Sunday, May 05, 2013

Arsenal Wins ... but so do Tottenham and Chelsea

Arsenal flashed into the lead in the first 20 seconds of their game at Loftus Road against QPR Saturday, with Walcott scoring the fastest goal in the EPL this season. It looked as if it would be smooth sailing from there, with the Gunners controlling the first 30 minutes of the game rather handily. But as with the draw against Man United last weekend, they failed to turn dominant possession into a second goal and had to rely on the defense and some stellar saves from Sz to hold out until the final whistle. Walcott could have easily put the game away in the first half, but saw two shots saved. Podolski was largely anonymous for most of the game, and while Ramsey again performed admirably, the rest of the midfield seemed out of sync, unable to create many chances and allowing the momentum to swing at least three times in the match. The defensive backfield of Koscielny and Mertesacker were impressive yet again, Monreal showed some stumbles in defending and Sagna again displayed the sort of form that must have the Gunners really considering any transfer offers that come up next month.

But the most important thing was the three points and as has been the case for more than two months, the Gunners found a way to tough out a win (or the two draws). Unfortunately, Tottenham was again saved by Bale late and earned all three points against Southampton and Chelsea pulled off a 1-0 win at Old Trafford, in a relatively dull affair. Our destiny is thus out of our own hands at present and if Tottenham beat Chelsea at the Bridge Wednesday, we could very well win out and still not make the Champions League by a single point. Looking back at the season, it is hard not to consider the role RVP has played in so many important matches. Not only did we give the title to hated United with that transfer, but lost a number of points throughout the season lacking his finishing. And the lost five points in two games to United were largely due to RVP and defensive bumbles that led to his two goals. Add to that the way he played today, not really impressing as Chelsea got a late goal from Juan Mata (another player we could have had) to grab a surprising result away at the Champs. So after rooting for Man United today, I am forced to root for Chelsea on Wednesday. God, I miss the days of challenging for titles rather than 4th place!

Looking forward to the summer and possible transfers is thus impossible and I will allow the latest rumours to go uncommented upon until we know where we stand for next year. The most exciting is the potential return of Fabergas, but I somehow doubt it will come to pass. COYG!

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