The boys are now 15 games unbeaten (winning 14) on the road since last season. Two years ago, the boss remarked that he didn’t think that there was any difference as to whether a team is playing at home or away. A point I’m pretty sure he’s contradicted more than once, including his suggestion just a fortnight ago about possibly having a pitch installed at Colney with longer grass to practice for said away games. Allowing for artistic licence, I’ll ignore these latter comments. Regarding the idea about there being no distinction, this seems to be a philosophy the players have taken on board too. Given that this run includes wins over two of the sides widely considered to be among the best on the continent at the moment, this current Arsenal side might finally possess that
Flank Goodness
Another game, another cross that leads to a goal! The wastefulness in wide areas that has caused much frustration in days gone by seems to be slowly fading away and been replaced by far more efficient and measured use of the ball from the flanks. Following Sagna’s successful effort that ultimately led to Santi’s opener against Liverpool, that man Mesut Ozil’s pinpoint effort into the penalty area was knocked down brilliantly by Oliver Giroud for Aaron Ramsey to force home. Naturally, given his ability, I’m going to give the German the benefit of the doubt and suggest that his cross was actually specifically intended to find the Frenchman rather than being a simply speculative and hopeful lump into the box that got lucky. It’s certainly encouraging to see goals from wide areas as it not only provides us with another fruitful option, but also defies the conventional wisdom which suggests that Arsenal are over reliant on trying to ‘walk it in’.
Rambushed
The goal itself came mostly through the bravery of Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman notched his 11th goal of this remarkable season, but not with the kind of strike that has been in keeping with the rest in his illustrious collection. Not content with simply finding the target from his favoured position on the edge of the penalty area – including the surface to air missile he launched against Liverpool – Rambo showed he is not afraid to get down and dirty in the box as he stooped to nod the ball past the flailing Weidenfeller from just six yards out. It may not be his most beautiful goal, but could well be up there with his most significant. Similar to wider point made above about the team’s newfound ability to score different types of goals, Ramsey’s header shows the variation in his own game and again highlights the vast improvement and growth in confidence from his much publicised struggles last season.
Travel Slickness
The boys are now 15 games unbeaten (winning 14) on the road since last season. Two years ago, the boss remarked that he didn’t think that there was any difference as to whether a team is playing at home or away. A point I’m pretty sure he’s contradicted more than once, including his suggestion just a fortnight ago about possibly having a pitch installed at Colney with longer grass to practice for said away games. Allowing for artistic licence, I’ll ignore these latter comments. Regarding the idea about there being no distinction, this seems to be a philosophy the players have taken on board too. Given that this run includes wins over two of the sides widely considered to be among the best on the continent at the moment, this current Arsenal side might finally possess that ‘mental strength’ we’ve heard so much about. Right now, they simply refuse to fear or be intimidated by any arena or atmosphere where they are required to perform.
Dor-mats
That said, Arsenal barely got started in the first half and could well have been on the receiving end of a hammering. It would be no exaggeration to say that the home side dominated and on another day, could well have seen Arsenal off comfortably. Getting a hold of the ball was a struggle, let alone even attempting to fashion a chance during that opening 45. Had Henrikh Mkhitaryan been more accurate when presented with a glorious chance to give them the lead, I imagine we’d all be in a very different mood today. Ramsey’s goal, the gunners’ first attempt on goal, galvanised the team and after that, it was us who looked most likely to add to advantage rather than conceding an equaliser. Failure to extend the lead however, resulted in a nervy finish as Dortmund seized the advantage once again but thankfully, it all turned out ok in the end.
Per-fection
Part of the reason for the clean sheet and subsequent victory was the performance of the BFG in his homeland. Mertesacker has been in brilliant form all season but he’ll have to go some way to better this display.
Eur on a Role
Call it pessimism, but I genuinely didn’t think Arsenal would get anything from the Westfalonstadion. When I arrived at the pub, I said to my friends that I thought we could come away with a decent point – more to try and reassure myself than as an actual prophecy. In reality, I thought the trip to Dortmund would signal the beginning of the end of this year’s European adventure. As it turns out, this win puts us on the brink of qualification and three points at home to Marseille should be enough to take Arsenal through to the knockout stages yet again. Beating Dortmund on their turf may actually also give us the belief that we can be a match for anyone in the competition. Ok, it’s unlikely that we go all the way, but it wouldn’t be wrong to expect us to maybe put up a better showing than the last 16 exits of the past three seasons.
Gunning ’em Down
Three weeks ago, it was suggested that Arsenal had only managed to hit their lofty heights based on the fact they hadn’t faced anyone ‘good’ yet. Then came the defeats against Dortmund and Chelsea at home and the fear that this proposition might actually be true. However, the team has responded with two huge results so far this week which suggest that we are actually the real deal. With just a quarter of the season gone, doubts can and will remain about our staying power for the duration of what will be a long and tough campaign but there is little reason to think we can’t make a decent fist of challenging for honours. Of course, there’s no room for complacency. A trip to Old Trafford in just a few short days leaves almost no time to bask in the glory of this great result in Germany. Things will only get tougher from here on, but we find ourselves in great shape and a great position to step up and to meet any challenges in our way. UTA.
EXAMPLE OF AD POSITION
