Football Special Report: Arsenal Goes On Top Of The English Premier League Table
The Manchester United match against Blackpool was postponed, which meant that Arsenal had a great opportunity to win and go on top of the table. The Gunners were facing Fulham at the Emirates Stadium, which apparently seemed an easy affair for the North
London side. However, in the end, the match did not prove to be a one-sided affair as Arsenal won by the margin of only 2-1.
Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, did not have the liberty to choose his best team because of injury related issues. Emmanuel Eboue and Thomas Vermaelen were the two defensive players missing from the team. However, the biggest problem was the absence
of Arsenal’s captain Cesc Fabregas from the squad. In the past, Fabregas’ injury problems had always made it difficult for Arsenal to produce good results, so Wenger had a difficult problem to cope with.
Also, the match was being played in Arsenal’s fortress, which no longer remains a fortress for the Gunners. Already this season, the fortress has been breached by teams like West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspurs. Arsenal only sits
on top of the table because they have the best away form in the league. So, a home match is no longer an advantage for Arsenal who has looked more vulnerable in front of the home fans. Fulham must have been fancying their chances as well, before coming for
this match.
In the end, it was Samir Nasri who saved the day for the Gunners after putting up a sublime performance in the absence of Cesc Fabregas from the team. Nasri gave Arsenal the lead twice scoring both the goals for the Gunners, in an amazing and remarkable
fashion. He showed a lot of composure in holding the ball in the penalty area and did incredibly well in putting the ball into the net. Therefore, Nasri was the one who made all the difference in the match and won a victory for the Gunners.
However, as the Arsenal’s attack was doing well, the defence of the team showed a real lack of quality once again. There was an incident at the back which showed a real lack of communication between the defenders. As Sebastien Squillaci was going to clear
a loose ball, Laurent Kosicelny came rushing in and slammed his head with Squillaci. As the defenders were trying to come back into their senses, Fulham took full advantage of the situation and equalized.
The defensive lapses of Arsenal have troubled them throughout this season. In the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, because of an injury, and Johan Djourou, who is always sitting on the bench, there are no centre-halves who have played in Arsenal before. Both,
Squillaci and Kosielny are seriously facing a problem of lack of communication and it has been going on for a long time now. Also, when Djourou was brought in as the substitute, the Swede showed a real lack of pace against the Fulham forwards. In the end,
Arsenal only survives because of their better attacking options, while the defence still has to establish itself as one of the best in the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger is looking forward to some of the very tough fixtures in the coming weeks. Next week, Arsenal would visit Old Trafford for a showdown against Manchester United. Currently, Arsenal has gone on top of the table but United has a match in hand.
Therefore, a victory against United next week would ensure that Arsenal would go on top of the league. Also, after the Christmas, Arsenal would face Chelsea in their second leg of the Premiership. At this rate, Chelsea is more vulnerable to drop points so
Arsenal has a great chance to emerge on top of the table at the end of the year.
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