Race for Top 4
I am delighted to read the football pages this morning and to see that we are now third in the Premiership table and once more in St. Tottering ham territory. Who would have thought that not so long ago we were 10 points behind the old lady down the road? I see that she has been tarted up lately and is covered with glam and bling. Still, often it takes real class to carry an image and it remains to be seen if the new edition of the Golden Cockerel can live up to its image.
Spurs slide continues
We too have been trying to regain our former aura of superiority. Do not be embarrassed to own that we did have that hold over our neighbours, which accounts for the giant chip their supporters carry on their shoulders. However, we have to be cautious because nothing can be taken for granted. Even the best efforts of our players cannot guarantee success. I look at the table and I see that Chelsea are in 6th place but only 3 points behind us. Chelsea can thank the incompetence of the referee Craig Pawson and his assistant and not the performance of their team. Poor old Cardiff City played their hearts out and deserved to win that game. The Chelsea equaliser was unquestionably offside. The world and his dog saw it and subsequent replays have proved it and yet there will be no repercussions for the official idiots who made the mistake. That was not the only one; 5 minutes after the goal was allowed, Rudiger was allowed to illegally tackle Zohore when he was about to shoot when he was the last man within reach of the goal. Instead, he received a yellow card, but it was the third foul he had made and was spoken to by the referee. Two of them were worth yellow cards and he should not have been on the pitch.
Shocking Pawson display
Those clangers have grotesquely affected the table and the effect on Cardiff could actually mean relegation. We too are affected, as are Spurs because Chelsea should be 6 points behind us and four behind Spurs and Utd. They don`t deserve to be where they are. We now have 7 more games to play and we are away to Watford, Wolves, Everton, Leicester and Burnley. We have no more top six teams to play, but all of the above will be difficult and we must improve our away performances.
I read Mike McDonald`s excellent match review and it gives me hope that we have the players to achieve good results. We are playing well and even Mustafi was almost fault free yesterday… If Sokratis can avoid any more yellow cards, our defence is vastly improved. That was definitely our Achilles heel. The midfield of Ramsey, Guendouzi (who was fast and mobile) and Kolasinac, who was always working gave Ozil the room to patrol the engine room where he dictated the movement from defence to attack. Lacazette is perpetual motion and he hampers and harries defenders whilst still doing his job with assists and goals. Emery seems to have perfected his choice of Subs. and unlike Wenger; he is astute on when to present them.
Overall, unlike Bob Geldof I cannot hate all Mondays, this one isn`t too bad.
Victor Thompson
A sophisticated, articulate Arsenal Man of Mystery. Aged 70 and a bit.
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