Our new found fight and resilience will be seriously put to the test over the next four league games. You can try and stay as grounded as you like and take ‘one game at a time’ but it’s difficult to ignore the upcoming run of fixtures

We are top of the league

Like some kind of arrogant tablecloth with it’s chest puffed out, Arsenal football club are on top of the table. Much like ML stated in his infinitely superior match report, we can all have an Arsenalvision sing-along of “WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE”. It was all very poetic, going behind and all but it is a testament to what this team has become that a 2-0 deficit is not game, set and match (sorry, just been watching the Tennis). I know it’s easy to say now, after the event, but I was never really worried over the course of the game. At 1-0 I still thought we’d win. When they scored their second, I thought draw at worst. It had the feel of the famous record-equalling game 42 at Highbury against Middlesbrough back in 2004. Top of the table for the first time in ages. You tend to appreciate it a whole lot more when you’re not used to seeing it. We have reached the summit, but can we stay there? Time will tell, next four games blah, blah etc etc. More on this later.

Defensive issues

Some would say that to come back from 2-0 down is proof that Arsenal have the much discussed ‘mental strength’ to go all the way. Others may point out that the fact we went 2-0 down (at home now less) in the first place is the very reason Arsenal wont be celebrating come May. It depends on whether your glass is half full or half empty really. And what your glass is half full or half empty of. And what you intend to do with these contents of the glass. Or the glass itself. What are the dimensions of the glass? Is it narrow at the bottom getting wider as it goes up? The glass could be cracked for Pete’s sake!

But I digress. Bolton were gifted two goals from very sloppy defending. Not for the first time this season, fingers can be pointed at various members of the team for this happening. If we are to win the title, the team certainly need to look at defensive stability. So far this season, Arsenal have let in more league goals than Chelsea, the debt-ridden paupers from Salford, SP*RS(!), Villa, Fulham and even Birmingham (!!!). I remember after we beat Wolves 4-1 I had a massive whinge at my very confused friend about why we allowed them to pull one back when we were so comfortable. Clean may indeed be a sacrifice for expansive attacking play but it doesn’t always have to be. I don’t think we need a new striker. We have no problem scoring goals. It’s at the other end where the title will be won and lost.

Big Willy’s tackle

Much has been made of Billy G’s admittedly horrible tackle on Bolton’s Mark Davies. Unfit Alan Wiley most certainly should have given a free-kick. Gallas fouled the living daylights out of him! I half expected the man on the PA to shout FINISH HIM afterwards Mortal Kombat stylee and Billy to disembowel poor Davies with the corner flag before celebrating in front of 59,000 bloodthristy gooners. FLAWLESS VICTORY and all that.

Ahem! Anyway, It makes a change to see perennial ‘southern softies’ Arsenal being accused of being over-physical while those well ‘ard Northerners are the ones walking off the pitch with a few bruises.

Besides, given how Bolton have gone about playing ‘football’ over the years, any so-called “assault” on one of their players is surely just cancelling out some misdemeanour they have committed in the past and restoring the natural order of things. An eye for eye (or ankle for an ankle).

DISCLAIMER: Arsenalvision does not condone disemboweling, ankle-breaking or eye-gouging of any sort and hopes Mark Davies makes a full recovery.

Taylor MAID!

At the risk of sounding [more] unpopular, I’ve always quite like Matty Taylor as a footballer. I think he is probably one of the most underrated talents in the league and for a country screaming out for left-footed players, I’m shocked that Taylor is often ignored. However, over the years, I’ve heard some quite shocking and disgusting rumours about the man. The kinds of thing you hear that make you immediately lose all respect for a man and question the morality of the sick world we live in. Yes, Matt Taylor is a Spurs fan! Which kind of explains his behaviour over the last couple of games. There was the kneeling on the back of Cesc’s head on Sunday and the celebrating in front our fans following the penalty on Wednesday which to be fair are the actions you’d expect from grotty spuds. However, going back to the first incident, who pulls a fellow player’s hair? You just don’t do that as a man! Even when hair-pulling was cool (which I think was around October 1937) it was still questionable. At the risk of sounding sexist and alienating the site’s female readership (yeah, right!) I think it’s safe to say that Matty Taylor is a big blouse-wearing, oestrogen producing, tampon inserting girl!

Little Jack and the story of K-Dav

After suggesting the return of capital punishment for William ‘The Emirates Ripper’ Gallas, Owen Coyle seems to have retracted his accusation of assault by the Arsenal man. Could this be because he is eyeing up the Jack Wilshire shaped box with FOR LOAN written on it, currently sitting in Arsene Wenger’s garage along with Richard Wright’s goal keeping ability and Kaba Diawara?

A cautionary tale for young Jack. Once upon a time there was an exciting young Chesterfield striker called Kevin Davies. Davies was a key part of the Division Three side’s heroic run to the FA Cup semi finals in 1997. Davies was hailed as the next big thing in English football and was linked with some of the countries top clubs and Spurs before eventually joining Southampton and then Blackburn. Davies could not replicate his lower league form in the top division so decided to retire from football and join Bolton Wanderers UFC training camp. The exciting young player who would run at defenders and actually knew how to control and pass the ball was turned into a ruthless killing machine! Fat Sam Allardyce convinced ‘The Battering Ram’ to return to football and lead the line for the league’s first hybrid football/vigilante assault team. Bolton Wanderers made Davies forgot everything that made him an decent player as he went on to become the unified and undisputed World Champion of committing fouls following season after season of success in this field (on some nights, he is known to wander the streets of Greater Manchester eating pies wearing a necklace of the fractured cheekbones of his victims while muttering something about feasting on the remains of central defenders). Poor Matty Taylor seems to going down the same route. Jack, for the love of God, please let this be a lesson to you. DON’T end up at Bolton.

In fairness to Davies, there was a moment late in the second half on Wednesday when he pulled off a superb Ronaldinho-esque turn that left both Gallas and Sagna completely baffled and made think that I should stop putting LSD on my Rice Krispies.

The joy of Cesc

Whatever we think of Bolton, Coyle will change up the way they play and the first signs of a more positive Wanderers side were there in both games I thought. Whereas on Wednesday I never really saw us losing, I feel that Sunday’s game could have gone either way. They had chances that they didn’t take and the complexion of the game could have been completely different had they been a bit more clinical. However, our trump card was one Francesc Fabregas who seemed to be directly involved in ALL our attacking moves. I was worried that we rushed him back but boy, am I glad he was playing. Much like the Villa game, it was he who was the real glaring difference between the sides. I’m not saying that we
aren’t better than Villa or Bolton but rather when the games seem to haven been devoid of any real spark, Cesc has been the man to provide it. A special player, a team player and a player you’d have to be crazy to not see how integral he is to the Arsenal team.

Injuries AGAIN!

The Arsenal Royal Infirmary was happy to report that only ONE player checked in this week following two games against Bolton. The prognosis for Abou Diaby is that his calf injury is nothing serious and he should be back in training sometime in 2013. Meanwhile, it’s looking good for the other 56 players currently receiving treatment and on the road to recovery as it was announced that they now only have a 97% chance of re-aggravating their various ailments. A record low for this season.

Bloody kids

Racist Frenchman Arsene Wenger, has shocked the ignorant masses of ill-informed former players on TV masquerading as ‘experts’ by giving English Craig Eastmond not one, but TWO games this week!

In all seriousness, I’d say Bolton away is probably the last place you’d want to make your first league start and while he seemed to struggle as the game went on, you’d like to think he’d take it all in his stride and use the experience to get better as a player. In truth, he actually looked a bit braver/more composed in the short time he was on the pitch on Wednesday night. Here’s to a bright future and no Ashley Cole/Jermaine Pennant/David Bentley style shenanigans.

In the same vein, Fran Merida was brilliant for his goal on Sunday. People have contemplated how he will fit into the side but there have certainly been enough flashes of brilliance to allow him the time to prove himself. If Diaby, Song and Denilson have been allowed enough piss-poor performances before cementing themselves into the side then Merida should be too.

Just because I’m paranoid, it doesn’t mean he’s a good keeper.

Some of my nearest and dearest have accused me of paranoia in the past. I refuse to drink Holsten in pubs because I was convinced that there was a substance in it that allowed some external and unknown force to have the power of mind over you and make you support Spurs. It had nothing to do with the fact Holston tasted like piss. I also once believed that the government were stealing my socks. Seriously, have you ever been through your sock drawer and struggled to find a matching pair? Six different kind of individual sock I pulled out once and no pair to go with it. I actually thought there was a secret plan to use my DNA to clone an entire army of otherwise useless internet writers with questionable comic talent. Why? Because they can!!!

The latest accusation of paranoia levelled at me concerns the Arsenal goalkeeper. The more I watch my beloved gunners the more I’m convinced that there is some serious friction between Manuel Almunia and the rest of the team. There just seems to be no trust. Frequently this season, we’ve seen our defenders panic in and around our box clearing the ball with no opposition players around and very tellingly, Almunia making a late and often feeble attempt to claim the ball himself. Other times, we see a static Almunia making no attempt to organise his defence leading to the defensive short-comings mentioned above. Finally, last week against Everton, Almunia charged out of his goal and nearly killed poor Armand Traore after coming to clear a ball that the left back seemingly would have been able to deal with. Just this past Wednesday, I sat behind the goal we were defending in the second half and almost wee’d myself a little bit every time a ball was put into the box. The problem seems to be more than just a lack of communication. Almunia is all over the place and something needs to be done, by which I mean he needs to be dropped/replaced. He’s made a number of goal-costing errors this campaign and I don’t want to be looking back at the end of the season saying “could’ve, would’ve, should’ve” after he makes a huge error in big game that costs us important points. Once again, I hark back to the fact Mad Jens Lehmann was dropped after two admittedly bad errors a few years back while Manuel has been allowed to continue after so many more.

Looking ahead

Our new found fight and resilience will be seriously put to the test over the next four league games. You can try and stay as grounded as you like and take ‘one game at a time’ but it’s difficult to ignore the upcoming run of fixtures. Firstly, it’s a Villa side fresh off a goal orgy against Blackburn and despite recent league form, always remain a threat. Then it’s the debt ridden paupers from Salford in a game we’d want to win even if there was nothing at stake. All the more incentive if it means we open a gap on them in the race for the title. Then it’s Liverpool, who, as poor as they have been, should never, ever be dismissed and finally it’s the Chelsea side that humped us in November. We may be top now and while I remain cautiously optimistic, there is still a long way to go and it would be remiss to talk of the title just yet (Ok, so I’ve talked about it a lot in this article so far. Sue me! No, not you, Sol!). If – and that’s a huge Kilimanjaro sized if – we are still in pole position after these games, then title talk can get serious.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!