win the league and Arsenal still need to play them home and away.

Those games will most certainly be pivotal and if Arsenal can somehow manage to avoid defeat in both, they might just have a chance and I might be brining the little man below and his younger brother over for another match.

These are all original photos captured by me on my Samsung Smartphone except for the one of Saka, Martinelli and Smith-Rowe which is a screen shot of a Youtube video

Thanks as always for stopping by everyone.

Peace Out