Wigan and Arsenal enjoy fantastic weekend
The Latics finally proved that there is after all some point to their existence. Wigan came back from the dumps at White Hart Lane to stun the home crowd with an un-fancied and unexpected 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspurs this weekend. The win restored some respectability to a dismal opening to a season that has already seen them concede 4 goals against Blackpool on the opening day and 6 against Chelsea in the following week.
Premier League football has an infinite capacity of being mind boggling and absolutely illogical. After the first two games, no one in the world would have thought that Wigan could ever win at White Hart Lane but they did and such is the beauty of football.
In the corresponding fixture last year, Wigan lost 9-1 with Defoe scoring 5 goals while Wigan lost their last 3 games by a score of 18-0.
A loss or a draw at Ewood Park would have revealed more about Arsenal’s title credentials than their deserved win explained. But nonetheless, it was a well worked out and fully deserved win for the Gunners in a fixture that last season saw them lose 2-1, ending their hopes of winning the title.
Of course it is too early to comment on anybody’s title challenge in this nascent season but if initial signs are anything to go buy, Arsenal will have to pull every trick out of the hat if they are to challenge Chelsea and Manchester United for the title.
The game against Blackburn this week was in sharp contrast to the one last season where Arsenal’s Premier League challenge wilted away where Arsenal’s Fabianski was bullied and overwhelmed. Credit goes to Manuel Almunia for not being bullied at one of the most daunting and physical places in the English Premier League. His performance might not be all that special but his courage was. Perhaps it is too little too late as the arrival of Mark Schwarzer is imminent from Fulham. But it was Almunia who stood like a concrete wall in the Gunners defence and made sure that Arsenal will leave the northwest with all three points. Had it not been for Almunia, it would have been another drab draw for Arsenal and two draws in the opening three weeks is not by any means a good start for a team that is looking to challenge the title.
Wenger made eight changes to the team that played against the Rovers last season in the same fixture but none was more important that Almunia replacing Fabianski.
Special mention must also go to Theo Walcott who scored his fourth goal of the season in just two outings for his team. Walcott has time and again proved that his exclusion from Capello’s 23 was the most glaring mistake that the Italian made prior to the World Cup in South Africa.
Walcott has pace to burn and an uncanny knack of scoring goals from the tightest of angles. His passing is sublime, although his heading and crossing needs to improve. However, at just 21 years of age, Walcott will learn in due time.
Only on Saturday, Walcott attempted 58 passes and 53 of those were successful and on top of that, he also scored the opening goal of the match that settled the Gunner’s nerves early on in the match.
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