I'll admit it: If someone had told me in September that Arsenal would be in their current position, I'd have thought they were crazy. After all, the defence was in shambles, we were losing to teams like Blackburn and Arsene Wenger looked as if he had completely lost all ability to effectively manage a football club. Things looked hopeless. Now, though, Arsenal have made a definitive statement to the world that they are back among the elite once again. It's been a slow process, as confidence is a hard thing to build up. But, led by the amazing Robin van Persie, Arsenal have pulled themselves back to elite status again. I'm not usually one for statistics, but eight wins out of our past nine matches is a pretty great record, especially since those wins have included Champions League opposition. Before the thrilling victory over London rivals Chelsea, there were some doubts over whether the Gunners were again flattering to deceive. Premier opposition like the Blues was to be the first stern test of a side on the upswing. Oh, how our boys passed it. A superb hat-trick from our brilliant captain van Persie, combined with fantastic wing play from Theo Walcott and a good finish by Andre Santos, sealed the points and pulled Arsenal back into the top six. If there was any more emphatic way to show the rest of the league that Arsenal are a club to fear once again, I doubt that anyone could come up with one. With Thomas Vermaelen returning, the defence will receive a much-needed boost, as it will allow Laurent Koscielny to shift to right back, where he can relieve the awkward Johan Djourou. Theo Walcott also put in a splendid performance, and if he can finally show the ability he showed against Chelsea on a much more consistent basis, he can vastly improve an attack that is increasingly dependent on a certain Dutchman for its goals. The way he blew past the pacey Ashley Cole in the first half as if he was Per Mertesacker showed the unique impact that the much-maligned Englishman can have on a match. Most importantly, though, Aaron Ramsey put in one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt, constantly threatening the Chelsea defence and playing a perfect ball to Gervinho that led to van Persie's first goal. If the Welshman can continue to improve and develop, it will go a long way towards at least partially plugging the creativity gap in midfield that was left by the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. The immediate possibilities of a Jack Wilshere-Aaron Ramsey midfield tandem are almost too grand to imagine. But Arsenal can only succeed this season if the latter Brit helps to make up for Wilshere's lost production. Among other things, Arsenal proved that at Stamford Bridge. We needed a win to prove that we can dine with England's elite once again. We needed a win to prove that the red and white is a force to be reckoned with and that the cannon should be feared. And most of all, we needed a win to prove that our manager and our players still have the capability to perform against big clubs under pressure, instead of withering away like we have in the past. In a glorious game of football, Arsenal achieved all these goals in an emphatic victory over Chelsea, with John Terry looking like a complete fool in the process. Ladies and gentlemen: Arsenal are back.
A bit limiting the choice, because you've only left us with "Yes" or "No" as the third option is "No" by default. Or am I being a pedant? For what it is worth, I think there is still more work to be done (Defence? What defence??!!) -so I guess that's "No" from me...... I think
