Keep the faith and don’t listen to the noise!

Yes, it’s shocking to see Arsenal in second place behind Manchester City on the Premier League table. The Gunners have been on top of the league since August, however, goal differential now has Arsenal in second behind City, Arsenal does have a game in hand.

We need to be very proud how the team played on Wednesday. Obviously, Pep Guardiola’s team came out on top, however, the Gunners performance shows to the rest the league we are for real and will certainly challenge for the title. The final score line does not reflect how well the lads played on Wednesday. A couple of very sloppy moments cost us the game, and the three points. Not only will this be a huge learning experience for the young club, but it should also give them the confidence and determination to plow ahead.

There are sixteen Premier League matches left this season for Arsenal, with games at Aston Villa and Leicester City next on the their fixture list.

Mikel Arteta had this to say following Wednesday defeat, ““You cannot give anything away. We gave them three goals, you don’t do that against City. Ninety-nine times out of 100, you’re going to lose the game. And we still had three big, big chances and we didn’t put them away. When that happens, you have zero chance to win. It made me proud the level we have raised today against probably the best team in the world, when they are able to play at the level with the players that we have.” [Courtesy of Arsenal.com]

Well said. For the most part, Arsenal outplayed City, and dominated possession 64% to 36%. But give Pep credit, he made the necessary halftime adjustments which helped his club turn the match around in their favor.

Here’s a few takeaways from yesterday from my perspective…

1. This scoring drought has to be reversed. Three goals in the last four matches will not win us anything.
2. Eddie Nketiah seems to be struggling at the moment and can not find the back of the net. Is it time to move Leandro Trossard into the #9 position for a few games?
3. Jorginho stepped in and did a very solid job for the injured Thomas Partey. The former Chelsea man was a terrific signing in January and will be a big player the rest of the way.
4. Takehiro Tomiyasu made the worst pass of his career on Wednesday, however, the fullback shook it off and played a good game.
5. Martin Odegaard is a true leader. Following Tomi’s blunder, the captain came over and told the fullback to keep his chin up.
6. Why can’t our players keep the ball down and on target? Too many chances fly high and wide. This kills our attempts on target and makes the goalkeepers job way too easy.
7. Erling Halland is a big, physical and quick striker. There’s no doubt. However, the young man also strikes me as somewhat of a goofball on the pitch. It would be great to know what he and Odegaard were laughing about prior to the second half kickoff.
8. The Emirates Stadium supporters were amazing, but it can’t be left inside the stadium. It’s time to firmly get behind this team. We can, and will win the title!

Okay, the Gunners are in a slump right now, however, this is not the time to dwell on the past. It’s time to look forward and start winning matches.

There is simply no reason the Gunners can’t put a nice strings of victories together. They don’t play a Top Six team again until April 8th when we travel to Liverpool, so the schedule has lightened up a bit, however, these upcoming matches must be won. Period!

Keep the faith and don’t listen to the noise. Writers, pundits and others will try to break the team’s confidence. Keep your heads up and your ears closed. There is a long way to go.

COYG!

Gunner1953