He is visibly deeper than he was a year ago. We were a better side last season with Hleb as the link man, the ball moved from midfield to attack much easier

Glad the performance yesterday was better than the weather in Middlesex today. After a lovely sunny day in North London I expected something like the same but it is not the case.

Firstly thanks to Squid boy for taking over while I was away, been reading his stuff and he has clearly raised the bar. Speaking of which, before you read anymore, Click on this Newcastle Match Report, another very fine read.

I was very impressed with the team display yesterday, it was certainly what we are hoping to see more of during the season. Fluid, quick, and forward passing. It looked like a mixture of the current and previous Arsenal teams combined.

There were two reasons for this in my opinion. Robin Van Persie and Sami Nasri.

Van Persie mentioned during the Euro’s that Van Basten wants him to play the ‘number 10’ position like he does for Arsenal which didn’t make sense at the time. Van Persie has played as a front man who drifts into other areas but he has never really been a ‘No 10’

In his early days at the club he was being compared to Dennis Bergkamp and I thought that was a little silly as he was an explosive, technically gifted striker rather than a creative link man. In 2008/2009 it is clear that Arsene has been grooming Robin for the role. He is visibly deeper than he was a year ago. We were a better side last season with Hleb as the link man, the ball moved from midfield to attack much easier. Hleb played that role well but he obviously lacked goal threat. Van Persie adds shooting as well as the final ball and looked the best player on the pitch in that position. He needed goals as does Adebayor so I was intrigued to see who would be given the spot kick duties. Van Persie’s penalty was perfect, un savable.

The other reason why I think this team looked like the 2003/04 team was the football we played. A couple of seasons ago this new team would pass the ball sideways far too much. Hleb would receive the ball, spin and beat a marker and play it sideways to Cesc or Flamini. Nasri is rarely static. He picks it up and runs forward always looking for the forward pass. Samir Nasri is looking like he is ‘doing a Sagna’

Foreign players need 6 months to adapt isn’t gospel. Every player is different. Bergkamp, Pires, Eduardo etc all needed time to settle and adapt. Ljungberg, Sagna and Overmars didn’t. Sami Nasri looks like he will only get better and is doing everything already. He wasn’t hugely effective in the final third yesterday but he was good and that is what we need. Players who are under performing playing well and not poorly.

Emmanuel Eboue was much improved yesterday and was a constant threat to Newcastle. What he does posses which many Arsenal players do not is drive. He doesn’t beat players as such, he drives in between players as Parlour and Vieira used to. I think his good central performances have given him back some confidence that he clearly lost towards the end of the season. I do not see Eboue as a wide starter but performances like these make him a decent squad player.

I believe that we are stronger in every area apart from central midfield than last season. I look at Denilson and I think to myself, is there anything that Flamini can do that Denilson cannot? And I struggle with that question. Flamini was obviously consistent and confident in his ability as the season grew and I do not see why Denilson cannot follow suit, He had a few misplaced passes yesterday but he won the ball back and started attacks on more than one occasion.

What we mustn’t forget is that we have only beaten FC Twente and Newcastle, we will have stronger tests to come. But I am sure better teams than Newcastle would have struggled to contain us yesterday.

News filtering through is that Van Persie’s injury is ok and he will meet up with the Dutch squad. Which is fantastic news, well it will be if he returns fit.

So time is ticking down until the close of the transfer window, I can only assume that we are working hard behind the scenes to bring someone in to play alongside Cesc, probably to rotate with Denilson. Would I be devestated if someone doesn’t come in? No, I won’t.

Call it blind faith, call me an AKB but since pre season I just believe that we will win the league this year. The Fulham performance more than the defeat happened at the right time, iron out any complientcy that the players or manager may have.

That’s me done, have a good day. Drop your view in the comments.

Until tomorrow.

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