Will the Gunners Blow It?

With this guy, it's anyone's guess

Arsenal’s problem over the last three or four seasons, since Thierry Henry left really, is that when taking on teams like Chelsea they too often resemble an indie rock band trying to go toe to toe with a British army unit.  Like an indie band, the Gunners are a bunch of clever, skinny lads with cool hair who no doubt get lots of chics.

But like the entire indie rock genre, the Gunners suffer from great inconsistencies.  When they’re good Arsenal are very good.  Last year they matched Barcelona step for step in the first of a two leg Champions League tie. However when they’re bad, can you say She Wants Revenge?

For starters they all seem to be made of glass.  If you glare intently at one of them they’ll fall to the pitch and be stretchered off while receiving oxygen never to return, til the final stretch of the season when it’s too late.  Secondly, like the great ’70s Dutch total football teams that spawned their style of play, defending seems to be an afterthought at best and forgotten altogether at worst.

Nonetheless after a not entirely convincing performance against a decently gritty Fulham side, Wenger’s young gunners find themselves at the top of the table sitting two points clear of Chelsea’s blue bully boys and one up from Manchester Unified School District.  Now far be it from me to launch into one of those well-tread “Could this be the year?” articles we get from various footie news outlets every time the Gunners manage not to lose for two or three games, but I must admit that at the moment, things are looking up.

Samir Nasri, once tauted as the “New Zidane,” but too often more like the “French Bud Bundy” has been simply unstoppable this season.  His second goal against Fulham yesterday was the kind of uncannily angled wonder goal that rewind on DVR was invented for.  With traditional Gunner talisman Cesc Fabregas out injured, Nasri has done a lot of the heavy lifting this season, carving up defenses, playing through balls and scoring goals just for kicks.

Even the extremely lacksadaisical Andre “Hobbit-Head” Arshavin, whose normal work ethic makes the Continental look like Dirk Kuyt, has been pulling his weight.  In yesterday’s match he set up one of Nasri’s goals, was unlucky not to have scored himself and even appeared to track back and defend at one point.  Perhaps being the face of Russia’s successful World Cup bid has instilled a new sense of propriety in the lad?

Obviously there are injuries to be concerned with, but in some cases these could be to the Gunners’ benefit.  Namely in regard to keeper Manuel Almunia’s continuing absence forcing Wenger to rely on Fabianski who has rarely been embarassing this season and never looks as if he’s been up all night smoking cigarettes and reading Kafka.  Okay Fabregas is out and so is Thomas Vermaelen, but for gawds sake, even Robin van Persie is in good working order!

There’s a lot of Barclay’s Premier League left to be played this season and it’s looking as wide open as it has for five years at least.  Chelsea are hemoraging points faster than you can say “Ciao Ancellotti” and Manchester Unified School District don’t pack quite the same hammer blow they did a couple seasons back.  And Liverpool, well . . .are they still in the Premier League?  I’m looking at the table and I don’t see.  . . oh, there they are.

Sure there are upstart contenders like Hotsy Totsy Spurs and Manchester Arabia but those teams remain a few spots down the table and maybe a few seasons away from serious title contention.  So for now, for Gunners fans there’s nothing to be done but to kick back and enjoy the view from the top.  Oh yeah, that and to pray that they don’t blow it!