A GREAT STAR TO A NEW YEAR.

Arsenal went into the Burnley game in the FA Cup 3rd round proper on a high, after the Everton and West Ham victories, with a typical ‘Cup XI’ starting at Turf Moor.

A decent goal buy Eduardo put the gloss over a half-decent first half, but the second half left a lot to be desired. Arsenal looked jaded, with Abou Diaby in particular having a poor game. Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo, for this writer, looked like a modern-day Ian Wright and Kevin Campbell partnership; good movement and good understanding, but utterly reliant on some midfield creativity happening behind them, for the hope of receiving the decent passes their runs off the ball demanded. Without Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb and Tomas Rosicky, such occurances were few and far between. Yet, whilst Bendtner dropped deep to little effect, once Eduardo went off in search of the ball, the Burnley defence went walk about. A perfect pass into Bendtner’s run allowed the Dane to round the comical Kiraly to make it 0-2 and complete the wallpapering over a rather insepid display.

On this evidence, yes, Arsenal can play well without key players - something the team must get used to with Kolo Toure leaving for a month (Toure, the captain today, was superb) - and still win against determined opponents. Manu Eboue was, for me, very slack with his final ball and may not be too missed. Calls for Luka Modric et al won’t disappear off the Arsenal forums for a while on this showing.

Some questions that for me need to be answered though;

1 - Where was Lassana Diarra? Was he left out in order to keep him elligable in the cup for other (lesser) teams?2 - Was that Jens Lehmann’s last game for Arsenal? Will Wenger sign a 3rd choice ‘keeper in this window?3 - How long will Wenger persist to play without a left-winger? Abou Diaby had a shocker and there isn’t a lot of choices for that flank.

2008 has started well, let’s hope Arsenal can perform on all four fronts for as long as possible.Happy New Year Folks.

WOW! IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE MY LAST POST.

It has been a hectic time at work; we have had to deal with a tragic accident which has rocked us for six and of course, our students are handing in piles of work to mark, plus all the end of term jazz that comes with college life…

…but I’ll dilvulge, it is also hectic for The Arsenal; who have recovered well from that unforeseen loss at ‘Boro’ at the start of the month. The win over Chelsea was especially sweet, and the guts and determination shown during the Carling Cup win at Blackburn was almost an early Christmas present!

On Boxing Day, it is Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth; away. A draw would be good, I am going with a 1-1 scoreline, but; Portsmouth’s form has dipped of late, and now might be as good a time as any to play them. Wily old Harry will want the most out of his team this month, as he is losing 5 or so of his better players to the African Cup of Nations. Whilst Portsmouth are by no means unbeatable, I remember one festive fixture a few years ago which Arsenal some how lost - Coventry away - with the aforementioned Keane scoring twice, if my ageing memory serves me correctly…

Then, on the 29th, it is Everton away. Everton are in fine form and could hand us a loss. Arsenal’s recent form at Goodison is not great and Yakubu is getting goals for fun. A draw would again be a great result. I’m going for another 1-1.

New Year’s Day sees West Ham coming to The Emirates stadium, and I think Arsenal will beat a team which have had good results against The Gunners - the 0-1 game last season springs to mind. I think Arsenal will win 2-0. If Ashton is out, then Arsenal should be able to contain West Ham’s forwardline of Cole and Boa Morte.

And then, on the 6th, it is Burnley away in the FA Cup and I am sure Arsene Wenger will play his usual mix of youth and experience; possibly along the lines of his domestic cup 11’s we’ve seen thus far this season. I will go with a 1-2 Arsenal win for this tie.

I hope to do a preview of the Carling Cup tie against Tottenham closer to the 9th. But, no Baptista this time, let’s see what happens today in the Derby.

All I can say now is simply;

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all!

IT MAY WELL BE AN OUTDATED CLICHÈ, but Saturday afternoon’s game at Villa Park was unquestionably a game of two halves.

The first period was Arsenal personified. Exquisite passing, intricate play and complete dominance in terms of possession. The second was a display of what some believe Arsenal have lacked in the last few seasons; grit, determination, hard-work and belief.

Villa took the lead after 14 minutes when Gardner pounced on a deflected cross and shot low and hard past Almunia. Many are blaming Flamini for losing possession in the build-up to their goal. If true, he was to make amends minutes later.

On 24 the seemingly ever-improving Flamini smashed home a low Eboue cross with his left foot. A great strike, capping off the great display of passing and movement that had been on display so far.

The lead was ours just 12 minutes later when Adebayor headed home after leaping beyond two defenders from a lofted cross from Sagna.

At this point Arsenal were cruising and were unlucky not to add to their tally with a host of chances falling to various players.

The second half was a different story altogether. Villa started brightly and we struggled to keep hold of the ball for most of the half. Carew hit the bar midway through the half, and it just began to seem like it was going to be Arsenal’s day.

Gilberto came on for Rosicky after 73 and helped steady things defensively. From then on, it was simply a question of keeping the ball and keeping it tight.

Three points from this game were vital. Following the loss in Seville and it being the first of three tough away games on the trot, the importance of a result like this one shouldn’t be underestimated.

It is also important to note that we have won our last two league games without Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. The two players that most claimed that we couldn’t do without.

The win puts us five points ahead of Chelsea with a game in hand and marks Arsenal’s best ever start to a Premier League campaign.

December is an absolutely crucial month for this team. We need to show spirit, character, determination and class. It has begun with three away games, including our game in hand against Newcastle, and Chelsea straight after. If we continue to pass the tests like we did on Saturday, it will be extremely interesting to see where we stand come the new year.

But Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are all showing championship-worthy form. The simple fact is that Arsenal have been better.

So far, so good.