ARSENAL today make the trip from their calm London Colney headquarters in Hertfordshire down to the wasps' nest that is Selhurst Park.
It is a venue known for its noise and emotion. In previous seasons, Arsenal fans might have been fretting over such an assignment. But based on the evidence so far, Unai Emery is addressing what you might call the softness gap.
We have all known before about Arsenal's ball movement and ease in possession in 22 years under Arsene Wenger. But in more recent years there has existed a feeling that they could at times be outworked, that determination and sheer cussedness might get the better of them.
It is still too early to say Emery has them on a perfect track but the signs are encouraging. A run of 11 successive victories in all competitions for a Premier League side tells you a lot, no matter the standard of the opposition.
If you suspect the Gunners are covering more ground in an average game than their competitors, you would be right. One revealing statistic is that Arsenal, under the Spaniard's canny stewardship, have shot up from eighth to first in the Premier League, as regards running statistics.
Flair and passing ability still count for a lot and Arsenal showed they still have plenty of both qualities in Monday’s 3-1 win over a more than able Leicester side. Having been stifled in the first half, Arsenal flowed freely in a devastating second half. Frankly, it was spellbinding and even bettered what we were treated to in their previous league game when they dismantled Fulham at Craven Cottage after the interval.
The difference this time was the involvement of Mesut Ozil, and wearing the captain's armband no less. For Ozil's doubters, and there are many, this game should be studied carefully. Not only did he show himself to be a master craftsman, he also put in obsessive work without the ball. I would go as far as to put it down as maybe the best individual performance of the Premier League season to date.
The addition of Lucas Torreira has been an unqualified success. The Uruguayan is a shrewd reader of the game in midfield and an altogether positive presence alongside Granit Xhaka.
On Monday, the beginning of a run of three games in six days, Arsenal left Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench but the Gabonese finisher still managed to score twice. Having watched him a lot in Dortmund, there was no doubt in my mind he would be a hit in English football, but he has been even better than I anticipated. His friendship with Alexandre Lacazette, who in a dressing room with a different dynamic, might be seen as a rival, seems to have the effect of drawing the maximum out of both attackers.
Now they have reeled off 11 consecutive, what is realistic for Arsenal under Emery? It is fanciful to think of them as title contenders but a top-four finish must be a real goal, coupled with a deep run in the Europa League, a competition dear to Emery's heart.
The next step is doing it against the elite clubs. Arsenal were unfortunate to face Manchester City and Chelsea in their opening two games and lost both. With several months of Emery’s ways under their belt, it is reasonable to assume they will be better equipped in future meetings with other members of the big six.
We are going to learn a lot about Arsenal when Liverpool come to the Emirates on on Saturday.
I KNEW I had seen him before but was unable to place precisely where. I am referring to Marco Ianni, who elevated himself from an unknown member of the Chelsea backroom staff to the villain of the piece last week.
When you are commentating on a big game such as Chelsea v Manchester United, as I was for NBC Sports, you tend to be in something of a zone. It was my co-commentator Phil Neville, after the game, who reminded me where we had both spied Ianni. He had been sitting just a couple of rows behind us in the first half with the Chelsea analysis team, watching from on high.
At some stage he must have decided to change his vantage point to the touchline. Ianni’s double taunting of Jose Mourinho will be the image most closely associated with last weekend’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
I have heard it said that Mourinho has acted that way in the past, hence he can have no complaint. But two wrongs do not make a right and Ianni deserves all the criticism that has been heaped on him. He will certainly have heard that from Maurizio Sarri.
Yes, it is an emotional game but there should still be such a thing as respect for your opponent. Young people watching around the world could easily take from that the idea that such in-your-face behaviour is all part of football.
Credit by the way to the Stamford Bridge steward, who probably knew Mourinho from years working there. He immediately broke up a potential brawl and saved us all from a spectacle unbefitting such an epic second half.
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