New look Arsenal must be ruthless against Swansea

It’s been quite a week for the Arsenal. Some fans calling for the manager’s head, some insisting “In Arsene we trust” and others sat nervously on the fence wondering whether there is a light at the end of this seemingly dark tunnel, quietly hoping that their club will pull through causing them anxiety if not painful splinters!

As always, the fans have been split on their opinions when it has been especially hard but it has invoked healthy conversation, maybe even debate, on where the problems lie and how to solve them. It’s these public opinions that make you realize that everyone has their own solution which, as a collective, is as useful as a chocolate teapot.

When it comes to the crunch, you have to trust the club in which you have supported all these years and believe that the manager, the board and the players are able to put all the wrongs to right. The manager should be skilled enough to deal with underlying issues and manage the team of players he has spent years building, the board should possess the business acumen to manage the finances and steer the club in the right direction and the players, that we are so often keen to replace, should put in the performances that their wage packets suggest they are capable of.

When you think of it like that, you realize that Arsenal is relatively healthy. Yes we are short of a trophy or two but the club suffers as much as the fans do in that respect but I think it’s the longer vision of where the current board see the club in years to come hence the tight spending. Despite this, we seem to have negotiated very well in the transfer window securing the likes of Arteta, Mertesacker, Santos and Yossi.

Clever buys and sensible money spent. These lads will be key to this season and pushing Arsenal back up the league. Arteta has constantly been touted as a possibility and now his time has come, filling the huge Fabregas void which won’t be easy. And now with Mertesacker and Santos adding the much needed grit to our defence, you can see a new team emerging very quickly. Yossi’s inclusion was a pleasant surprise and there is no question over his ability which he has proven for Liverpool and Chelsea over the last few seasons. Interesting how Wenger keeps tabs on players that almost slip under the transfer radar.

It would seem for now that the fans may have seen enough to think that Wenger has responded to the calls for new players and need for depth so it will remain to be seen how the new look Arsenal will approach the next game. With the enforced international break, the team has a chance to reflect and shake the last week out of their system. The season starts again at Swansea where we must be ruthless in our display, bouncing back to reaffirm the threat to the league that we are not to be underestimated.

PHIL WAREHAM-MEWSE