Morning all and happy Monday. And what a happy Monday it is.
Life feels good being an Arsenal right now.
That horrendous start to the season where we lost 3 games in a row and conceded 9 now seems a lifetime away.
We are now 7 unbeaten in the Premeir League and 10 unbeaten in all competitions following victory away to Leicester City.
It was not just the wins against Leicester, Aston Villa and Tottenham, it was the manner of those wins.
They are a glimpse into what Mikel Arteta is doing. How he wants us to play. How he is building us in his vision. It shows what we can do when things click.
But we are not there yet.
This season will be a rollercoaster.
In that 10 game unbeaten run, there were horrid performances againsr Brighton and Crystal Palace. Draws where we could have lost.
It shows that we are still building, still improving.
We are 6th in the league, just 3 points off of 3rd.
For many people, the minimum requirement for Arteta this season was battling for top 4. Despite that start to the season, we are in the race for it.
The next 5 games make interesting reading.
Next Sunday we face Watford at home before an away trip to Liverpool after the international break. We then face Newcastle at home before a double header of away trips to Manchester United and Everton.
It is those last two fixtures which will show us where we are going this season.
I do not expect us to get anything against Liverpool, whilst we should get 6 points from Newcastle and Watford. It is Everton and Manchester United where we will learn if we are top 4 competitors.
Both sides have been similar to arsenal this season – some great performances and some poor. Ole and Rafa have also come under pressure from fans in the same way Mikel did earlier in the season.
They key difference at the moment is it feels like we are on an upward trajectory (3 wins in last 5 games whilst the pair are both struggling for form (both 1 win in their last 5 games).
Regardless of what happens, it is just nice that there is an air of positivity around the club again.
And the Monday is made even better with what is happening with that lot up the road.
Rumour doing the rounds is Nuno will be sacked today.
That will be 2 managers and 1 caretaker manager that Arteta has seen off; which is on the back of Arsene Wenger seeing off 11 managers, countless caretakers and David Pleat about half a dozen times.
Some will say “Tottenham are showing they are clinical and will not accept a manager having them in 8th whilst we stuck with Arteta”. Those same people wanted Nuno ahead of Arteta as Arsenal manager…
Enjoy your Monday…
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Spot on article. Don`t think we should be getting too carried away, I`m sure we`ll hit another rough spell sooner or later but the signs are there that we are an improving team. And over the next 12 – 18 months we are only going to get better. Really happy with what I`m seeing, performances are picking up but its the togetherness that I`m most pleased about. You can see a proper team spirit developing and the players all look like they get on. Doesn`t look like there are any cliques within the group.
Next 5 games will go along way to shaping our season. A bad run of results and we`ll be fighting just to get European football next year, a good run and we could catapult ourselves into top4 contention. I`ll be happy with 8 points, 2 home wins and a couple of draws on the road will do me very nicely. Anything else is a bonus. Like you, can`t see us getting anything at Anfield, still think we are miles away from their level but feel confident that we can close the gap over the next few years.
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