Arsenal; the only club moving in the right direction
As the mid season is fast approaching, the battle in English Premier League is heating up as well. Chelsea, who dominated the league for three months, has started to feel the pressure. In the last two weeks, the gap between Chelsea and Arsenal has reduced
to only two points. Now, Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, and his army of young Gunners are genuinely feeling that they can win the English Premier League title.
At this point, Arsenal is the only club moving in a forward direction, in the English Premier League. On the other hand, other title contenders like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs and Liverpool are showing signs of weakness
and despair. The Gunners, unlike their rivals to the ultimate prize, are developing into a strong side and showing intent to win after a drought of five long seasons.
The recent match against Everton was a great performance by the Gunners. Unlike their previous matches, Arsene Wenger did not limit his side to a beautiful display of football, which is their policy for a very long time now. On the contrary, it was a hard
fought win against a side considered to be strong in their fortress, i.e. Goodison Park. If the intent of winning had been missing, Arsenal could have failed to win in the match. However, the spirit and purpose displayed against the Blues was unprecedented
in the last five seasons of Arsenal.
On one hand, Arsenal is finding a reason to fight in the season, but on the other hand, the rivals find themselves surrounded with problems. Chelsea had a great start of their campaign, but they have lost some of their great players in recent days, due to
long-term injuries. Frank Lampard has already missed a major portion of his season, but he got himself injured again when he was looking good to return. However, the major blow has been dealt to the defence of Chelsea, as both their main defenders, Alex and
John Terry, have been ruled out for months. The recent defeat against Sunderland, in their home ground, was a result of this unforeseen mishap.
Manchester United finds itself surrounded with all kinds of problems. Wayne Rooney is injured and is still out of form this season. Nani, the best player for Madrid this season, has joined him on the sidelines as well. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have shown
the signs of old age for the first time in their long careers for United. Apart from this, United is facing financial problems which need immediate remedies. Therefore, the future looks nothing but bleak for the club.
Manchester City is not going perfectly well in the Premier League, as well. The club has spent a lot of money but the results are not getting better for them. There are some injury problems, but the major problem is that their team is not playing well as
a unit. Also, from their manager, Roberto Mancini, to their players, no one is showing a lot of character and spirit.
Another team from the big four of England, Liverpool is moving towards a better future, but they are still a long way behind their original target. Another Champions League side, Tottenham Hotspurs, has failed to create good results, day in and day out.
Often, the players find themselves clouded by Champions League fever and fail to cope with tough schedule because of extra matches in Europe.
In these circumstances, Arsenal can truly feel that they can be on top of the table in the mid season. Also, their main players have come back from injuries and are looking set to move ahead with the season. However, the next five matches would be critical,
as Arsenal would face three big tests, against Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea. If Arsenal is able to cope with the pressure in December, there is no doubt that they can win the title after a dry patch of five long seasons.
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