Arsenal have clawed and scratched their way into fourth place of the Premier League for the first time in what seems like forever! After a very strong outing on Wednesday v West Ham United, I’m proud to say our club showed a lot of class, resiliency and teamwork to earn a hard-fought 2-0 clean sheet victory over the Hammers.
Following a week of internal turmoil (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang), the team showed up and played one of their best matches of the season against a very good opponent.
The Gunners have proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they can win at home, however, they need to begin accumulating wins and points on the road as well. Arsenal’s next opportunity to do so is on Saturday at Leeds United.
Kudos to the entire team for Wednesday’s win, while putting special focus on Gabriel Martinelli, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka. These three were active, aggressive and dominant as a front line, keeping the Hammer back line on their heels most of the match. It was brilliant to watch!
Also, let’s not forget Wednesday’s supersub, Emile Smith Rowe. ESR has now scored five Premier League goals this season, which leads the Arsenal team in that category.
Mikel Arteta told Arsenal.com following the match, “Obviously there are really positive signs. Not only that but also how the team is playing. We’ve made some progress but there’s still a lot to do and we have to be aware of that. We’ve had some bumps in the road but I think we have learnt a lot from them, first of all because we have stuck together, from the top of the club to every member of the team and the staff. The biggest compliment I can give, and the players are feeling exactly the same way, is the way that we have our crowd behind us. To see that chemistry between team and crowd is unique – and I’m so proud of that.”
So, as the sun shines brighter on north London today, the Gunners need to push forward and focus on their remaining list of December fixtures. Their remaining three league matches this month are all very winnable, and it’s a terrific opportunity to finish the calendar year on a very poisitve note.
Whatever the outcome is for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club can not afford to allow it to cause any further turmoil, division or setbacks. Following three tough defeats, Arteta has done a good job to regroup his squad and position Arsenal in a good position for the season’s back nine that starts in January.
Again, congratulations on a wonderful win on Wednesday. Now let’s keep it going!
Cheers.
Gunner1953
Mikel Arteta said on Friday Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are all in contention to be in the squad for Saturday’s match.
According to Graeme Bailey of TEAMtalk, Arsenal has intensified their interest in Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams as a top summer priority. 
Fabrizio Romano is reporting Calum McFarlane will be the Chelsea interim manager until the end of this season.
Arsenal Women have confirmed Manu Zinsberger will leave the club at the end of this season. The Austrian goalkeeper has totaled 51 cleans sheets in 143 appearances for the Gunners.
Stat of the Day: David Rays has made 53 saves and had 15 cleans sheets in 33 appearances this season for Arsenal.
American movie star Anne Hathaway on the Gunners title chances, “They better. I believe in Arsenal.”
Gabriel Magalhaes, “We need to be strong on Sunday, We are at this club to play these kind of games.”
Ten Premier League managers have been sacked this season, including three at Nottingham Forest, and two each at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Has Arteta realise that Kids can save the club? It’s amazing to see Auba removal followed by a decent win against a tough team which beat Liverpool and Chelsea thereby getting a sniff of top 4. That position we occupied for 2 decades had eluded us for 6-8 years and therefore will require both determination by players and clever management by those with power at the club. It’s not rocket science to imagine that if those kids are not rewarded with higher wages.they will find suitable clubs who want them and can.pay much better. I heard City pinpointing at Nouno our other left back. He won’t care that he will play less if he gets 140k/week which is more than he earns in a month.
Edu.and Arteta.have to open their eyes it’s a big wide world out there but our club is a big club that require proper management.